Lxico

Identificacin de tecnicismos (Races Grecolatinas)

Los tecnicismos son trminos o voces tcnicas que se
emplean en el lenguaje cientfico y tecnolgico. Algunos son de
uso generalizado, pero la mayora son de empleo particular en
cada rama de la ciencia. Para conocer el significado de las
palabras tcnicas es necesario consultar los diccionarios
especializados de cada rama del saber. Todas las voces
tcnicas empleadas en un arte, ciencia u oficio, reciben el
nombre de tecnicismos.
La mayora de los tecnicismos empleados tienen su origen y
llevan en su estructura prefijos, sufijos o races de origen
griego o latino. De acuerdo a la especialidad de la ciencia, arte,
o profesin, existe una amplia clasificacin de palabras
tcnicas de cada ciencia.
El ingls es una lengua viva, y est creciendo todo el tiempo.
Una manera de cmo nuevas palabras ingresan en el lenguaje
es cuando las palabras son tomadas de otros idiomas. Nuevas
palabras son tambin creadas cuando elementos de la palabra
o palabras, tales como races, prefijos, y sufijos, son
combinados en nuevas formas.
Muchos elementos de la palabra o palabras en ingls pueden
ser remontados al latn y griego. A menudo puedes suponer el
significado de una palabra no familiar si conoces el significado.
Una palabra raz es una parte de una palabra. Contiene el
ncleo del significado de la palabra, pero no puede estar sola.
Un prefijo tambin es parte de una palabra que no puede estar
solo. Es colocado al principio de una palabra para cambiar su
significado. Un sufijo es parte de una palabra que es colocado
al final de una palabra para cambiar su significado. A menudo
puedes suponer el significado de una palabra no familiar si
conoces el significado de sus partes; es decir, la raz y
cualquier prefijo o sufijo que le sea atribuido.

Races, prefijos y sufijos latinos

El latn fue la lengua hablada por los antiguos romanos. Cuando
los romanos conquistaron la mayor parte de Europa, el latn se
esparci a travs de la regin. Con el tiempo, el latn se hablo
en diferentes reas dando como resultado diferentes idiomas,
incluyendo italiano, francs, espaol, y portugus. Estas

lenguas son consideradas hermanas, ya que todas ellas

descienden del latn, su lengua madre.

Lista de algunas races comunes latinas.

Latin root Basic meaning

Example words

-dict-

to say

contradict, dictate, diction, edict, predict

-duc-

to lead, bring, deduce, produce, reduce

take

-gress-

to walk

digress, progress, transgress

-ject-

to throw

eject, inject, interject, project, reject, subject

-pel-

to drive

compel, dispel, impel, repel

-pend-

to hang

append, depend, impend, pendant, pendulum

-port-

to carry

comport, deport, export, import, report, support

-scrib-,
-script-

to write

describe, description, prescribe, prescription, subscribe,

subscription, transcribe, transcription

-tract-

to pull, drag,
draw

attract, contract, detract, extract, protract, retract, traction

-vert-

to turn

convert, divert, invert, revert

From the example words in the above table, it is easy to see how roots
combine with prefixes to form new words. For example, the root -tract-,
meaning to pull, can combine with a number of prefixes,
including de- and re-. Detract means literally to pull away (de-, away,
off) and retract means literally to pull back (re-, again, back). The
following table gives a list of Latin prefixes and their basic meanings.

Latin
prefix

Basic meaning

Example words

co-

together

coauthor, coedit, coheir

de-

away, off; generally indicates

reversal or removal in English

deactivate, debone, defrost, decompress,

deplane

dis-

not, not any

disbelief, discomfort, discredit, disrepair,

disrespect

inter-

between, among

international, interfaith, intertwine,

intercellular, interject

non-

not

nonessential, nonmetallic, nonresident,

nonviolence, nonskid, nonstop

post-

after

postdate, postwar, postnasal, postnatal

pre-

before

preconceive, preexist, premeditate,

predispose, prepossess, prepay

re-

again; back, backward

rearrange, rebuild, recall, remake, rerun,

rewrite

sub-

under

submarine, subsoil, subway, subhuman,

substandard

trans-

across, beyond, through

transatlantic, transpolar

Words and word roots may also combine with suffixes. Here are
examples of some important English suffixes that come from Latin:
Latin
suffix

Basic meaning

Example words

-able,
-ible

forms adjectives and means likable, flexible

capable or worthy of

-ation

forms nouns from verbs

creation, civilization, automation, speculation,

information

-fy, -ify forms verbs and means to purify, acidify, humidify

make or cause to become

-ment

forms nouns from verbs

entertainment, amazement, statement, banishment

-ty, -ity forms nouns from adjectives subtlety, certainty, cruelty, frailty, loyalty, royalty;
eccentricity, electricity, peculiarity, similarity,
technicality

Races, prefijos y sufijos griegos

Lista de algunas races comunes griegas.
Greek root

Basic meaning

Example words

-anthrop-

human

misanthrope, philanthropy, anthropomorphic

-chron-

time

anachronism, chronic, chronicle, synchronize,

chronometer

-dem-

people

democracy, demography, demagogue, endemic,

pandemic

-morph-

form

amorphous, metamorphic, morphology

-path-

feeling, suffering

empathy, sympathy, apathy, apathetic,

psychopathic

-pedo-,
-ped-

child, children

pediatrician, pedagogue

-philo-,
-phil-

having a strong affinity or

love for

philanthropy, philharmonic, philosophy

-phon-

sound

polyphonic, cacophony, phonetics

The following table gives a list of Greek prefixes and their basic
meanings.
Greek prefix

Basic meaning

Example words

a-, an-

without

achromatic, amoral, atypical, anaerobic

anti-, ant-

opposite; opposing

anticrime, antipollution, antacid

auto-

self, same

autobiography, automatic, autopilot

bio-, bi-

life, living organism biology, biophysics, biotechnology, biopsy

geo-

Earth; geography

geography, geomagnetism, geophysics, geopolitics

hyper-

excessive,
excessively

hyperactive, hypercritical, hypersensitive

micro-

small

microcosm, micronucleus, microscope

mono-

one, single, alone

monochrome, monosyllable, monoxide

neo-

new, recent

neonatal, neophyte, neoconservatism, neofascism,

neodymium

pan-

all

panorama, panchromatic, pandemic, pantheism

thermo-,
therm-

heat

thermal, thermometer, thermostat

Words and word roots may also combine with suffixes. Here are
examples of some important English suffixes that come from Greek:
Greek
suffix

Basic meaning

Example words

-ism

forms nouns and means the act, state, criticism, optimism, capitalism
or theory of

-ist

forms agent nouns from verbs ending conformist, copyist, cyclist

in -ize or nouns ending in -ism and is
used like -er

-ize

forms verbs from nouns and adjectives formalize, jeopardize, legalize,

modernize, emphasize, hospitalize,
industrialize, computerize

-gram

something written or drawn, a record

cardiogram, telegram

-graph

something written or drawn; an

instrument for writing, drawing, or
recording

monograph, phonograph, seismograph

-logue,
-log

speech, discourse; to speak

monologue, dialogue, travelogue

-logy

discourse, expression; science, theory, phraseology, biology, dermatology

study

-meter,
-metry

measuring device; measure

-oid

forms adjectives and nouns and means humanoid, spheroid, trapezoid

like, resembling or shape, form

spectrometer, geometry, kilometer,

parameter, perimeter

-phile

one that loves or has a strong affinity

for; loving

audiophile, Francophile

-phobe,
-phobia

one that fears a specified thing; an

intense fear of a specified thing

agoraphobe, agoraphobia, xenophobe,

xenophobia

-phone

sound; device that receives or emits

sound; speaker of a language

homophone, geophone, telephone,

Francophone