Common Morphemic Suffixes in Academic and Disciplinary Terms

Common Morphemic Suffixes in Academic and Disciplinary Terms

These suffixes are used to form nouns indicating fields of study, systems, or doctrines.

1. -logy

• Origin: Greek logia ("the study of")
  
• Function: Forms nouns denoting the study or science of a subject
  
• Examples:
  • Biology — study of life
  • Neurology — study of the nervous system
  • Linguistics → not a -logy, but same family

2. -ics

• Origin: Greek -ika / Latin -ica
  
• Function: Forms plural-looking singular nouns for disciplines or practices
  
• Examples:
  • Physics — the study of natural laws
  • Linguistics — study of language
  • Economics — study of economy
  • Robotics — study/design of robots

Note: Though ending in “-s”, these are usually treated as singular nouns in academic usage.

3. -nomy

• Origin: Greek nomos (law, system)
  
• Function: Denotes a system of rules or knowledge
  
• Examples:
  • Astronomy — system of celestial laws
  • Taxonomy — system of classification
  • Economy — system of household or national management

4. -graphy

• Origin: Greek graphē (writing, description)
  
• Function: Describes a method of writing or mapping
  
• Examples:
  • Geography — writing about earth
  • Orthography — correct writing/spelling system
  • Cartography — map-making

5. -metry

• Origin: Greek metron (measure)
  
• Function: Denotes measurement systems
  
• Examples:
  • Geometry — measuring the earth
  • Trigonometry — measurement using triangles
  • Symmetry — balanced measurement

Summary Table

Monomorphemic Suffixes in Academic Vocabulary

These suffixes are monomorphemic — they cannot be further divided into smaller morphemes in English. Though they originate from Greek or Latin compound forms, they function as single, bound, derivational morphemes in English.

Suffix Table

Notes

• These morphemes are bound: they cannot stand alone.
• They are derivational, meaning they change the lexical category or semantic field of a root.
• Although their etymology shows internal structure, they function as atomic units in English morphology.

Examples