# List of Greek and Latin roots in English/M

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## M

| Root | Meaning in English | Origin language | Etymology (root origin) | English examples |
| macer- | lean | Latin | macer | emaciate, macerate, meager |
| macr- | long | Greek | μακρός (makrós), μακρότης (makrótēs) "length" | macron, macrocosm |
| magn- | great, large | Latin | magnus | magnanimity, magnanimous, magnate, magnificent, magnify, magnitude, magnum |
| magnet- | lodestone | Greek | μάγνης, μάγνητος (mágnēs, mágnētos) | bioelectromagnetism, biomagnetism, diamagnetic, diamagnetism, electromagnet, geomagnetic, magnesium, magnet, magnetic, magnetism, magnetite, magnetize, magnetobiology, magnetologist, magnetometer, magnetosome, manganese, paramagnetic, paramagnetism |
| maj- | greater | Latin | major, majus | majesty, major, majority, majuscule, mayor, semimajor, supermajority |
| mal- | bad, wretched | Latin | malus | dismal, grand mal, malady, malaise, malediction, malefaction, malevolent, malfeasance, malfunction, malice, malicious, malignancy, malnourished, malodorous, premalignant |
| mamm- | breast | Latin | mamma | mammal, mammary, mammography |
| man-, mant- (ΜΑΝ) | crazy | Greek | μαίνεσθαι (maínesthai), μανία (manía), μανικός (manikós), μάντις | hypermania, hypomania, kleptomania, mania, maniac, manic, megalomania, monomania, pyromania, pyromaniac |
| man- | flow | Latin | mānāre, mānātus | emanant, emanate, emanation, immanant, immanation |
| man- (MAN-) | stay | Latin | manēre, mansus | immanence, immanent, impermanence, impermanent, maisonette, manor, manorial, manse, mansion, ménage, menagerie, menial, meiny, messuage, nonpermanence, nonpermanent, permanence, permanent, quasipermanent, remain, remainder, remanence, remanent, remnant, semipermanent |
| man-, manu- | hand | Latin | manus | adminicle, amanuensis, Bimana, bimanous, bimanual, emancipate, mainour, maintain, manacle, manage, manageable, management, managerial, mandamus, mandate, manège, maneuver, manicure, manifer, manifest, manifestation, manifesto, maniform, maniple, manipulation, manipulative, maniraptoran, maniraptoriform, manner, mansuetude, manual, manuary, manubrial, manubrium, manuduction, manufacture, manumission, manumit, manuport, manure, manus, manuscript, mortmain, Quadrumana, quadrumanous |
| mand-, -mend- | order, commit | Latin | mandāre, mandātus | command, commandant, commandment, commend, commendable, commendam, commendation, commendatory, counterdemand, countermand, demand, demandant, encomienda, mandamus, mandatary, mandate, mandator, mandatory, recommend, recommendation, remand, remandment |
| mar- | sea | Latin | mare, maris | maar, mariculture, marina, marinade, marinara, marinate, marination, marine, mariner, maritime, submarine, ultramarine |
| mas- | male, man | Latin | mās, māris, masculus, masculi | emasculate, emasculation, emasculator, masculate, masculine, masculinity |
| mater-, matr- | mother | Latin | mater, matris | maternal, maternity, matrimony, matrix, matron |
| maxim- | greatest | Latin | maximus | maxim, maximal, maximum, submaximal |
| mechan- | machine or instrument | Greek | μῆχος, μηχανή (mēkhanḗ), μηχανικός (mēkhanikós) | machine, mechane, mechanics, mechanism, mechanize, mechanobiology, mechanophilia, mechanophobia |
| medi-, -midi- | middle | Latin | medius, mediare | dimidiation, immediate, intermediary, mean, media, median, mediate, mediation, medieval, mediocre, Mediterranean, medium, moiety, multimedia, postmeridian, submediant |
| meg-, megal- | great, large | Greek | μέγας, μεγάλου (mégas, megálou) | acromegaly, Megacles, megacycle, megalomania, megalopolis, megaphone |
| mei- | less | Greek | μεῖον (meîon), μείωσις (meíōsis) | ameiosis, ameiotic, meiobenthos, meiosis, meiotic |
| melan- | black, dark | Greek | μέλας, μέλανος (mélas, mélanos), μελανότης | amelanism, aphaeomelanism, eumelanin, hypermelanic, melancholic, melancholy, Melanesia, melanin, melanism, melanoblastoma, melanocyte, melanoma, melanophobia, melanophore, melanosis, melatonin, neuromelanin, pheomelanin |
| melior- | better | Latin | meliorare "to improve", from melior "better" | ameliorate, amelioration, meliorism |
| meliss- | bee | Greek | μέλισσα (mélissa) | melissophobia |
| mell- | honey | Latin | mel, mellis | melliferous, mellific, mellifluence, mellifluent, mellifluous, melliloquent, mellivorous |
| memor- | remember | Latin | memor | commemorate, immemorial, memoir, memorabilia, memorable, memorandum, memorial, memory, remembrance |
| men- | month | Greek | μήν (mḗn) | menopause, menorrhea |
| mening- | membrane | Greek | μήνιγξ, μῆνιγγος (mēninx, mēningos) | leptomeninges, meninges, meningioma, meningitis, meninx |
| mend- | defect, fault | Latin | mendax "lying, a liar", from menda "defect, fault" | amend, amendment, emend, mendacious, mendacity |
| menstru- | monthly | Latin | menstruus | menstrual, menstruation |
| mensur- | measure | Latin | mensura "measurement", from metiri "to measure" | commensurable, commensurate, dimension, immense, incommensurable, incommensurate, measure |
| ment- | mind | Latin | mens, mentis | comment, dement, dementia, memento, mental, mentality, mention, reminisce, reminiscence |
| mer- | part | Greek | μείρεσθαι (meíresthai), μέρος (méros) | antimere, antimeria, biopolymer, decamer, decamerous, dimer, dimeric, dimerism, dimerous, enantiomer, enneamer, heptamer, heterodimer, heterotetramer, hexamer, homodimer, homotetramer, isomer, isomeric, isomerism, mereology, merisis, merism, meristem, meristematic, meristic, meromorphic, metamere, metamerism, Moirai, monomer, monomeric, octamer, oligomer, oligomeric, pentamer, pentamerous, photopolymer, phytomer, polymer, tautomerism, telomer, telomere, tetramer, tetrameric, trimer, trimerize |
| merc- | reward, wages, hire | Latin | merx (genitive mercis) | amercement, commerce, commercial, market, mercantile, mercenary, mercery, merchandise, merchant, mercy, noncommercial |
| merge-, mers- | dip, plunge | Latin | mergere | demerge, demersal, demerse, demersion, emerge, emergence, emergency, emergent, emersion, immerge, immergence, immerse, immersible, immersion, immersive, merge, reemerge, reemergence, reimmerse, submerge, submergence, submerse, submersible, submersion |
| mes- | middle | Greek | μέσος (mésos) | Mesolithic, mesophile, mesophilic, mesoscopic, mesosphere, mesozoic |
| met-, meta- | above, among, beyond | Greek | μετά (metá) | metabolism, metalogic, metamorphic, metamorphosis, metaphase, metaphor, metaphysics, metastatic, meteor, method |
| metall- | mine | Greek | μέταλλον (métallon), μεταλλικός (metallikós) | dimetallic, electrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, metallic, metalloid, metallophobia, metallophone, metallurgist, metallurgy, organometallic, polymetal, polymetallic, pyrometallurgy, tetrametallic, trimetallic |
| meter-, metr- | measure | Greek | μέτρον (métron) | anemometer, anemometric, antisymmetric, antisymmetry, asymmetric, asymmetry, axonometric, barometer, barometric, bathometer, chronometer, diameter, diametric, dysmetria, graphometer, hexameter, hygrometer, hygrometry, isodiametric, isometric, isoperimetric, meter, metre, metric, metrology, metronome, monosymmetric, parameter, parameterize, parametric, parametrize, pentameter, perimeter, polymeter, symmetric, symmetry, telemeter, telemetric, telemetry, tetrameter, thermometer, trimeter, trimetric |
| metr- | mother | Greek | μήτηρ, μητρός (mḗtēr, mētrós), μητρικός (mētrikós) | haplometrosis, metrocyte, metropolis, pleometrosis |
| mic- | grain | Latin | mica | mica, micelle |
| micr- | small | Greek | μικρός (mikrós), μικρότης | microbe, microcosm, microeconomics, micrometer, microphone, microscope, microscopic |
| migr- | wander | Latin | migrare | countermigration, emigrant, emigrate, emigration, émigré, immigrant, immigrate, immigration, migrant, migrate, migration, migrational, migratory, nonmigratory, remigrant, remigrate, remigration, transmigrant, transmigrate, transmigration, transmigratory |
| milit- | soldier | Latin | mīles, militis | militant, military, militia |
| mill- | thousand | Latin | mille | mile, millennium, million |
| millen- | thousand each | Latin | milleni | millenarian, millenary |
| mim- | repeat | Greek | μιμεῖσθαι (mimeîsthai), μιμητικός (mimētikós), μίμος (mímos) | mime, mimeograph, mimesis, mimetic, mimic, necromimesis, pantomime, phenomime, psychomime, psychomimetic |
| min- | jut | Latin | minere | eminence, eminent, imminence, imminent, preeminence, preeminent, prominence, prominent, promontory, supereminence, supereminent |
| min- | less, smaller | Latin | minor, minus | administer, administration, administrative, administrator, administratrix, maladminister, maladministration, minestrone, minister, ministerial, ministerialis, ministerium, ministrant, ministrate, ministration, ministrative, ministry, minor, minority, minstrel, minstrelsy, minus, minuscule, quasiminuscule, semiminor |
| mina- | lead | Latin | minare, variant of minari | amenable, demeanor, promenade |
| mina- | threaten | Latin | minari | menace, minatory |
| minth- | mint | Greek | μίνθα (míntha), μίνθη (mínthē), μινθάριον | Acanthomintha, Mentha, menthol, mint, Minthostachys |
| mir- | wonder, amazement | Latin | mirus, miror, mirari, miratus sum | admirability, admirable, admiration, admirative, admire, marvel, marvelous, miracle, miraculous, mirage, Miranda, mirative, mirativity, mirror |
| mis- | hate | Greek | μισεῖν (miseîn), μῖσος (mîsos) | misandrist, misandry, misanthrope, misanthropy, misocainea, misogamist, misogamy, misogynist, misogyny, misoneism, misopaedia, misophonia, misotheism |
| misc-, mixt- | mix | Latin | miscere, mixtus | admix, admixtion, admixture, commix, commixture, immiscibility, immiscible, immix, immixture, intermix, intermixture, maslin, meddle, mestizo, Métis, miscellanea, miscellaneous, miscellany, miscibility, miscible, mix, mixture, permiscible, permix, permixtion, postmix, premix, promiscuity, promiscuous, remix |
| miser- | unhappy, wretched | Latin | miser | commiserate, commiseration, immiserate, immiseration, miser, miserable, misericord, misery |
| mit-, miss- (MIT-) | send | Latin | mittere, missus | admissibility, admissible, admission, admissive, admit, admittatur, admittee, commissar, commissariat, commissary, commission, commissive, commissural, commissure, commit, commitment, committal, committee, compromis, compromise, compromissary, decommission, decommit, decommitment, demise, demiss, demit, dimissory, dimit, dismiss, dismissal, dismissive, emissary, emission, emissitious, emissive, emissivity, emit, emittent, entremet, fideicommissary, fideicommissum, impermissible, inadmissibility, inadmissible, intermission, intermittent, intromissible, intromission, intromissive, intromit, intromittent, manumission, manumit, mess, message, messenger, missile, mission, missionary, missive, mittimus, noncommittal, omissible, omission, omissive, omit, permissible, permission, permissive, permissory, permit, permittee, premise, premiss, premit, pretermission, pretermit, promise, promisee, promissive, promissory, readmission, readmit, recommit, remise, remiss, remissible, remission, remissive, remissory, remit, remittal, remittance, remittee, remittence, remittent, remittitur, resubmit, retransmission, retransmit, subcommittee, submission, submissive, submit, surmise, transmissibility, transmissible, transmission, transmissive, transmit, transmittal |
| mit- | thread | Greek | μίτος (mítos) | mitochondrion, mitosis, mitospore |
| mn- | | Greek | μνᾶ (mnâ) | mina, mna |
| mne- | memory | Greek | μνᾶσθαι (mnâsthai), μνήμη (mnḗmē) | amnesia, amnesty, anamnesis, anamnestic, dysmnesia, Mneme, mneme, mnemonic |
| mod- | measure, change | Latin | modus "measure" | accommodate, accommodation, accommodative, accommodator, bimodal, bimodality, bimodular, bimodule, commode, commodification, commodious, commodity, decommodification, demodulate, demodulation, demodulator, immodest, immodesty, intermodal, intermodulation, modal, modality, mode, model, moderate, moderation, moderato, moderator, modern, modernity, modest, modesty, modicum, modification, modify, modiolus, modular, modularity, modulate, modulation, modulator, module, modulo, modulus, multimodal, multimodality, postmodern, postmodernity, Quasimodo, remodel, remodulate, supermodel, trimodal, trimodality, ultramodern, ultramodernity, unimodal, unimodality, unimodular, unimodularity |
| mol- | grind | Latin | mola, molere, molitus | demolition, molar |
| moll- | soft | Latin | mollis | emollience, emollient, moil, mollescence, mollescent, mollient, mollification, mollify, mollitude, mollusc, molluscicide, molluscivore, mollusk |
| mon- | alone, only | Greek | μόνος (mónos), μονάς, μονάδος (monás, monádos) | monachism, monad, monadic, monarchy, monastery, monastic, monasticism, monatomic, monism, monist, monk, monoid, monolith, monometer, monopod, monopoly, monopsony, monotone |
| mon- | warn | Latin | monere, monitus | admonish, admonishment, admonition, admonitor, admonitory, monition, monitor, monitory, monument, monumental, premonition, premonitory, resummon, summon |
| monil- | string of beads | Latin | monile | monilifer, moniliform, Moniliformida |
| monstra- | show | Latin | monstrāre | counterdemonstration, counterdemonstrator, demonstrable, demonstrant, demonstrate, demonstration, demonstrative, demonstrator, demonstratory, indemonstrable, monster, monstrance, monstration, monstrosity, monstrous, muster, premonstrant, premonstrate, Premonstratensian, premonstration, premonstrator, remonstrance, remonstrant, remonstrate, remonstration, remonstrative |
| mont- | mountain | Latin | mons, montis | amount, Belmont, cismontane, dismount, insurmountable, intermontane, montage, montan, Montana, montane, montant, monticello, monticule, montiform, montigenous, mount, mountaineer, mountainous, nonremontant, paramount, piedmont, remontancy, remontant, remontoire, remount, submontane, surmount, surmountable, tantamount, tramontana, tramontane, transmontane, ultramontane, Vermont |
| mor- | foolish, dull | Greek | μωρός (mōrós) | moron, moronic, oxymoron, oxymoronic, sophomore, sophomoric |
| mor- | pause, delay | Latin | morari "to delay", from mora "a pause, delay" | demur, demure, demurrable, demurrage, demurral, demurrer, mora, moratorium, remora, remorate |
| mor- | custom, disposition | Latin | mos, moris | immoral, immorality, moral, morale, morality, mores, morigerous, morose, morosity |
| mord- | bite | Latin | mordere, morsus | mordacious, mordacity, mordancy, mordant, mordent, mordente, mordicancy, mordicant, mordication, mordicative, morsel, morsitation, premorse, remorse |
| morph- | form, shape | Greek | μορφή (morphḗ) | allomorph, amorphous, anamorph, anamorphic, anamorphism, anamorphosis, anthropomorphism, apomorphy, autapomorphy, automorphism, catamorphism, dimorphic, dimorphism, dysmorphic, dysmorphophobia, ectomorph, ectomorphic, enantiomorph, enantiomorphic, endomorph, endomorphic, epimorphism, geomorphology, hemimorphic, holomorph, holomorphic, holomorphism, homeomorphic, homeomorphism, homomorphic, homomorphism, hylomorphism, hypermorphosis, isomorphic, isomorphism, mesomorph, mesomorphic, metamorphic, metamorphism, metamorphosis, monomorphic, monomorphism, morpheme, Morpheus, morphine, morphology, morphosyntactic, morphosyntax, paramorph, peramorphism, peramorphosis, perimorph, plesiomorphy, polymorphic, polymorphism, pseudomorph, synapomorphy, teleomorph, teleomorphic, theriomorphic, trimorphic, trimorphism, zoomorph, zoomorphism |
| mort- | death | Latin | mors, mortis | antemortem, immortal, immortality, mortal, mortality, mortician, mortiferous, mortification, mortuary |
| mov-, mot-, mut- | move, motion | Latin | movere, motus | admove, amotion, amove, bimotor, cocommutator, commotion, commove, commutable, commutation, commutative, commutativity, commutator, commute, countermotion, countermove, countermovement, demote, demotion, emotion, emotional, emotive, emotivity, emove, equimomental, immobile, immutable, immutation, immute, incommutable, locomotion, locomotive, mobile, mobility, molt, moment, momental, momentaneous, momentary, momentous, momentum, motation, motif, motile, motility, motion, motional, motivate, motivation, motivational, motivator, motive, motor, moult, movant, move, movement, movent, mutability, mutable, mutate, mutation, mutineer, mutinous, mutiny, mutual, mutuality, noncommutative, noncommutativity, nonmotile, nonmotility, nonmutual, pari-mutuel, permutable, permutate, permutation, permutational, permute, promote, promotion, promotional, promotive, promotor, promove, remote, remotion, removal, remove, subpermutation, transmove, transmutable, transmutate, transmutation, transmute, transmutual, trimotor |
| mulg-, muls- | milk | Latin | mulgere | emulsion |
| multi- | many, much | Latin | multus | multilingual, multiple, multiplex, multiplication, multiplicity, multiply, multitude, multitudinous |
| mund- | world | Latin | mundus | anima mundi, antemundane, demimondaine, demimonde, extramundane, intramundane, map, mondain, mondaine, mondial, mondo, mundane, mundanity, ultramundane |
| mur- | wall | Latin | mūrus, muri | antemural, immuration, immure, immurement, intramural, murage, mural |
| mus- | mouse | Greek/Latin | μῦς, μυός (mûs, muós) / mus, muris | musophobia |
| musc- | fly | Latin | musca, muscae | Musca, muscarine, Muscicapa, Muscicapidae, Muscidae, musciform, mosquito |
| mut- | change | Latin | mūtare | immutable, mutation, permutation, transmute |
| my- | mouse | Greek | μῦς, μυός (mûs, muós), μυών | amyotrophic, electromyogram, electromyograph, electromyography, endomysium, epimysium, murine, musophobia, myoelectric, myomancy, myomorphous, myomorphy, myopathy, myositis, myotome, Nectomys, Oryzomys, perimysium, Sigmodontomys |
| my- | shut (the eyes) | Greek | μύειν (múein), μύσις (músis), μύστης (mústēs) | miosis, myopia, myopic, myosis, mystery |
| mycet- | fungus | Greek | μύκης, μύκητος (múkēs, múkētos) | ascomycete, basidiomycete, mycology, Mycoplasma, zygomycete, zygomycosis |
| mydr- | dilate | Greek | μύδρος, μυδρίασις (mudríasis) | mydriasis |
| myel- | marrow | Greek | μυελός (muelós) | amyelia, myeloblast, myelocyte, myelogenous, myeloid, myelopoiesis, poliomyelitis |
| myl- | mill | Greek | μύλη (múlē), μύλος (múlos) | amyloid, amyloidosis, amylolysis, amylopectin, amylophagia, amyloplast, amylose, amylum |
| myo- | muscle | Greek | μυς (mys) | leiomyoma |
| myri- | countless, ten thousand | Greek | μυρίος (muríos) | myriad, myriagon, myriagram, myriapod, myriapodology |
| myrmec- | ant | Greek | μύρμηξ (múrmēx) | myrmecochory, myrmecoid, myrmecology, myrmecophobia, Myrmidons, myrmomancy |
| mys- | uncleanness | Greek | μύσος (músos) | mysophilia, mysophobia |
| myth- | story | Greek | μῦθος (mûthos) | mythic, mythology, mythomania, mythopoeia, mythos |
| myx- | slime | Greek | μύσσομαι, μύξα (múxa) | match, myxedema, myxoedema, Myxini, myxogastrid |
| myz- | suck | Greek | μυζάω (muzáō), μύζησις (múzēsis) | Myzopoda |