Malapert (Adjective), Maladroit (Adjective), Malapropism  (Noun) A person who behaves in an impertinent manner is malapert . This is...

Malfunction (Noun), Malfeasance (Noun),   Malware (Noun), Malediction  (Noun) Any kind of system can malfunction : our bodies, our...

Malefactor (Noun),   Malice (noun), Malicious (adjective) , Malevolent, (adjective) Malevolence  (Noun) Evil, wicked, spiteful: these...

Malfunction  (Noun),  Malnutrition  (Noun),  Malabsorption  (Noun), Dismal  (Adjective)    Some maladies arise, not from germs or viruses...

Malady (Noun), Malaria (Noun), Malignant (Adjective), Malingerer, (Noun)   A malady  is an ailment or disease. For example, the...

The Latin morpheme MAL, which is usually a prefix in English words,   means bad, ill, or wrong.  MAL  occurs regularly in fiction and...

Prologue, Monologue, Dialogu e  (Noun) Dramas of all kinds, whether on stage or on the screen, involve words (even silent films had...

Philology, Etymology, Lexicology (Noun) There are several -ologies  that relate to language and writing. Philology  (from the Greek phil...

Mythology, Theology. Astrology, Numerology, Demonology  (Noun) The Greek word mythos  means ”speech, “story,” or “saga.”  The word...

Geology, Biology, Epidemiology, Psychology, Pathology (Noun) The suffix -ology  denotes a field of knowledge or study.  The Greek root...

Logic (Noun) Logic  is both a familiar mode of thought and also a formal branch of philosophy (practiced by logicians .). In a general...

The Greek root log, meaning “word,” “discourse,” or “reason.” appears in many English words having to do with language, science,...

Photography, Choreography, Cinematography  (Noun) In a figurative sense, people can “write” using media other than words. The Greek word...

Geography, Cartography, Topography  (Noun) The root “geo” means “earth,” so geography  means “writing about the earth,” or the science of...

Grapheme, Calligraphy (Noun) The word grapheme  combines graph  with the suffix “eme, which means “unit of language.”  A grapheme  is a...

Biography (Noun) A biography  is the story of person’s “bio,” or life. Biographers  sometimes present their subjects in a flattering...

Autograph (Noun) “Auto” means “self” and graph  means “writing,” so an autograph  is a signature made by oneself, a person’s own...

GRAPH, Greek  Many English words contain the Greek root graph, meaning “to write.” It appears specifically in words that have to do with...

Symbiosis  (Noun)  The Greek root  “sym” or “syn” means “with” or “together.”  Symbiosis  is a phenomenon in which two different kinds of...

Amphibian  (Noun)  The Greek root “amphi” means “of both kinds.” When it is a prefix for “bio” (ending the word with “an” makes it a...