Derived Word Families

A single Greek root spawns a whole FAMILY of related words, and recognising the shared root lets you read them all off one stem - the pay-off of everything in this module. From the root γραφ- (“write”) grow: the verb γράφω (“I write”), the noun γράμμα (“letter”), the place-noun γραφείο (“office, writing-place”), the participle γραμμένος (“written”, Module 20), the “again” verb ξαναγράφω (“I rewrite”, this module), and the compound περιγράφω (“I describe”, περι- “around” + γραφ-). Every one carries γραφ- and a meaning about writing. This is derivation as a SYSTEM: prefixes (ξανα-, ξε-, κατα-, περι-), suffixes (-μα → γράμμα, -είο → γραφείο, -μένος → γραμμένος) and compounding all reshape ONE root into many words. Reading Greek, hunt for the familiar root inside an unknown word - spot γραφ-, and περιγράφω, γραφείο and γραμμένος are already half-understood before you reach a dictionary.