Latin word root · Suffixes

-al: relating to

-al is a Latin root meaning “relating to”. Learn its variants and explore 14 connected words.

Meaning and variants

Meaning: relating to

Root forms: -al, -ial

Word family and examples

• local

  relating to a particular area or neighborhood

• international

  existing or occurring between nations

• final

  coming at the end of a series

• legal

  relating to or permitted by the law

• potential

  latent qualities that may be developed

• annual

  occurring once every year

• vital

  absolutely necessary; full of energy

• manual

  operated by hand rather than automatically

• vocal

  relating to the voice; expressing opinions freely

• verbal

  relating to or in the form of words

• mortal

  subject to death; causing death

• maternal

  relating to a mother

• gradual

  taking place in stages over a period of time

• paternal

  relating to a father

Root connections help with vocabulary recall. They are not a complete etymological history, and a spelling match alone does not prove a relationship.

Explore this root in the app →