Science Prefixes and Suffixes Lesson

Understanding affixes in scientific circumstances

Did you ever
wonder how
the dinosaurs
got their
names?

Who could
have thought
of these
names?
ELVISAURUS?

Did you know there is
a dinosaur named an…

Cryolophosaurus

 This was a

large dinosaur with a
crest on its head.

 This feature looked

like Elvis
Presley’s haircut from
the 1950s.

"CRY-oh-loaf-oh-SAWR-us"

See the resemblance?

 Scientists use Greek

and Latin affixes to
name new animals,
even dinosaurs.

 The affixes in the

dinosaur names have
meanings which give
us a description of
the dinosaur.

TYRANOSAURUS REX

tyrano (terrible)
saurus (lizard)

rex (king)

Prefixes

 Have meaning

 Come at the beginning

of a word

 Help focus a word’s

meaning

 Can be added to another

prefix or word part

 Have meaning

 Come at the end of a

word

 Help focus a word’s

meaning

 Can be added to another

suffix or word part

Suffixes

ICHTHYOSAURUS

ichthyo (fish)
saurus (lizard)

TRICERATOPS

tri (three)
cera (horn)

fish-lizard
three horns

Multiple Choice

What is a prefix?

• a part added to the middle of a word

• root word

• a part added to the beginning of a word

• a part added to the end of a word

Multiple Choice

What is a suffix?

• the base of a word

• the beginning part of a word

• the end part of a word

Multiple Choice

What is a root word?

• a plain word that has no prefixes or suffixes

• the end of a word

• the beginning of a word

• a tricky ending

Multiple Choice

What happens to a word when a prefix is added?

• the spelling changes

• the word and meaning changes

• it turns into a different language

Multiple Choice

De

• writing or written

• earth

• opposite or remove

• sun

Multiple Choice

Hydro

• fire

• study of

• water

• stone

Multiple Choice

Photo

• earthquake

• study of 

• fire

• light

Multiple Choice

Re

• study of

• again or back

• light

• stone

Multiple Choice

logy

• study of

• stone

• under or beneath

• across

Multiple Choice

Strata

• fire

• light

• layer

• under or beneath

Multiple Choice

Uni

• one who does

• layer

• fire

• one

Multiple Choice

sub

• under or beneath

• across

• place

• land

Multiple Choice

terra

• under or beneath

• across

• place

• land

Multiple Choice

What is a suffix?

• an affix added at the end of a root word

• an affix added at the beginning of a root word

•  a special group of letters that is added before or after a root

• answer not given

Multiple Choice

What is the meaning of the prefix macro?

• large

• curved

• small

• under

Multiple Choice

What is the meaning of the prefix bio?

• all

• life

• two

• plant

Multiple Choice

The suffix "itis" means ____________________.

• inflammation of

• full of

• fear of

• in the direction of

Multiple Choice

The suffix that means "without or lacking" is ______________.

• less

• ship

• ful

• ward

Multiple Choice

a- 
such as aseptic

• hundred

• not or without

• apart or out

• slow and small

Multiple Choice

auto-
such as autotroph

• against

• widen

• wrist

• self

Multiple Choice

centi-
such as centimeter

• hundreth

• thousandth

• tenth

• one

Multiple Choice

hetero-
such as heterotroph

• producer

• other or different

• breakdown

• joint or articulation

Multiple Choice

anti

• joint
• the same
• against
• half

Multiple Choice

All of these words contain the Greek root geo. Based on your knowledge of the definitions of these words, what does the root geo mean?geography, geometry, geology

• able

• earth

• measure

• study

Multiple Choice

Which word means to use again and again?

• refold

• recycle

• rethrow

• retie