Words with the root fac/fact
fac/fact means “make, do”, from Latinfacere.
17 examples of the root “fac/fact”
- factthing that was made/done
- factory-oryplace where things are made
- factor-orthing that makes something happen
- manufacturemanu-make by hand
- artifactarti-thing made by skill
- faction-iongroup made by doing together
- facsimilesimilemake a similar copy
- benefactorbene-one who does good deeds
- malefactormale-one who does evil deeds
- satisfactionsatis-enough made to fulfill need
- facilitate-ilis/-atemake something easy to do
- faculty-ultypower or ability to do
- edificeedi-structure built/made to stand
- putrefactionputre-process of making something rot
- stupefystupe-make someone stunned or dazed
Also: affect, perfect
How fac/fact works
The root 'fac/fact' appears as 'fac-' before vowels and suffixes like '-ulty' or '-ile,' and as 'fact-' in nouns of completed action; it also surfaces as '-fy' (from Latin 'facere' via '-ficare'), turning nouns or adjectives into verbs meaning 'make.' These spelling variants all trace back to the same Latin verb 'facere,' meaning to make or do.
Watch out: The word 'face' looks like it contains this root but comes from Latin 'facies' (form, appearance), not 'facere,' so it is unrelated in meaning.
To see roots combine with other parts, try the word dissector and root builder, or test yourself in the vocabulary quiz.
Other Greek and Latin roots
- port · carry
- duct · lead
- scrib/script · write
- dict · say
- aud · hear
- vid/vis · see
- rupt · break
- mit/miss · send
- vert/vers · turn
- ped · foot
- man/manu · hand
- spec/spect · look
- cap/cept · take
- pos/pon · place
- voc/vok · voice
- terr · earth
- aqua · water
- luc/lum · light
- nov · new
- temp · time
- mort · death
- gram/graph · write
- log/logy · word
- phon · sound
- bio · life
- chron · time
- geo · earth
- path · feeling
- hydr · water
- scope · look at
- therm · heat
- psych · mind
- auto · self
- tele · far
- micro · small
Questions people ask
What does the root “fac/fact” mean?
fac/fact means “make, do”. It comes from Latin (facere). The root 'fac/fact' appears as 'fac-' before vowels and suffixes like '-ulty' or '-ile,' and as 'fact-' in nouns of completed action; it also surfaces as '-fy' (from Latin 'facere' via '-ficare'), turning nouns or adjectives into verbs meaning 'make.' These spelling variants all trace back to the same Latin verb 'facere,' meaning to make or do.
What are some examples of words with the root “fac/fact”?
fact, factory, factor, manufacture, artifact, faction, facsimile, benefactor. The full list of 17 examples, with what each one literally means, is above.
Which words look like they have the root “fac/fact” but don’t?
The word 'face' looks like it contains this root but comes from Latin 'facies' (form, appearance), not 'facere,' so it is unrelated in meaning.
What is a root word?
A root is the core of a word that carries its main meaning. Many English roots come from Latin or Greek and cannot stand alone, like port (“carry”) in transport and portable.