Word Roots: M

mal (bad, evil) : L – ox goad or cattle prod

• malice (n.),  malfeasance, maleficent, maladaptive, maladjusted, malcontent, malediction, malefaction, malefactor, malformation, maladroit, malapropism
• malevolent, malign (adj.), malignant, 
• malaise, malady, malaria, 
• malinger (feign illness)
• dismal

machin (plan, trick, artifice) : C – tools

• machination, machinate

macro- (large, long): O – eyes

macrocosm (cosmos = universe), macroscopic, macrobiotic

maestro, postmaster

mag (M – water, contain + A – ox + G – tools): 

• magistrate, magnate 有工具G，又自控压缩自我N的男人, magnanimous 伟大而又谦虚如水的人, magnanimity, magniloquence, magnum

man (hand): 

• manual, amanuensis, emancipate, manacle, legerdemain, manifest, maneuver, manure, manumit (mit – send), mannerism

man (stay, remain): N – overlay, compact, tooth

• remnant, remain, immanent (inherent), impermanence, 

mand (order): D – door, boundary

• demand, mandate, countermand, command, remand, 

mania (ia-disease)

• mania, egomania, pyromaniac (P-mouth+Y – fire + R +O) , kleptomania, megalomania, 

matr (mother) T – mark

• matrix, matriarch, matricide, matrimony, matron, matriculate
• mature = -ure (shows actions or results)

max

maxim

med D-door  (middle, in the middle, in half)

Mediterranean, medium, media, mediate, intermediate, mediocre, immediate, median, medial, medieval, 

meddle, medley

moiety, milieu, 

mel (better, cheering/praying)

meliorate, ameliorate, melody, melodramatic, 

men (N – compact, overlay) 

• mend, amend, emend, 
• immense 

merc (money, trade)

mercenary, merciless, mercurial, mercury

merg, mers (plunge) R – head

• merger, immerse

merit (earned, gained, deserved) T – mark

• emeritus, meretricious, meritorious, 

metr (measure) – meter — 

meter, metric, metronome, odometer, pedometer

metro, metropolis, metropolitan

me (pass, proceed) water extends

• permeate = per + me + ate 

micro- 

microcosm, microbe, microfiche, 

migr (move) 一个人带着自己的工具，渡水，到达另一个地方冒出头来

emigrate, immigrate, migrate, transmigrate

min 时空的扁平，收缩，变小，瞬间； 流水变成一个点，然后又压缩

• minute, imminent, eminent, preeminent, prominent, 
• diminution, minutiae (pl.), minutia, minuscule, minuet, 
• reminiscent, 回忆的点点滴滴  wistful

misc (mix)

• miscellany, admix, miscible, promiscuous

miser (wretched)

misery, commiserate, commissariat

mis, mit (send) miss (sent): 

premise, demise (death, end), surmise, compromise, promise

commit, admit, emit, remit (remittance, remission), permit, omit, manumit (set free), intermit (intermittent rain)

mob, mobster

mod 如水般流动的东西被限制在门（界限）里

mode, model, modal, modify, modicum, moderate, modesty, modern, 

mol

• immolate, immolation, emolument (stipend),
• molar,

mono- (one, single) 清心寡欲

monogram, monolith (monument), monochrome, monastic

mon

• monster, monstrosity, remonstrate
• summon, monitor, monument, admonish, premonition (foreboding, hunch, six sense)

-monious (of or resembling)

acrimonious, parsimonious, sanctimonious, 

mort (death)

• mortify – mortification
  
  1. cause (someone) to feel embarrassed, ashamed, or humiliated.

  “she was mortified to see her wrinkles in the mirror”

  2. subdue (the body or its needs and desires) by self-denial or discipline.

  “return to heaven by mortifying the flesh“

  3. (of flesh) be affected by gangrene or necrosis.

  “the cut in Henry’s arm had mortified”
• mortal， mortality, mortally, mortician
• mortuary: a funeral home or morgue.
• moribund
  
  (of a person) at the point of death.
  “on examination she was moribund and dehydrated”
• immortalize
  
  confer enduring fame upon.
  “he will be forever immortalized in the history books”
   
• mortgage, amortize

mot (move)

• motif
  
  a theme; a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition.
  “the nautical motif of his latest novel”
• motel, motile, motility, motion, motive, motor
• emote, emotion, demote, promote, commotion, locomotion
• leitmotif
  
  a recurrent theme throughout a musical or literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation.
  “there are two leitmotifs in his score marking the heroine and her Fairy Godmother”

multi (many)

multitude, multitudinous, multifarious, 

mun 

muni, mune – money

• immune, munificent, remunerate 支付薪水

mur (delay, stay behind, wall) (R – head)

murmur, demur (raise doubt, take issue), demure (reserved, modest, shy), moratorium (on); amortization 

mural, immure (incarcerate, imprison, put behind bars), 

mutter, mumble,

mut (change, alter) wanter flows then bumps into a barrier/mark

mutate, mutable, transmute, commute, permute, mutual, mutation, mutant, 

mute, 

*men- (1)