Here is the Greek and Latin Number Prefixes Word List! This list was gathered to share with my fifth grade students. While this list is pretty thorough, some of the Greek and Latin roots below have more technical words associated, but I left them off the list as they would not have be meaningful or useful for a 10 year old student.
Greek and Latin Roots Information
I have gathered these word lists over the years of teaching Greek and Latin Roots. If you are interested in learning more check out these resources:
Membean– I love their podcasts. They have a pretty good list of words for each Greek and Latin Root.
Etymonline– Just type in a word and you will see a very thorough history of the word.
FYI: I only endorse things that I've personally used or have come highly recommended from my teacher friends and family and think they may be helpful to you. If you buy anything mentioned using my Amazon referral links, I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Wikipedia– Yes it is Wikipedia, but they have a very thorough alphabetical list.
Google- If you type “word origin ______” Google should pull up its origin resource and give you something that looks like this-
When you are looking for the origin of Greek and Latin roots via google, this Google Word Origin doesn’t always come up. It’s worth a shot because it is a very helpful visual when it does work.
Looking for More Greek and Latin Roots Resources?
If you need more resources for teaching Greek and Latin Roots, check out my other posts on Lisa Teaches Reading.
The Ultimate Greek and Latin Roots Word List
How to Teach Greek and Latin Roots
Guide to Teaching Greek and Latin Roots & Prefixes and Suffixes
Teaching Syllables in a Fun and Interesting Way
If you are looking for more targeted practice for Greek and Latin roots, scroll past the list to check out my Greek and Latin Roots Word Search Pack and Color the Greek and Latin Root. Both are for sale at my Teacher’s Pay Teachers Store.
Greek and Latin Number Prefixes List
One- Uni/Mono
Uni- Latin- One
unicycle, university, unified, unicorn, uniform, unify, universe, reunion, unilateral, union, unanimous, unit, unison, United States, unique, unification, unity
Mono- Greek- One, alone, only
monologue, monarchy, monolith, monolithic, monorail, monotony, monastic, monolingual, monotonous, monogamy, monochromatic, monosyllable, monochrome, monogram, monotone
Two- Bi/Di
Bi- Latin- Two
bilateral, biped, biceps, binoculars, bisection, bifocals, bicentennial, bicycle, bilingual, biannual, bisect, biennial
Di- Greek- Two
dilemma, diverse, diphthong, dioxide, diphyllous, diverge, dialogue, dipterous, dimeter, dicot
Three- Tri
Tri- Latin & Greek Three
tricolor, triplet, triad, trilogy, triangle, triceps, triathlon, trio, trimeter, tripod, trident, triathlete, trilingual, triple, trilateral, trigonometry
Four- Quad/Tetra
Quad- Latin- Four
quadrant, quadriceps, quadruped, quadrangle, quadrilateral, quadrillion, quadruple, quatrain
*quart- Latin- fourth– quart, quarter, quartile
Tetra- Greek- Four
tetragonal, tetrahedron, tetrameter, tetragon, tetraphobia, tetrapod
Five- Quin/Penta
Quin/Quinque- Latin- Five
quintet, quintuplet, quintillion, quinquennium, quincentenary, quinquagenerian, chinquapin,
*Quit- Latin- fifth– quintessential, quintile
Pent- Greek- five
pentagram, pentathlete, pentathlon, pentachord, pentameter, pentagon, pentacle, pentadactyl, pentahedron
Six- Hex/Sex
Hex- Greek- Six
hexahedron, hexameter, hexadecimal, hexagon, hexadactyly
Sex- Latin- Six
sexagesimal, sextillion, sextet, sextant, sexcentenary, sexagenarian, sextuplets, sexennial, sextuple
Seven- Sept/Hept
Sept- Latin- Seven
septuagenarian, September, septcentenary, septenary, septuplets, septillion, septennial, septet
*The months September, October, November and December were originally the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth months of the year before two months were added to the original ten-month calendar.
Hept- Greek- Seven
heptathlon, heptahedron, heptachromic, heptachord, hebdomadal, heptamerous, heptameter, heptagon, hebdomadal, heptad
Eight- Oct
Oct- Latin & Greek- Eight
octogenarian, octagon, octogynous, octennial, octopus, octave, octet, October
*The months September, October, November and December were originally the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth months of the year before two months were added to the original ten-month calendar.
Nine- Non/Ennea
Non/nov- Latin- Nine
Nonagon, nonane, nonet, nonagenarian, November
*The months September, October, November and December were originally the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth months of the year before two months were added to the original ten-month calendar.
Ennea- Greek- Nine
enneagon, ennehedron, enneagram
Ten- Dec
Dec- Latin & Greek- Ten
*decim- Latin tenth
decry, decimeter, decimate, December, decimal, decibel, decathlon, dime, decade, decimation, hexadecimal, quindecennial
Mega-
Mega- Greek- Great, Large, million
megadose, megatron, megabyte, megastar, megalomania, megaphone, megahertz, megalopolis, megastore, megalith, megahit
Micro
Micro- Greek- Small
microorganism, microprocessor, microscope, microbiologist, micromanager, microbe, microphone, microwave
Metric Number Prefixes-
Cent- one hundred (Latin)- tricentennial, cent, centenarian, percentage, centennial, bicentennial, century, percent
Centi- One-hundredth– centimeter, centiliter
Hecto- one hundred (Greek)– hectopascal, hectometer, hectoliter, hectare, hectogram
Kilo- One Thousand (Greek)- kilometer, kilobyte, kilogram, kiloton, kilowatt, kiloliter
Milli- one thousandth (Latin)- milliwatt, millisecond, milligram, millipede, millimeter, milliliter, million, millionaire
*million can be defined as one thousand thousands and millionaire is a person who has at least one thousand thousands. these words come from the Latin prefix mille, which means one thousand ( the whole number, not the decimal)
Metric Number Prefixes Expansions
Quetta, yotta, yocto, atto, zepto, exa, pico, peta, rondo, tera, zetta, nano, Ronna, quest, femto, giga
Resources for Teaching Greek and Latin Roots
Greek and Latin Roots Word Searches
Looking for more practice with teaching word morphology? I created targeted word searches based off of common prefix, suffix and root words. I wanted to make an activity that could be more engaging than a regular worksheet and included a list of words. Sometimes it is hard to come up with multiple examples of words with a specific prefix, suffix or root.
Grab my free Phobia suffix word search here!
Phobia Suffix Free Word Search
Greek and Latin Roots Number Prefixes
Greek and Latin Roots Word Search
Color the Greek and Latin Root
Looking for Greek and Latin Roots Stems vocabulary activities to engage students? Students will expand their vocabulary and understanding of Greek and Latin affixes & morphology and generative vocabulary with these 37 visual activities to highlight or color the Greek and Latin Root in each word. This is perfect for teachers who are new to teaching Greek and Latin Roots and educators looking to find a variety ways to bring UDL (Universal Design for Learning) into the classroom!
Check Out My Other Engaging Vocabulary Posts
Teaching Syllables in a Fun and Interesting Way
Executive Functioning and Reading Comprehension Challenges
Making Words Teaching Strategy
How to Teach Greek and Latin Roots
The Magic of the Teacher Read Aloud
The Importance of Teaching Idioms Throughout the Year
How Do You Teach Greek and Latin Roots Number Prefixes?
What resources do you like to use? Which Greek and Latin roots are the hardest for your students? I would love to hear about it!
I noticed a couple of minor (petty?) issues with your list of Greek and Latin numerical prefixes. The title is Greek and Latin, but under “Contents” they are all listed Latin first, then Greek, except for 6 which is Greek-Latin. Further down you give a more extensive description of each, again with Latin first, then Greek. But, again, 6 is reversed with Greek first, then Latin. I know how much consistency matters, so I thought you might like to know.