An omnivore eats everything, plants and animals alike. A panorama is a view of everything around you. omni- (Latin) and pan- (Greek) both mean “all.” A third prefix, ambi-, means “both”: an ambidextrous person can use both hands well.
Key idea
omni- (Latin) and pan- (Greek) = all. ambi- = both, and sometimes around. The root pot = able, powerful.
The omni- words describe someone or something with no limits: omnipotent (all-powerful: omni- + pot, able, as in potent and potential) and omniscient (all-knowing: omni- + sci, know). The ambi- words describe being pulled two ways: ambivalent feelings and ambiguous words.
The parts and their words
Words taken apart
| Word and meaning | Parts, and what they say |
|---|---|
| omnipotent all-powerful | omni- all + pot able, powerful + -ent → “all-powerful” |
| omniscient knowing everything | omni- all + sci know + -ent → “all-knowing” |
| omnivore an animal that eats both plants and animals | omni- all + vor eat + -e → “one who eats everything” |
| panacea a cure for all problems | pan- all + ace cure + -a → “a cure for all” |
| panorama a wide view in every direction | pan- all + orama view → “a view of all” |
| ambivalent having mixed feelings | ambi- both + val be strong + -ent → “strong both ways” |
| ambiguous open to more than one meaning | ambi- both ways + gu drive + -ous → “driving both ways (two meanings)” |
| pandemonium wild uproar and confusion | pan- all + demon spirit + -ium → “all the spirits (a wild uproar)” |
Worked example: Use the parts
Lin was ambivalent about moving: excited about the new city, sad to leave her friends. What does ambivalent mean?
- Take it apart: ambi- (both) + val (be strong, as in valiant and value) + -ent.
- Literally: “strong both ways,” two strong pulls at once.
- The sentence fits: she is pulled toward excitement and sadness.
Answer: Having mixed feelings.
Meet the words
Common mistake
pan- means “all” only in words from Greek (panorama, panacea, pandemonium). A pancake is cooked in a pan and a panel is a flat board: neither has anything to do with “all.”
Two words with stories. Bus is short for omnibus, a Latin word meaning “for all”: a carriage anyone could ride. And pandemonium was made up by an English poet for a crowded, noisy capital of spirits in a long poem (pan-, all + demon, spirit). Today it means any wild uproar.