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Essential Greek and Latin Roots for Sixth Grade Students: hydr, hydro (water)

Learn these words that come from the Greek word hydor, meaning "water."
15 words 438 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

  1. carbohydrate
    an essential component of living cells and source of energy
    Thanks to chlorophyll, plants are able to transform sunlight, water, and minerals into carbohydrates. The Omnivore's Dilemma
  2. dehydrate
    preserve by removing all water and liquids from
    “Food for two weeks— dehydrated. You just drop one of these into the purifier and add water. Any kind of water.” Uglies
  3. dehydrated
    suffering from excessive loss of water from the body
    Already the heat blazed down on us with a vengeance, and we were so dehydrated our tongues felt like thick, dry parchments in our mouths. Summer of the Mariposas
  4. dehydration
    dryness resulting from the removal of water
    “Your skin is still elastic, which means your dehydration isn’t critical yet.” Dry
  5. hydrate
    add water or moisture to
    That means I need more surface area for farming, and more water to hydrate the soil. The Martian
  6. hydraulic
    moved or operated or effected by liquid
    Fracking—or hydraulic fracturing—is a technique in which water and chemicals are pumped into shale rock at high pressure to extract gas. BBC
    hydor + aulos ("musical instrument, pipe") + ic (suffix forming adjectives)
    Add an "s" to the end of the adjective, and this word becomes a noun that refers to the "study of the mechanics of fluids."
  7. hydrogen
    a colorless, odorless gas; the lightest chemical element
    To a chemist, water is two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen. New York Times
    hydor + gen (suffix meaning "thing that produces or causes")
  8. hydrologic
    relating to the branch of geology that studies Earth's water
    The Glossary of Meteorology defines “drought” as “a period of abnormally dry weather sufficiently prolonged for the lack of water to cause serious hydrologic imbalance in the affected area.” Los Angeles Times
  9. hydrophobia
    a symptom of rabies consisting of an aversion to liquids
    And I was so scared and mixed up about the danger of hydrophobia that it was clear into the next day before I even thought about thanking him for giving us Old Yeller. Old Yeller
    hydor + phobos ("fear")
    Although hydrophobia can refer to a general fear of water, a strong aversion to drinking water is also a typical symptom of rabies.
  10. hydroplane
    glide or skim over the surface of the water
    The “dynamics of the vehicles involved in the accident strongly indicate that the vehicles had much higher levels of traction than would be available in a hydroplaning situation.” A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age
    This word is formed by combining the root hydr with the word airplane. As a noun, hydroplane refers to an aircraft that can take off and land on water.
  11. hydroponic
    of or relating to growing plants in water without soil
    So far, frosted food was brought from Earth in flying icicles; a few community gardens were greening up in hydroponic plants. The Martian Chronicles
  12. hydroponics
    a technique of growing plants in liquid without soil
    The farm at Luther Jackson uses aquaponics technology, combining the methods of hydroponics, growing plants with water rather than soil, and aquaculture, the process of growing and raising fish. Washington Post
    hydor + ponos ("labor") + ics (suffix forming names of sciences)
  13. hydrosphere
    the watery layer of the earth's surface
    The hydrosphere consists of all Earth’s fresh and salt water, including the water vapor and rain in the atmosphere and the water underground. Miller & Levine Biology
  14. hydration
    the process of combining with water
  15. hydrothermal
    relating to the effects of heated water on the earth's crust
Created on Mon Jun 16 18:16:33 EDT 2025

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