Lith-

Roots with similar meanings:

• calc- meaning “stone”
• petr- meaing “rock”
• sax- meaning “rock”

Roots with opposite meanings:

Roots that could be confused:

Notes:

Derived English Words

Commonly encountered words are in bold.

lithium: A soft, silvery-white metallic element (Li) used in batteries and psychiatric medication, derived from the Greek word for “stone.”

lithograph: A printing technique that uses a flat stone or metal surface treated to repel ink except where the design is applied.

lithoclastic: Relating to the breaking or fragmentation of rocks.

lithoclast: A fragment or piece of rock.

lithotome: A surgical instrument used for cutting stones, particularly in the urinary tract.

lithotripsy: A medical procedure to break up stones in the kidney, bladder, or ureter using shock waves.

nephrolith: A kidney stone.

ureterolithiasis: The condition of having a stone in the ureter.

cholelithiasis: The formation of gallstones in the gallbladder.

choledocholithiasis: The presence of gallstones in the bile duct.

sialolith: A stone formed in a salivary gland.

tonsillith: A calcified mass or stone formed in the tonsils.

phlebolith: A calcified deposit in a vein, often resulting from a blood clot.

broncholith: A calcified mass found in the bronchial tubes.

gastrolith: A stone or calcified mass found in the gastrointestinal tract, often in animals.

otolith: A small, calcified structure in the inner ear that aids in balance and hearing.

carpolith: A fossilized fruit or seed.

hagiolith: A sacred stone or object of religious significance.

abyssolith: A large, deep-seated igneous rock intrusion.

bathylith: A massive igneous rock formation formed deep beneath the Earth’s surface.

xenolith: A fragment of rock embedded in another type of rock, often differing in composition.

archaeolith: A stone tool or relic from ancient times.

archaeolithic: Relating to the earliest period of the Stone Age.

paleolithic: Pertaining to the Old Stone Age, characterized by primitive stone tools.

mesolithic: Pertaining to the Middle Stone Age, a transitional period between the Paleolithic and Neolithic.

neolithic: Pertaining to the New Stone Age, marked by advanced stone tools and the beginnings of agriculture.

microlith: A small stone tool, typically used as part of a composite tool during the Mesolithic.

megalith: A large stone structure or monument, such as those used in prehistoric construction.

monolith: A single large block of stone, often used as a monument or structure.

monolithic: Relating to or resembling a monolith; also used metaphorically to describe something massive and uniform.

heliolithic: Referring to ancient cultures that combined sun worship with megalithic construction.

gyrolith: A fossil with a spiral or coiled shape.

regolith: A layer of loose, heterogeneous material covering solid rock, such as soil or dust on Earth or the moon.

Other Uses

Links

List of Greek and Latin roots in English – Wikipedia

Words Derived from Roots

Greek Alphabet

Other Roots Used in These Words

Root	Meaning
archae-, arche-	ancient
bronch-	windpipe
carp-	fruit
clast-	broken
gastr-	stomach
graph-	draw, write
gyr-	ring
heli-	sun
meg-, megal-	great, large
mes-	middle
micr-	small
mon-	alone, only
ne-, neo-	new
nephr-	kidney
palae-, pale-	ancient, old
phleb-	vein
rhag-, rheg-	rend, tear
tom-	cut
xen-	foreign