Download the two-page biology root words, prefixes, and suffixes PDF for use as a classroom vocabulary reference. It is an alphabetical list of word parts and short meanings, arranged in three columns on each page. Use it alongside definitions and examples from your current biology lesson.
Open or download the biology root words PDF (2 pages; approximately 41 KB).
What is in the download?
- An alphabetized word-part reference, rather than a worksheet with questions.
- Roots and affixes found in cell biology, anatomy, and other scientific vocabulary.
- Short memory clues; students still need to check what the complete term means.
The Scientific Root Words, Prefixes, and Suffixes PDF and the older upload address currently contain the same file. You can continue using an existing bookmark or class handout link.
Read these notes before using the printable
This is a legacy reference, not a complete set of biological definitions. In the PDF, inter- and intra- are reversed: inter- means between, and intra- means within. Use intercellular for between cells and intracellular for within a cell.
The printed “hudredth” entry for centi- means hundredth; the misspelled “antrhopo-” refers to anthropo-, concerning humans. The ending -osis is not limited to disease: endocytosis names a cellular process. Mark these points on a classroom copy before assigning it. These notes address identified issues; they are not a claim that every historical entry has been independently verified.
Printing and reading the PDF
- Open the file in your browser or a PDF reader, then use the viewer’s download or print control.
- Check both pages in print preview. Try “fit to printable area” if a printer clips the edges.
- Print at a readable size. The reference has small, dense text; use a larger digital view or the on-page word-part table when the printed layout is a barrier.
The PDF contains selectable text. Its three-column layout may be inconvenient for some readers or screen-reader workflows, so offer the HTML table as an alternative.
A short classroom routine
Choose five terms students are already meeting in a lesson. Have them find a familiar part, suggest a meaning, and then improve that suggestion using the lesson’s definition or diagram. Finish by asking students to use one term in an explanation.
For example, cyto- helps students recognize a connection to cells. It does not, by itself, explain how endocytosis works. Use the word-parts lesson and worked examples to teach that extra step.
Continue with a teaching resource
- Biology prefixes and suffixes list — look up common forms in a readable HTML table.
- Scientific root words lesson — practice decoding and checking terms.
- Biology Games and Review Activities — choose follow-up retrieval practice.
- Biology Coloring Worksheets — connect words to labeled structures.
- AP Biology Worksheets and Biology Crossword Puzzles — preview activities for the current unit.
Reference for word-part meanings
National Library of Medicine: word parts and their meanings. This is a separate reference, not the source or owner of Biology Junction’s PDF.