WORD ROOTS 55
di, dia: apart, through
diameter (a straight line passing through the center of a circle; thickness,
width), digress (to turn aside, deviate, or swerve; to stray from the main sub-
ject in writing or speaking)dog, dox: opinion
dogged (stubbornly unyielding, obstinate), dogma (a system of principles or
beliefs, a prescribed doctrine)dys: faulty, abnormal
dysfunctional (impaired or abnormal in function), dyslexia (an impaired ability
to read)eu: good, well
eulogy (a verbal or written tribute, especially one praising someone who has
died), euthanasia (the act of painlessly ending the life of someone suffering
from a terminal illness)(h)etero: different, other
heterosexual (a person sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex), het-
erodox (disagreeing with or departing from accepted beliefs)(h)omo: same
homogeneous (of the same or similar nature or kind; having a uniform structure
or composition throughout), homophone (a word that sounds the same as
another but has a different meaning)hyper: over, excessive
hyperactive (highly or excessively active), hyperventilate (to breathe excessively
and abnormally fast)morph: shape
metamorphosis (a transformation, a marked change of form, character, or func-
tion), polymorphous (having or assuming a variety of forms)nom, nym: name
nominate (to name as a candidate), synonym (a word having the same or nearly
the same meaning as another)