Word prefixes and their meanings

There are a lot of words in English with prefixes of Latin, Greek, and Old English origin. In the course of time, prefixes in many words have lost their meanings, while many other prefixes still have more or less clear meanings.

A list of prefixes, with meanings and examples, is provided below. The list also includes some prepositions, postpositions (adverbial particles), and combining forms (e.g., auto, multi, pseudo, etc.) used as prefixes (i.e., at the beginning of the word) in the formation of a large number of compound words.

Russian translation of the words in the list is provided for the purpose of comparing the differences and similarities in the use of English and Russian prefixes. (Only one meaning is given in translation.)

The words in the list below are written according to American spelling norms. Some of these words may have two variants of spelling, with or without a hyphen after the prefix. (See Hyphen with Prefixes in the section Writing.)

Other related materials in the section Writing: Difficult Prefixes; Latin and Greek Number Prefixes; Double Consonants.

Английские префиксы, со значениями и примерами

В английском языке очень много слов с префиксами латинского, греческого и древнеанглийского происхождения. С течением времени префиксы во многих словах утеряли свои значения, в то время как многие другие префиксы по-прежнему имеют более или менее ясные значения.

Список префиксов, со значениями и примерами, дан ниже. Список также включает некоторые предлоги, послелоги (наречные частицы) и присоединяемые формы (например, auto, multi, pseudo и др.), используемые как префиксы (т.е. в начале слова) в образовании большого количества сложных слов.

Русский перевод слов в списке дан с целью сравнить различия и сходства в употреблении английских префиксов и русских приставок. (Только одно значение дано в переводе.)

Слова в списке ниже написаны согласно американским нормам правописания. Некоторые из этих слов могут иметь два варианта написания, с дефисом или без дефиса после префикса. (См. Hyphen with Prefixes в разделе Writing.)

Другие материалы по теме в разделе Writing: Difficult Prefixes; Latin and Greek Number Prefixes; Double Consonants.

Prefixes and their variants	Meanings	Examples	Translation of examples
a	1.on, in, of, to, toward; 2.beginning or end of action	1. aboard; aback; afoot; again; akin; alive; anew; around; ashore; aside; 2. arise; arouse; awake	1. на борту; назад; пешком; опять; похожий; живой; заново; вокруг; на берег; в сторону; 2. возникнуть; возбуждать; проснуться
ab, abs, a	away from	abolition; abnormal; absent; absolute; abstract; abuse; aversion; avoid	отмена; аномальный; отсутствующий; абсолютный; абстрактный; злоупотребление; отвращение; избегать
ad, a, af, ag, al, an, ap, as, at	at, near, to, toward	adequate; advance; advise; addiction; adjective; amass; affect; afford; aggression; allegedly; announce; appoint; appreciate; approach; approve; assemble; assert; attention	адекватный; продвигать; советовать; пристрастие; прилагательное; накапливать; действовать на; позволить себе; агрессия; якобы; объявлять; назначать; ценить; приближаться; одобрять; собирать; утверждать; внимание
ambi	both	ambidextrous; ambiguity; ambiguous; ambition; ambivalent	владеющий обеими руками; неясность, двусмысленность; двусмысленный; честолюбие; имеющий два противоположных желания, мнения
an, a	not, without	anaerobic; anarchy; anecdote; anemia; achromatic; agnostic; atheist	анаэробный; анархия; анекдот; анемия; бесцветный; агностик; атеист
ante	before	antecedent; antechamber, anteroom; antediluvian; anterior	предшествующий; передняя, прихожая; допотопный, древний; передний, предшествующий
anti, ant	against, opposite	antibiotic; antiseptic; antiaircraft; anti-American; anticommunist; anti-imperialistic; antacid; Antarctic; antagonize	антибиотик; антисептик; противовоздушный; антиамериканский; антикоммунистический; антиимпериалистический; нейтрализатор кислотности; Антарктика; вызывать вражду
auto	self	autobiography; autograph; automatic; automobile; autonomy	автобиография; автограф; автоматический; автомобиль; автономия
be	1.archaic verb formation; 2.around, at, by, on, over	1. become; befall; befit; befoul; befriend; behave; believe; belittle; belong; bemuse; besiege; bewitch; 2. below; beneath; beside; between; befogged; belated	1. становиться; происходить; подходить; осквернять; относиться дружески; вести себя; верить; преуменьшать; принадлежать; изумлять; осаждать; околдовать; 2. внизу; ниже; рядом; между; затуманенный; запоздалый
bio, bi	life	biography; biology; biopsy	биография; биология; биопсия
by	near	bygone; bypass; by-product; bystander; byway; byword	прошлый; обходить; побочный продукт; свидетель; боковая, тихая дорога; поговорка
circum	around, round	circumference; circumlocution; circumspection; circumstance	окружность; многословие; осмотрительность; обстоятельство
com, con, col, cor, co	together, with, very	commerce; communicate; compass; computer; conference; confirm; consist; convenient; collect; collapse; correct; corruption; coeducation; coexist; cooperate; coordinate; coworker	торговля; общаться; компас; компьютер; конференция; подтверждать; состоять; удобный; собирать; крах; правильный; коррупция; совместное обучение; сосуществовать; сотрудничать; координировать; сотрудник
contra, contro, counter	against, in opposition	contraband; contradict; controversy; counteract; counterattack; counterforce; counterproductive	контрабанда; противоречить; разногласие; противодействовать; контратака; сила противодействия; приводящий к обратному результату
de	away, from, down, of, out of; reverse action	debate; deceive; decide; default; defend; degrade; delay; denounce; depend; describe; design; despair; destroy; determine; devise; devote	дискутировать; обмануть; решить; невыполнение; защищать; понижать; задерживать; обличать; зависеть; описывать; дизайн; отчаяние; разрушать; определить; разрабатывать; посвящать
demi	half	demigod; demitasse; demiurge	полубог; кофейная чашечка; демиург
dia, di	across, through, between, thoroughly	diabetes; diagnosis; diagonal; dialect; dialogue; diameter; diorama	диабет; диагноз; диагональ; диалект; диалог; диаметр; диорама
dis, di	1.reverse action; not; 2.apart, away, completely	1. disagree; disconnect; discover; dislike; disbelief; disgrace; dismiss; disrespect; dishonest; 2. digest; dimensions; direct; display; distant; distribute; disturb; divide; divorce	1. не соглашаться; разъединить; обнаружить; не любить; неверие; позор; отпустить; неуважение; нечестный; 2. переварить; размеры; направить; показывать; отдаленный; распределять; тревожить; разделить; расторгнуть брак
down	down, downward	downgrade; downhill; download; downpour; downright	понижать; вниз, под гору; загружать, скачивать; ливень; отвесный, прямой
dys	bad, ill	dysentery; dysfunction; dyslexia; dyspepsia; dystrophy	дизентерия; дисфункция; дислексия; диспепсия; дистрофия
en, em	in, into	enable; enact; encourage; enforce; enlighten; ensure; enthusiasm; entrap; environment; embarrass; embroidery	дать возможность; вводить в действие; ободрять; обеспечить исполнение; просвещать; обеспечить; энтузиазм; поймать в ловушку; окружающая среда; смущать; вышивка
equi	equal	equilateral; equilibrium; equinox; equivalent	равносторонний; равновесие; равноденствие; равноценный
ex, ec, ef, e	out of, from, completely	exchange; exclude; exist; expand; expensive; explain; export; express; extension; exterior; external; extract; eccentric; effect; efficient; emerge; emit	обмен; исключать; существовать; расширять; дорогостоящий; объяснять; экспорт; выражать; удлинение; внешняя часть; внешний; извлекать; эксцентричный; эффект; действенный; возникать; излучать
ex	former	ex-husband; ex-wife; ex-president; ex-mayor; ex-member; ex-champion	бывший муж; бывшая жена; бывший президент; бывший мэр; бывший член; экс-чемпион
extra, extro	outside, beyond	extracurricular; extraordinary; extravagant; extrovert	внеклассный, вне программы; исключительный; экстравагантный; экстраверт
for	away, wrongly, extremely	forbear; forbid; forfeit; forget; forgive; forgo; forlorn; forsake; forswear	воздерживаться от; запрещать; штраф; забыть; простить; воздерживаться от; покинутый; покидать; отрекаться
fore	before, in front, front part	forearm; foreboding; forecast; forefathers; forefront; forego; forehead; foreknowledge; foreman; foremost; forerunner; foresee; foresight; forethought; foreword	предплечье; плохое предчувствие; прогноз; предки; передний край; предшествовать; лоб; предвидение; бригадир; передний; предвестник; предвидеть; дальновидность; предусмотрительность; предисловие
forth	forward	forthcoming; forthright	грядущий; прямой
hemi	half	hemicrania; hemicycle; hemisphere	гемикрания, мигрень; полукруг; полушарие
hyper	over, above	hyperactive; hyperbole; hyperinflation; hypermarket; hypersensitive; hypertension	гиперактивный; гипербола; гиперинфляция; гипермаркет; сверхчувствительный; гипертония
hypo	below, under	hypochondriac; hypocrisy; hypodermic; hypotension; hypotenuse; hypothalamus; hypothesis	ипохондрик; лицемерие; подкожный; гипотония; гипотенуза; гипоталамус; гипотеза
in (English)	in, inside, into, inward	inbound; income; incoming; inland; inlay; inmate; inside; intake; inward	прибывающий; доход; входящий; внутренняя часть страны; инкрустация; заключенный; внутри; прием; внутренний
in, il, im, ir (Latin)	in, inside, into, inward	incident; incision; index; influence; influx; inquire; insure; interior; internal; illuminate; import; important; irradiate	инцидент; надрез; индекс; влияние; приток, наплыв; наводить справки; страховать; внутренняя часть; внутренний; освещать; импортировать; важный; излучать
in, il, im, ir (Latin)	not	inability; individual; indivisible; inexpensive; intolerable; illegal; illiterate; illogical; immature; immoral; impatient; impolite; impossible; irregular; irresponsible	неспособность; индивидуальный; неделимый; недорогой; невыносимый; незаконный; неграмотный; нелогичный; незрелый; аморальный; нетерпеливый; невежливый; невозможный; неправильный; безответственный
infra	below	infrared; infrasonic; infrastructure	инфракрасный; инфразвуковой; инфраструктура
inter	between, together, during	interaction; intercept; interchangeable; interest; interfere; international; interpreter; interrupt; interview	взаимодействие; перехватить; взаимозаменяемый; интерес; вмешиваться; международный; переводчик; прерывать; интервью
intra, intro	inside, within	intravenous; introduce; introduction; introvert	внутривенный; ввести, представить; введение; интроверт
macro	large, long	macrobiotic; macroeconomics	живущий долго; макроэкономика
magni	large, great	magnificent; magnify; magnitude	великолепный; увеличивать; величина
mal	bad, wrongful	malfunction; malpractice; maladjusted; malicious	неисправная работа; преступное несоблюдение профессиональных обязанностей; плохо отрегулированный; злобный
male	evil	malediction; malefaction; malefic, maleficent; malevolence	проклятие, клевета; злодеяние; пагубный, вредоносный; злобная недоброжелательность
mega	large, great	megabyte; megacity (megalopolis, megapolis); megaphone; megaton; megawatt	мегабайт; мегаполис; мегафон; мегатонна; мегаватт
meta	after, beyond, with; changing	metabolism; metamorphosis; metaphor; metaphysics	обмен веществ; метаморфоза; метафора; метафизика
micro	very small	microbe; microbiology; microorganism; microphone; microscope; microsurgery; microwave oven	микроб; микробиология; микроорганизм; микрофон; микроскоп; микрохирургия; микроволновая печь
mid	middle	midday; midnight; midsummer; midwife; Midwest (U.S.); mid-June	полдень; полночь; середина лета; акушерка; Средний Запад (США); середина июня
mini	miniature	miniature; minibus; minicomputer; minify (minimize); miniskirt	миниатюрный; микроавтобус; мини-компьютер; уменьшать; мини-юбка
mis	bad, wrong; negation	misfortune; misfire; mislead; misplace; misprint; mistake; mistreat; misunderstanding	злоключение; осечка; вводить в заблуждение; положить не на место; опечатка; ошибка; плохо обращаться; недоразумение
mono	one	monogram; monologue; monopoly; monorail; monosyllabic; monotonous	монограмма; монолог; монополия; монорельс; односложный; монотонный
multi	many	multicolor; multilateral; multimillionaire; multiply; multipurpose; multivitamin	многоцветный; многосторонний; мультимиллионер; умножать; многоцелевой; мультивитамин
neo	new	neoclassical; Neo-Darwinism; neolithic; neologism	неоклассический; неодарвинизм; неолитический; неологизм
non	not	nonalcoholic; nonexistent; noninterference; nonsense; nonsmoker; non-Euclidean (geometry)	безалкогольный; несуществующий; невмешательство; чепуха, абсурд; некурящий; неевклидова (геометрия)
ob, o, oc, of, op	against, on, over, to, toward, completely	object; obligation; observe; obstruct; obtuse; omit; occupation; occur; offend; oppose; opposite; oppressive	возражать; обязательство; наблюдать; преграждать; тупоугольный; пропускать; занятие; случаться; обижать; противостоять; противоположный; подавляющий
off	away from, apart from	offbeat; off-center; offline; off-season; offshore; offspring; off-white	нетрадиционный; смещенный с центра; в режиме оффлайн; не сезон, не пик сезона; на расстоянии от берега; отпрыск; не чисто белый
omni	all	omnipotent (=almighty); omnipresent; omniscient; omnivorous	всемогущий, всесильный; вездесущий; всеведущий, всезнающий; всеядный
on	in the process	oncoming; ongoing; online; onlooker	приближающийся; продолжающийся; в режиме онлайн; зритель
out	out, beyond	outgoing; outlaw; outnumber; outside; outstanding	уходящий; преступник; превосходить количеством; снаружи; выдающийся
over	beyond, above	overcoat; overcome; overdo; overeat; overlook; overweight	пальто; преодолеть; перестараться; переедать; просмотреть; избыточный вес
para	beside, near	paragraph; paralegal; paramedic; paranormal; parapsychology	параграф; ассистент юриста; фельдшер; сверхъестественный; парапсихология
per	through, very, for, thoroughly	perceive; percent; perfect; perform; perfume; permanent; persevere; persistent; perspective; persuade; perverse	воспринимать; процент; отличный; выполнять; духи; постоянный; упорно продолжать; настойчивый; перспектива; убедить; извращенный
peri	around, beyond, near	pericardial; perimeter; periscope	перикардиальный; периметр; перископ
poly	many	polyclinic; polyglot; polymer; polytechnic	поликлиника; полиглот; полимер; политехнический
post	after, behind, later	posthumous; posterior; posterity; postgraduate; postmortem; postwar	посмертный; задний, последующий; потомство; аспирант; аутопсия; послевоенный
pre	before, in front of	predict; preface; prefer; prehistoric; prepare; prepay; preposition; preschool; president; prevent; prewar	предсказать; предисловие; предпочитать; доисторический; подготовить; платить вперед; предлог; дошкольный; президент; предотвратить; довоенный
pro	before, forward, in place of, in favor of	proceed; progress; prologue; prohibit; prospective; protect; proconsul; proverb; provide; pro-American; proactive	продолжать; прогресс; пролог; запрещать; будущий, ожидаемый; защищать; проконсул; пословица; обеспечить; проамериканский; активный
pseudo	false	pseudoclassic; pseudointellectual; pseudonym	псевдоклассический; псевдоинтеллектуальный; псевдоним
quasi	seeming; as if	quasi-official; quasi-scientific; quasi-serious	полуофициальный; квазинаучный; якобы серьезный
re	again, back	react; recollect; recover; remember; remind; rename; renew; repeat; replace; reserve; respond; retell; return; review; revolve; reward	реагировать; вспомнить; выздороветь; помнить; напоминать; переименовать; возобновить; повторить; заменить; резервировать; откликнуться; пересказать; вернуться; обозревать; вращаться; вознаградить
retro	backward	retroflex; retrograde; retrogress; retrospect	загнутый назад; движущийся в обратном направлении; регрессировать; взгляд в прошлое
self	person	self-centered; self-confident; self-control; self-defense; self-discipline; self-employed; self-service; self-respect	эгоистичный; самоуверенный; самообладание; самозащита; самодисциплина; работающий в своем бизнесе (не по найму); самообслуживание; самоуважение
semi	half	semiannual; semiautomatic; semicircle; semicolon; semifinal; semiprecious	происходящий раз в полгода; полуавтоматический; полукруг; точка с запятой; полуфинал; полудрагоценный
sub, su, suc, suf, sug, sup, sur, sus	under, below, inferior	submarine; subordinate; substance; substandard; subtract; subtropical; suburb; suspect; success; suffer; sufficient; suggest; supply; support; suppose; surrogate; susceptible	подводная лодка; подчиненный; вещество; нестандартный; вычитать; субтропический; пригород; подозревать; успех; страдать; достаточный; предлагать; снабжать; поддерживать; полагать; суррогат; восприимчивый
super	above, beyond, over	superconductor; superficial; superintendent; supermarket; supernatural; supersonic; supervise	сверхпроводник; поверхностный; управляющий; супермаркет; сверхъестественный; сверхзвуковой; наблюдать, надзирать
sur	above, beyond, over	surface; surname; surpass; surprise; survey; survive	поверхность; фамилия; превосходить; удивить; обзор; выжить
syn, sym, syl	together	synchronize; syntax; symmetry; symphony; syllable	синхронизировать; синтаксис; симметрия; симфония; слог
trans	across, beyond, through	transaction; transcontinental; transfer; transform	сделка, транзакция; трансконтинентальный; перемещать; видоизменять
ultra	beyond, extreme	ultramarine; ultrasonic; ultrasound; ultraviolet; ultramodern	ультрамариновый; ультразвуковой; ультразвук; ультрафиолетовый; ультрасовременный
un	1.not; 2.reverse action	1. unable; unhappy; unnecessary; unemployment; unrest; 2. undo; unlock; unpack; unplug; unwrap	1. неспособный; несчастный; ненужный; безработица; волнения; 2. отменить сделанное; отпереть; распаковать; отключить; развернуть
under	below, beneath	undercurrent; underdeveloped; underestimate; underline; understand; undertake; underwear	подводное течение; недоразвитый; недооценить; подчеркнуть; понять; предпринять; нижнее белье
uni	one	unicorn; uniform; unilateral; universal; universe; university	единорог; единообразный; односторонний; всеобщий, универсальный; вселенная; университет
up	up, upward	upcoming; update; upgrade; uphill; uploading	предстоящий; обновление; повысить, улучшить; вверх, в гору; передача данных
with	together	withdraw; withhold; withstand	взять назад; удерживать, вычитать; устоять, противостоять

👉 Prefix Meaning

Prefix is a letter or a group of letters that appears at the beginning of a word and changes the word’s original meaning.

Prefix Meaning Translation

English	Prefix is a letter or a group of letters that appears at the beginning of a word and changes the word’s original meaning.
Spanish	El prefijo es una letra o un grupo de letras que aparece al principio de una palabra y cambia su significado original.
French	Le préfixe est une lettre ou un groupe de lettres qui apparaît au début d’un mot et qui en modifie le sens initial.
Italian	Il prefisso è una lettera o un gruppo di lettere che appare all’inizio di una parola e cambia il significato originale della parola.
German	Eine Vorsilbe ist ein Buchstabe oder eine Gruppe von Buchstaben, die am Anfang eines Wortes erscheint und die ursprüngliche Bedeutung des Wortes verändert.
Portuguese	Prefixo é uma letra ou um grupo de letras que aparece no início de uma palavra e altera o significado original da palavra.
Russian	Префикс – это буква или группа букв, которая появляется в начале слова и изменяет его исходное значение.
Chinese	前缀是指出现在单词开头的一个字母或一组字母，它改变了单词的本义。
Japanese	接頭辞とは、単語の先頭に現れ、その単語の本来の意味を変える文字または文字群のことです。
Polish	Przedrostek to litera lub grupa liter, która pojawia się na początku słowa i zmienia jego pierwotne znaczenie.
Hungarian	Az előtag olyan betű vagy betűcsoport, amely egy szó elején jelenik meg, és megváltoztatja a szó eredeti jelentését.
Swedish	Prefix är en bokstav eller en grupp av bokstäver som står i början av ett ord och ändrar ordets ursprungliga betydelse.

👉 Suffix Meaning

What is the Suffix?

Suffix is a letter or a group of letters that is usually added onto the end of words, to change the way a word fits into a sentence grammatically.

Suffix Meaning Translation

English	Suffix is a letter or a group of letters that is usually added onto the end of words, to change the way a word fits into a sentence grammatically.
Spanish	El sufijo es una letra o un grupo de letras que se suele añadir al final de las palabras, para cambiar la forma en que una palabra encaja gramaticalmente en una frase.
French	Le suffixe est une lettre ou un groupe de lettres qui est généralement ajouté à la fin d’un mot, afin de modifier la façon dont ce mot s’intègre dans une phrase sur le plan grammatical.
Italian	Il suffisso è una lettera o un gruppo di lettere che di solito viene aggiunto alla fine delle parole, per cambiare il modo in cui una parola si inserisce grammaticalmente in una frase.
German	Ein Suffix ist ein Buchstabe oder eine Gruppe von Buchstaben, die normalerweise an das Ende von Wörtern angehängt wird, um die Art und Weise zu ändern, wie ein Wort grammatikalisch in einen Satz passt.
Portuguese	Sufixo é uma letra ou um grupo de letras que é normalmente adicionado no final das palavras, para alterar a forma como uma palavra se encaixa numa frase gramaticalmente.
Russian	Суффикс – это буква или группа букв, которые обычно добавляются в конец слова, чтобы изменить способ грамматического вставки слова в предложение.
Chinese	后缀是一个字母或一组字母，通常加在单词的末尾，以改变一个单词在语法上与句子的配合方式。
Japanese	Suffix（サフィックス）とは、通常、単語の末尾に付加される文字または文字群のことで、文法的に単語が文に収まる方法を変えるためのものです。
Polish	Sufiks to litera lub grupa liter, która jest zazwyczaj dodawana na końcu słowa, aby zmienić sposób, w jaki słowo pasuje do zdania pod względem gramatycznym.
Hungarian	Az utótag olyan betű vagy betűcsoport, amelyet általában a szavak végére illesztenek, hogy megváltoztassák a szó nyelvtani beilleszkedését a mondatba.
Swedish	Suffix är en bokstav eller en grupp av bokstäver som vanligtvis läggs till i slutet av ett ord för att ändra hur ett ord passar in i en mening rent grammatiskt.

Suffix Meaning Translation

Nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs all tend to use different suffixes, so this makes it a little easier to remember! Collectively, prefixes and suffixes are known as ‘affixes’.👉 Prefixes

Prefix Definitions

A prefix is a letter or a group of letters that attaches to the beginning of a word and helps to indicate or modify its meaning. An easy example would be the word ‘prefix’ itself! It begins with the prefix pre-, which means ‘before’.

It is quite important to understand what different prefixes mean as they can help to understand the meanings of any new vocabulary that you learn. However, you do need to be careful, as sometimes a prefix can have more than one meaning!

An example would be im-, this can mean ‘not’ or ‘into’.

Here is a list of the most common prefixes

👉 Prefix Examples

PREFIX	MEANING	EXAMPLES
ante-	before	antenatal, anteroom, antedate
anti-	against, opposing	antibiotic, antidepressant, antidote
circum-	around	circumstance, circumvent, circumnavigate
co-	with	co-worker, co-pilot, co-operation
de-	off, down, away from	devalue, defrost, derail, demotivate
dis-	opposite of, not	disagree, disappear, disintegrate, disapprove
em-, en-	cause to, put into	embrace, encode, embed, enclose, engulf
epi-	upon, close to, after	epicentre, episcope, epidermis
ex-	former, out of	ex-president, ex-boyfriend, exterminate
extra-	beyond, more than	extracurricular, extraordinary, extra-terrestrial
fore-	before	forecast, forehead, foresee, foreword, foremost
homo-	same	homosexual, homonuclear, homoplastic
hyper-	over, above	hyperactive, hyperventilate
il-, im-, in-, ir-	not	impossible, illegal, irresponsible, indefinite
im-, in-	into	insert, import, inside
infra-	beneath, below	infrastructure, infrared, infrasonic, infraspecific
inter-, intra-	between	interact, intermediate, intergalactic, intranet
macro-	large	macroeconomics, macromolecule
micro-	small	microscope, microbiology, microfilm, microwave
mid-	middle	midfielder, midway, midsummer
mis-	wrongly	misinterpret, misfire, mistake, misunderstand
mono-	one, singular	monotone, monobrow, monolithic
non-	not, without	nonsense, nonentity, nondescript
omni-	all, every	omnibus, omnivore, omnipotent
para-	beside	parachute, paramedic, paradox
post-	after	post-mortem, postpone, post-natal
pre-	before	prefix, predetermine, pre-intermediate
re-	again	return, rediscover, reiterate, reunite
semi-	half	semicircle, semi-final, semiconscious
sub-	under	submerge, submarine, sub-category, subtitle
super-	above, over	superfood, superstar, supernatural, superimpose
therm-	heat	thermometer, thermostat, thermodynamic
trans-	across, beyond	transport, transnational, transatlantic
tri-	three	triangle, tripod, tricycle
un-	not	unfinished, unfriendly, undone, unknown
uni-	one	unicycle, universal, unilateral, unanimous

METRIC SYSTEM PREFIXES

nano-	0. 000 000 001
milli-	0. 001
centi-	0. 01
kilo-	1000
mega-	1000 000
giga-	1000 000 000
tera-	1000 000 000 000

Prefix nano-

The prefix nano- is used in the metric system. The prefix denotes a factor of one billionth.

Example:

• Nanometer

Prefix milli-

The prefix milli- is used in the metric system. It has only one use and it is to denote a factor of one thousandth.

Example:

• Millimeter

Prefix centi-

Centi- is a unit prefix in the metric system. It denotes a factor of one hundredth.

Examples:

• Centimeter, centigram, centiliter, etc.

Prefix kilo-

The prefix kilo- is a decimal unit prefix in the metric system. It denotes a multiplication of one thousand.

Examples:

• Kilogram, kilometer, kilojoule, kilobyte, kilobit, kiloohm, kilosecond, etc.

Prefix mega-

The prefix mega- can be used in two ways. The first is as a unit prefix in the metric system, and it describes one million units. The second is as an add-on for words to make them present something large.

Examples for metric system

• Megapixel, megahertz, megabyte, megawatt, megadeath, megaton, megameter, etc.

Examples for add-on:

• Mega-mass, mega-man, mega-important, mega-dope, mega-sized, etc.

Prefix giga-

The prefix giga- is used in the metric system to denote a factor of a billion. It is also commonly hyphenated in colloquial speech to describe something of great size.

Examples:

• Gigahertz, gigabyte, gigabit, giga-shroom, giga-power, giga-hamburger, giga-sized, etc.

Prefix tera- / Prefix for trillion

The prefix for trillion is tera-. Tera- is a unit prefix in the metric system.

Examples:

• Terawatt, terabyte, teralitre, terameter, terasecond, etc.

MEDICAL, BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, AND SCIENCE PREFIXES

epi-	Biology and medicine – meaning: up, upon, over, etc.
para-	Science and medicine – meaning: on the side of, beside, etc.
endo-	Biology and Medicine – meaning: within
eu-	Biology and chemistry – meaning: good, well
intra-	Medicine and biology – meaning: within
hemi-	Medicine and biology – meaning: half
hetero-	Biology and social science – meaning: different, other
trans-	Chemistry and astronomy – meaning: across, over, beyond, etc.
sub-	Chemistry and science – meaning: under, below, beneath, etc.
poly-	Chemistry, biology, and music theory – meaning: many, much, etc.
tetra-	Chemistry, math, and geometry – meaning: four
iso-	Chemistry – meaning: equal
di-	Chemistry – meaning: two, twice, double
mono-	Chemistry and biology – meaning: singular, alone, one
hyper-	Science and astrology – meaning: abundant, exaggerated, etc.
hypo-	Medicine and biology – meaning: under
peri-	Biology and geography – meaning: around, about, etc.

Prefix epi-

The prefix epi- is of Greek origin. It describes something that is on, upon, over, near, at before, or after something else. It is used across many sciences and disciplines, and is most common in biology and medicine,

Examples:

• Epicenter, epiblast, epidemic, epicarp, epiderm, epidural, epigene, epistasis, epidermis, epitome, epigraph, epigram, epipod, etc.

Prefix para-

The prefix para- is most commonly attached to verbs, and verb phrases. It means at one side of, or on the side of, as well as meaning beside, side by side, beyond, past, or describes something defective or inactive. It is used commonly in sciences and medicine.

Examples:

• Paradigm, parabola, paradox, parasitic, parallax, parameter, paranoia, paranormal, paraphernalia, parapraxis, parasite, paralegal, etc.

Prefix endo-

Endo- is a very simple prefix, and it means within. It is commonly used in biology, medicine, and other sciences.

Examples:

• Endobiotic, endocarp, endocrine, endoderm, endogenous, endomitosis, endomorph, endorphin, endoplasm, endospore, endotherm, etc.

Prefix eu-

The prefix eu- stems from Greek. It means something good, or well. It is commonly used in biology, medicine, and chemistry.

Examples:

• Eulogy, eucalyptus, euchlorine, euglycemia, eukaryote, euthanasia, euglena, eupeptic, eupnea, euthyroid, euthropic, euploid, etc.

Prefix intra-

The prefix intra- simply means within, and it is often associated with the prefix inter-. It is used to form compound words. The prefix intra- is also commonly used in biology and medicine.

Examples:

• Intravenous, intradermal, intracranial, intrada, intracardiac, intraclonal, intracodon, intray, intraocular, intrauterine, intrahost, intrasient, intraset, etc.

Prefix hemi-

The prefix hemi- is a simple one, and it means half. It is most commonly used in medicine and biology.

Examples:

• Hemiparesis, hemiplegia, hemithorax, hemihelix, hemicarbonic, hemicerebral, hemicoronal, heminode, hemiparesis, etc.

Prefix hetero-

The prefix hetero- simply means different, or other. It’s most commonly encountered in medicine and biology, as well as sometimes in social sciences.

Examples:

• Heterocyclic, heteromorphism, heterosexual, heterozygous, heterodox, heterogene, heteropod, heterochromatic, heterolateral, heterodiagenic, etc.

Prefix trans-

The prefix trans- is originally from Latin, and it’s very versatile in its use. It means something across, over, beyond, through, or changing. It is also used in chemistry, and astronomy, to denote distance. It also refers to something on the other side of something, and is used to describe one’s gender if it doesn’t align with the biologically assigned sex. 

Examples:

• Transgression, translucent, transaction, transfixed, transatlantic, transcontinental, trans-Martian, trans-Neptunian, transsexual, transgender, translation, etc.

Prefix sub-

The prefix sub- comes from Latin and it is very simple, but versatile. It means under, below, beneath, slightly, nearly, imperfect, secondary, or subordinate. It is also commonly used in chemistry and other sciences.

Examples:

• Subject, subtract, subjugate, subnitrate, suboxide, subchloride, subplot, subcommittee, subvert, submerge, submarine, subscribe, subtropical, etc.

Prefix poly-

The prefix poly- means many, much, or in great number. It is very common in chemistry and biology, as well as music theory.

Examples:

• Polyandrous, polyethylene, polymorphic, polyglot, polymer, polyester, polycaliber, polycentric, polytonal, polychord, polycratic, etc.

Prefix tetra-

Tetra- is a numeral prefix, and it means four. It is used to denote a thing that consists of four parts. It is commonly used in various sciences, especially chemistry, math, and geometry.

Examples:

• Tetrameter, tetragon, tetrahelix, tetrahydride, tetraionic, tetrachloride, tetracube, tetracycline, tetraethyl, tetranuclear, etc.

Prefix iso-

The prefix iso- means equal. It is commonly used in chemistry to describe isometric compounds. It is also used in the formation of various compound words.

Examples:

• Isometric, isotope, isocyanic, isoalkene, isolate, isontropic, isoclonal, isocurve, etc.

Prefix di-

The prefix di- comes from Greek, and it means two, twice, or double. It is used in the formation of various compound words. It is commonly seen in chemistry.

Examples:

• Dipolar, disulfide, diatomic, dioxide, dialogic, diazepine, dicobalt, diacarboxyl, dibasal, dibenzonate, etc.

Prefix mono-

The prefix mono- means something singular, alone, or simply one. It is commonly used in various sciences.

Examples:

• Mononucleosis, monophonic, monogamy, monorail, monopoly, monotheism, monolayer, monohydrate, monotonous, monotone, monoplan, etc.

Prefix hyper-

The prefix hyper- comes from Greek. It is used to describe something that is abundant, it means over and denotes something in excess or something being exaggerated. It is used commonly in sciences to denote mass or space.

Examples:

• Hyperbole, hyperthyroid, hyperventilate, hypermass, hyperinflation, hyperactive, hypercatabolic, hyperchloric, hypercritical, hyperchronic, hyperlink, etc.

Prefix hypo-

Hypo is a very simple prefix that comes from Greek. It means under. It is commonly used in medical terms, as well as generally in sciences and various researches.

Examples:

• Hypodermic, hypoglycemia, hypochondria, hypoallergenic, hypothesis, hypocritical, hypocrite, hypocorism, hypogean, hypocaust, etc.

Prefix peri-

The prefix peri- comes from Greek. It means around, about, enclosing, surrounding, or near. It is commonly used in biology and geography.

Examples:

• Periphery, periscope, pericranial, peridigital, perifacial, perimeter, peripatetic, perimorph, periodontal, periosteum, perihelion, etc. 

Chemistry Prefixes

In chemistry prefixes are used to name various compounds. These prefixes denote the number of a given element within a compound.

Prefixes:

• 1 – mono, 2 – di, 3 – tri, 4 – tetra, 5 – penta, 6 – hexa, 7 – hepta, 8 – octa, 9 – nona, 10 – deca

Examples:

• Nitrogen trihydride, copper sulfate pentahydrate, bicarbon sulfate, etc.

GRAMMATICAL PREFIXES

de-	Privation, removal, separation, etc.
inter-	In between, among, together, etc.
pro-	Affinity to something, advancing, etc.
ex-	Our of, from, without
un-	Not, opposite meaning of the original word
re-	Again, repeating, back, etc.
mis-	Mistaken, wrong, incorrect, etc.
con-	Together, joined, etc.
pre-	Before, prior to, in front of, etc.
im-	Change meaning to the negative form of the original
ad-	To, towards, joining, etc.
anti-	Against, in opposition of something, etc.
auto-	Self, same, spontaneous, etc.
pan-	All, union of branches
dia-	Through, completely, going apart, etc.
neo-	New, fresh, young, etc.
post-	Behind, after, later, etc.
ab-	Away from
bi-	Twice, two
co-	Together, jointly, mutually
en-	Confine something in a place, etc.
fore-	Before, in front, superior
retro-	Before, backwards
tele-	Distance, measuring distance
be-	To exist
an-	Without, lacking, not

Prefix de-

The prefix de- is of Latin origin. It is used to indicate privation, removal, separation, negation, descent, reversal, or intensity. The prefix de- is also added to verbs in order for them to mean the opposite of what they originally mean.

Examples:

• Decide, dehumidify, degrade, detract, deduce, decompose, decentralize, desensitize, deconstruct, demoralize, defrost, destroy, etc. 

Prefix inter-

The prefix inter- comes from Latin. It describes something that is between, among, in the midst of, mutual, reciprocated, together, or active during an event. The prefix can be used to modify various types of words.

Examples:

• Interact, intercede, interlude, intercept, intersect, intercom, interim, interject, intermediate, international, internet, interrupt, intertwine, interview, etc.

Prefix pro-

Pro- is a very versatile prefix. It is used to describe an affinity for something. It can also describe priority in space and time, as well as denoting advancing, or indicating substitution. 

Examples:

• Pro-British, pro-Communist, proactive, provision, prologue, proceed, produce, protract, procrastinate, proactive, prohibit, provoke, pronounce, etc.

Prefix ex-

The prefix ex- is simple to use, because it is most commonly hyphenated. It means out of, from, utterly, thoroughly, not, or without, and can indicate a former status or title.

Examples:

• Ex-wife, ex-boyfriend, ex-girlfriend, ex-member, ex-president, ex-convict, exodus, exhume, ex-husband, ex-Christian, etc.

Prefix un-

The prefix un- is simple to use because it only means not. It can be attached to all forms of words in order for them to mean the opposite of what they originally do.

Examples:

• Unfair, unemployed, unseen, unfeeling, uninformed, undisputed, unheard, unrest, unable, unhappy, uncooked, unzip, etc.

Prefix re-

The prefix re- is originally from Latin. It means again, or describes something that is being repeated, and it can also mean back, or backwards to denote a regression.

Examples:

• Regenerate, refurbish, reimburse, revert, retract, retype, reconsider, revolt, renew, reveal, redistribute, reconcile, restock, etc.

Prefix mis-

Mis- is a very versatile prefix, and can be applied to many different types of words. It means ill, mistaken, wrong, incorrect, and in general has a negative context.

Examples:

• Mistake, mishap, misinformed, misaligned, misspell, misread, misuse, mispronounce, mishear, mistrial, misprint, mistrust, misbehavior, etc.

Prefix con-

The prefix con- is used with nouns, adjectives, and some verbs. It means together, joined, as well as denoting a group of people, ideas, or things.

Examples:

• Confirm, congregation, congenial, console, converge, consult, confederation, conjoined, conjecture, confluence, contingent, conflate, etc.

Prefix pre-

The prefix pre- stems from Latin, and it is applied to various different words. It means before, predating, prior to, in advance of, or in front of.

Examples:

• Prelude, preset, prevent, prepay, preschool, prewar, prefrontal, prenatal, predetermined, prehistoric, pretrial, preheat, precaution, etc.

Prefix im-

The prefix im- is a negative prefix, which means it is used to change the meaning of a word into a negative. It can be applied to many different types of words, most notably nouns and adjectives.

Examples:

• Impossible, impatient, imperfect, immature, impurity, impartially, immobilized, immaculate, impassive, imperil, etc.

Prefix ad-

The prefix ad- comes from Latin. It means towards, to, with regard to, or in relation to. It can also describe addition, or joining.

Examples:

• Administer, advertise, adhere, addition, adrenal, admonish, adgerminal, addental, adoral, adjoin, etc.

Prefix anti-

The prefix anti- means against, opposite of, or in opposition of something. It is used to form compound words that mean the opposite of their original meaning. It is also commonly hyphenated.

Examples:

• Antiseptic, anti-hero, antidote, antifreeze, antisocial, antiviral, antibiotic, antibody, antiwar, anti-government, antisocial, antiaircraft, etc.

Prefix auto-

The prefix auto- means self, same, spontaneous, or self-sufficient. It is used to create compound words, and can be used on various types of words.

Examples:

• Autobiography, automotive, autopilot, autograph, automobile, automatic, autonomy, autocratic, autocorrect, autodidact, etc.

Prefix pan-

The prefix pan- comes from Greek. It means all, and it implies the union of branches or groups. It is often hyphenated, and can be used to create various compound words.

Examples:

• Panacea, panoply, pantheism, pantonality, pan-Christian, pan-Slavic, panorama, pansexual, pan-African, etc.

Prefix dia-

The prefix dia- stems from Greek. It means passing through, thoroughly, completely, going apart, or opposed in the moment. It is a very diverse prefix and is used in different compound words.

Examples:

• Diabetes, dialect, diabolic, diagnosis, dialysis, diagram, diaspora, dialogue, diaper, diarrhea, diameter, diagonal, etc.

Prefix neo-

The prefix neo- comes from Greek. It means new, fresh, young, or recent. It is often hyphenated, and can be used to create various compound words.

Examples:

• Neolithic, neo-Baroque, neoformative, neonatal, neo-socialist, neoclassical, neoclassicism, neo-fascist, neoglacial, neo-Hellenic, neocosmic, etc. 

Prefix post-

The prefix post- comes from Latin. It means behind, after, later, subsequent to. It is used in various compound words, and it can be often hyphenated.

Examples:

• Postdoctoral, postscript, postmodern, postgraduate, post-Victorian, postcolonial, post-coital, posthumous, postpone, postwar, post-Elizabethan, posterior, etc.

Prefix ab-

The prefix ab- comes from Latin. It is a simple prefix and it means away from. It’s used commonly in with various types of words.

Examples:

• Abdicate, absolve, absolute, absorb, abject, abhor, abjure, abort, absorb, abnormal, abrasive, abominable, ablation, etc.

Prefix bi-

The prefix bi- is very simple and it means twice, or two. It is used in various compound words.

Examples:

• Biracial, biceps, biannual, bilingual, bipedal, billion, binoculars, bicycle, bipartisan, bisect, bimonthly, bicarbonate, bifurcate, etc.

Prefix co-

The prefix co- means together, jointly, or mutually, and it is used with various nouns, adjectives, or verbs. It can also be hyphenated sometimes.

Examples:

• Cohabitation, coauthor, copilot, co-conspirator, co-manage, coexist, coaxial, co-captain, co-creator, co-anchor, etc.

Prefix en-

The prefix en- stems mainly from French. It means to confines something in a place, or to gather in a place, as well as to cause something or someone o be in a specific place. It is a very versatile prefix used in many different compound words.

Examples:

• Enslave, entrust, enthrone, entomb, enshrine, encircle, enclose, entwine, encapsulate, entangle, enable, endear, encase, etc.

Prefix fore-

The prefix fore- is fairly simple, and it means before, in front, or superior. It is used with various types of words.

Examples:

• Forehead, forefront, forecast, forefathers, foreman, foremost, foreground, foreshadow, foresee, foreword, forebode, etc.

Prefix retro-

The prefix retro- comes from Latin. It means before, or backwards. It is commonly used with various types of words.

Examples:

• Retroactive, retrograde, retrospective, retrogress, retrorocket, retroscape, retroglossal, retrogene, retrodiagnose, etc.

Prefix tele-

The prefix tele- means distant, or refers to a transmission over distance. It is most commonly used with nouns and adjectives.

Examples:

• Television, telesales, telephone, teleplay, telegraph, telemarketing, teleguide, telegram, telekinesis, telemonitor, etc.

Prefix be-

Be-, as a separate word, means to exist. Be- as a suffix comes from Old English, and has been used in the English language ever since. It was first used in the formation of verbs, but has since expanded in use.

Examples:

• Befriend, bewitch, besiege, beguile, become, berate, bejewel, bewail, bedazzle etc.

Prefix an-

An- is another Old English prefix. It is used to shift words into a negative meaning. This means that the words usually describe something without, lacking, or just simply means not.

Examples:

• Anoxia, anastral, anegoic, anethical, anhistorical, aniconic, anisomeric, anisotomic, anotia, anuria, etc.

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

What are the prefix words?

Prefixes are words that don’t mean anything on their own. They only serve to change the meaning of the word they are attached to. Prefixes, because of that, are not really words.

Prefixes are attached to the start of other words.

Example:

• DIS-

DISbelief, DISpleasure, DISconnect

DIS, by itself, does not mean anything. When it’s combined with another word it changes the meaning.

Some prefixed are words that have a meaning on their own, but they are short and can be attached to other words.

Words with the prefix for?

The prefix for is very old, and it comes from Scandinavian languages. It was adopted by the English language and has been used for ages. Usually, the prefix for is added to words when they are supposed to describe something that ends up being worse than it started.

Many words that have the prefix for are old, and are not used very commonly today.

Examples:

• Forbear, forbuy, forcut, fordo, forswearer, forgather, forhang, forlet, forlive, forset, forslow, forstop, fortear, fortread, forwarn, forwork, etc.

Other words are used in English regularly, and the prefix has been integrated into the word. In some words an E has been added between the suffix and the rest of the word. In other modern versions the prefix has remained the same

Examples:

• Forebode, forego, forefather, forbidden, forsake, foreshadow, foreskin, forsworn

Prefix Herbicide

Prefix herbicide is an American product that is manufactured in the US, and used to treat various types of grass. It is a selective herbicide and can be applied to different types of grassy terrain, as well as come crops. PREFIX is the name of manufacturer.

Are prefix allowed in scrabble?

Prefixes by themselves are not allowed in Scrabble. This means that just putting any prefix such as post-, pre-, neo-, eb-, or others, is not allowed.

However, you can use words that are built with prefixes. Only complete words are allowed in Scrabble. This means that you can use postmodernism, instead of just modernism.

Can prefix be a noun / verb / plural?

Prefixes as grammatical elements are not complete words. They cannot be any type of word except a prefix. Prefixes are used to change words and are always added to another type of words.

The only case when prefixes are complete words is when two or more words are hyphenated together. Some examples are jet-black, tar-runway, hot-blooded, and others. In this case, two full words are connected with a hyphen.

Prefix and Postfix

Prefix and postfix are terms used in programming and coding. They are connected to operators and operands. Each appears in a different situation, and achieves different results.

A prefix is an expression where the operator appears in the expression before the operands. This is then called a prefix expression.

A postfix appears in an expression when the operator appears in the expression after the operands. This is then called a postfix expression.

Prefix and postfix expressions are used in C++, Java, and C#.

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A suffix is a letter or a group of letters that is usually attached to the end of a word to form a new word, as well as alter the way it functions grammatically.

Words with Suffixes

Depending on whether it is a noun, verb, adjective or adverb, a different suffix would be required. For example, the verb read can be altered to become the noun reader by adding the suffix ­-er. The same verb can also be turned into the adjective readable by adding the suffix –able.

It is just as important to understand the definitions of suffixes as prefixes, because they too help us to deduce the meanings of any new words that we learn. I have listed some of the most common suffixes below:

👉 Suffix Examples

SUFFIX	MEANING	EXAMPLE
NOUN SUFFIXES
-acy	state or quality	democracy, accuracy, lunacy
-al	the action or process of	remedial, denial, trial, criminal
-ance, -ence	state or quality of	nuisance, ambience, tolerance
-dom	place or state of being	freedom, stardom, boredom
-er, -or	person or object that does a specified action	reader, creator, interpreter, inventor, collaborator, teacher
-ism	doctrine, belief	Judaism, scepticism, escapism
-ist	person or object that does a specified action	Geologist, protagonist, sexist, scientist, theorist, communist
-ity, -ty	quality of	extremity, validity, enormity
-ment	condition	enchantment, argument
-ness	state of being	heaviness, highness, sickness
-ship	position held	friendship, hardship, internship
-sion, -tion	state of being	position, promotion, cohesion
VERB SUFFIXES
-ate	become	mediate, collaborate, create
-en	become	sharpen, strengthen, loosen
-ify, -fy	make or become	justify, simplify, magnify, satisfy
-ise, -ize	become	publicise, synthesise, hypnotise
ADJECTIVE SUFFIXES
-able, -ible	capable of being	edible, fallible, incredible, audible
-al	having the form or character of	fiscal, thermal, herbal, colonial
-esque	in a manner of or resembling	picturesque, burlesque, grotesque
-ful	notable for	handful, playful, hopeful, skilful
-ic, -ical	having the form or character of	psychological, hypocritical, methodical, nonsensical, musical
-ious, -ous	characterised by	pious, jealous, religious, ridiculous
-ish	having the quality of	squeamish, sheepish, childish
-ive	having the nature of	inquisitive, informative, attentive
-less	without	meaningless, hopeless, homeless
-y	characterised by	dainty, beauty, airy, jealousy
ADVERB SUFFIXES
-ly	related to or quality	softly, slowly, happily, crazily, madly
-ward, -wards	direction	towards, afterwards, backwards, inward
-wise	in relation to	otherwise, likewise, clockwise

So as you can see, affixes can dramatically change the definitions of words. Knowing the various prefixes and suffixes along with their meanings can really help you to understand how words are used, and also how they should be spelled.

Although these groups of letters (affixes) are important and assist with forming words, they are not words in their own right and cannot stand alone in a sentence.

If they are printed or written alone, then they should have a hyphen before or after them to demonstrate that they are to be attached to other letters to form words (the way I have listed them in the above tables).

MEDICAL, BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, AND SCIENCE SUFFIXES:

-itis	Medicine – meaning: infection, inflammation
-pathy	Medicine – meaning: have a condition
-penia	Medicine – meaning: deficiency
-tomy/otomy	Medicine and biology – meaning: condition, procedures, etc.
-logy	Science and medicine – meaning: various branches of science
-lysis	Biology and science – meaning: decomposition, loosening, etc.
-osis	Biology – meaning: infection, condition, state, etc.
-centisis	Medicine – meaning: surgical puncture
suffixes for pain	Medicine and biology

Suffix -itis

The suffix –itis is commonly used in medicine. It describes a type of infection, condition, inflammation, or some medical diagnoses.

Examples:

• Appendicitis, arthritis, barotitis, bronchitis, cerebritis, colitis, conjunctivitis, encephalitis, gastritis, hepatitis, meningitis, etc.

Suffix -pathy

The suffix -pathy comes from Greek, and is commonly used in medicine. It means to suffer from a disease, or have a condition.

Examples:

• Biopathy, cerebropathy, colopathy, dyspathy, eupathy, genopathy, homeopathy, immunopathy, leucopathy, mazopathy, neuropathy, osteopathy, stomatopathy, etc.

Suffix -penia

The suffix -penia is common in medicine. It means to have a deficiency of something.

Examples:

• Calcipenia, cytopenia, enzymopenia, kaliopenia, lipopenia, neutropenia, sarcopenia, sideropenia, etc.

Suffix -tomy / -otomy

The suffixes -tomy or -otomy are often used in biology and medicine. They refer to medical conditions, diagnoses, procedures, or operations.

Examples:

• Anatomy, autotomy, craniotomy, episiotomy, hysterotomy, laparotomy, lobotomy, tracheotomy, polytomy, rumenotomy, tenotomy, uvulotomy, etc.

Suffix -logy

The suffix –logy is commonly used in sciences, and medicine. It refers to various branches of science, or to a body of knowledge. It can also denote collection of stories and discourses.

Examples:

• Trilogy, duology, mythology, archaeology, anthropology, theology, paleontology, toxicology, gynecology, biology, Egyptology, ethnology, neurology, etc.

Suffix -lysis

The suffix -lysis of common biology, various sciences, and academics in general. It refers to decomposition, loosening, breaking down, separation, or decomposition.

Examples:

• Analysis, adipolysis, dermolysis, biolysis, catalysis, dialysis, plasmolysis, radiolysis, tenolysis, sonolysis, virolysis, streptolysis, etc.

Suffix -osis

-Osis is a very common suffix in biology. -Osis means to be infected with something, or means a condition, state, abnormal process, and disease.

Examples:

• Asbestosis, cyanosis, fibrosis, hypnosis, ketosis, mitosis, neurosis, osteoporosis, psychosis, stenosis, thrombosis, tuberculosis, etc.

Suffix -centisis

General surgical punctures are described with the suffix -centisis. This suffix is used to denote that a specific part of the body has been surgically punctured. It can be used with almost any body part.

Examples:

• Abdominocentisis, paracentesis, arthrocentesis, celiocentesis, lumbarocentesis, thoracentesis, etc.

Suffixes for Pain

In order to describe pain through the use of a suffix you can use any medical suffix to present the condition. There is no specific suffix that denotes a type of pain. Instead, you can use a variety of suffixes to describe a specific type of condition, or pain in a specific area.

Suffix examples:

• -algia, -cardia, -emia, -itis, -lysis, -oma, -osis, -pathy, etc.

Word examples:

• Fibromyalgia, neuralgia, tachycardia, enamia, hypoglycemia, arthritis, meningitis, paralysis, blastoma, glaucoma, proctosis, neuropathy, etc.

LIST OF NAME SUFFIXES / SUFFIX OF A NAME

Names can have suffixes depending on the person’s academic honors, religious affiliation, political title, or family status.

Academic honors examples:

• Bachelor’s degree: John Doe, A.B, B.A., B.A., Hons, B.S., B.E., B.F.A., B.Tech., L.L.B, B.Sc., etc.
• Master’s degree: John Doe, M.A., M.S., M.F.A., LL.M, M.L.A., M.B.A., M.Sc., M.Eng etc.
• Professional doctorate: John Doe, J.D., M.D., D.O., Pharm.D., D.Min., etc.
• Academic doctorate: John Doe, Ph.D., Ed.D., D.Phil., D.B.A., LL.D, Eng.D., etc.

Political and religious title examples:

• Order of the British Empire: John Doe, O.B.E
• Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire: John Doe, K.B.E
• Doctor of Divinity: John Doe, D.D.
• Esquire: John Doe, Esq.
• Attorney: John Doe, CSA

The suffix Jr. is used after names. It means that a person is the offspring of a father with the same name. Some famous examples are Martin Luther King Jr., Cuba Gooding Jr. Sammy Davis Jr., John F. Kennedy Jr. and others.

Family status examples:

• John Doe, Jr.
• John Doe, Sr.

GRAMMATICAL SUFFIXES:

-ism	Practice, action, principle, etc.
-ous	Form of possession
-al	Kind of, pertaining to, etc.
-ist	Specific action, specific value, doctrine, etc.
-able	Capability, susceptible of, fit for, etc.
-ic	Something has a characteristic of something else
-ion	Action, condition
-tion	Action or result of something
-ed	Past tense, adjectives from nouns or verbs, compound verbs
-ly	Repeated in intervals
-ment	Actions, results
-ness	Quality, state
-er	Specific action, job, origin, etc.
-ate	Group of people, office, institution, etc.
Pertaining to	-as, -al, -ar, -ary. -ic, -ical, -ous, and -ile

Suffix -ism

The -ism suffix comes from Ancient Greek. It is used to form action nouns from verbs. They mean some kind of practice, action, principles, doctrines, devotion, adherence, etc.

Examples:

• Baptism, aphorism, criticism, Lutherism, Protestantism, Palamism, atheism, fanaticism, capitalism, nationalism, romanticism, vegetarianism, Atticism, Americanism, racism, sexism, heterosexism, daturism, rheumatism, etc.

Suffix -ous

The suffix -ous is used for adjectives. It means that something is full, or a form of possession. It also means that something has a given quality.

Examples:

• Dangerous, famous, various, enormous, courageous, jealous, glorious, superfluous, obvious, hideous, tremendous, curious, etc.

Suffix -al

The suffix -al is commonly used to make adjectives out of nouns. It means kid of, pertaining to, having a form or character of something.

Examples:

• Seasonal, sensual, official, commercial, individual, spiritual, annual, essential, celestial, usual, racial, intellectual, financial, classical, etc.

Suffix -ist

The suffix –ist is used for nouns. It means a person who performs a specific action, produces something specific, plays a specific instrument, holds a specific value, has a specific doctrine, and others.

Examples:

• Archaeologist, activist, evangelist, anthropologist, capitalist, communist, Marxist, fascist, nationalist, conformist, machinist, novelist, cyclist, masochist, etc.

Suffix -able

The suffix -able is commonly used for adjectives. I refers to someone or something that is capable of something, susceptible of, fit for, tending or given to something.

Examples:

• Movable, amendable, breakable, flammable, amicable, pleasurable, impressionable, payable, reportable, detestable, capable, punishable, fashionable, taxable, etc.

Suffix -ic

The suffix -ic is used to create adjectives out of other words. It originally comes from Greek and Latin, and it means that something, or someone, has the characteristic of something else.

Examples:

• Acidic, episodic, comedic, melodic, nomadic, periodic, idiotic, psychotic, patriotic, athletic, poetic, magnetic, emphatic, kinetic, prosthetic, chaotic, narcotic, academic, economic, etc.

Suffix -ion

The suffix -ion is of Latin origin. It denotes and action or condition, and it is often used to form nouns out of adjectives.

Examples:

• Acceleration, devotion, religion, ration, concentration, communion, diffusion, delusion, illusion, fabrication, hydration, meditation, infusion, levitation, gestation, reaction, invigoration, etc.

Suffix -tion

The suffix –tion is used to form nouns. They mean an action of something, or the result of something. 

Examples:

• Deletion, ignition, determination, resolution, action, justification, intersection, connection, gumption, communication, starvation, construction, relation, temptation, revolution, etc.

Suffix -ed

The suffix -ed is very versatile. It can be used in three different ways: 1) to form the past tense for weak verbs, 2) to form adjectives out of nouns or verbs to describe someone or something, 3) added to nouns or verbs in order to form compound adjectives that are hyphenated.

Examples:

• 1) Acted, danced, posted, lived, wanted, hated, played, tried, named, called, walked, talked, used, created, etc.
• 2) bearded, colored, angered, triggered, used, rugged, incorporated, incarcerated, floored, stoned, etc.
• 3) cone-shaped, green-tinted, loose-fitted, off-handed, amateur-produced, well-defined, etc.

Suffix -ly

The suffix -ly is added to various words depending on the purpose. It can be added to adverbs to form adjectives, or to nouns in order for them to mean something that is repeated in certain intervals.

Examples:

• Gladly, gradually, secondly, thirdly, essentially, boldly, bravely, carefully, generously, lowly, shortly, angrily, anxiously, suddenly, generally, etc.
• Hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly

Suffix -ness

The suffix -ness is very common and is used often. It is used on adjectives and principles, in order to create abstract nouns that denote a quality or a state.

Examples:

• Happiness, kindness, darkness, preparedness, consciousness, effectiveness, callousness, laziness, loneliness, ugliness, fitness, dryness, baldness, etc.

Suffix -er

The suffix -er is used in many different ways, and is a common suffix in English. It can be attached to verbs in order to create an agent noun that describes a person doing a specific action. It can also be used to create nouns that describe a person’s job, location or origin, or a special characteristic.

Examples:

• Caterer, Icelander, southerner, villager, tattooer, cobbler, reader, rapper, creditor, auditor, editor, recruiter, rider, writer, educator, calculator, spectator, infiltrator, catcher, staffer, etc.

Suffix -ate

The suffix -ate is added often to nouns, adjective, and verbs. When it is added to nouns it denotes a group of people, an office or institution, or administrative region. When it is added to verbs it changes the verb to mean that something is caused to change. When added to adjectives it means that something is showing or full of something.

Examples:

• Electorate, caliphate, protectorate, consulate, magistrate, regulate, vacate, activate, disseminate, obfuscate, confiscate, passionate, considerate, obstinate, celibate, etc.

Suffixes that mean Pertaining To

There are multiple suffixes that mean something pertains to something else. These are: -as, -al, -ar, -ary. -ic, -ical, -ous, and -ile. Some words incorporate more than one suffix.

Examples:

• Clinical, surgical, conscious, versatile, necessary, sub-par, etc.

BANK ACCOUNT SUFFIX

What does Bank account Suffix mean?

Account numbers and card numbers are divided into sections. While the prefix denotes the bank issuing the card, the body is the account numbers, and the suffix is the account type.

The suffix is important because it lets the bank know which type of account is being used, and that way customers can’t access operations not approved for the type of account. The suffix is made up of two to three numbers.

Different numbers describe a different type of account. There are various types of accounts, and each has a unique number profile for a specific bank.

Examples:

• Cheque account – 00, Number 2 account – 02, Fixed account – 03, Savings account – 30, Credit card account – 40, Thrift club account – 50, Term deposit account – 81

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👉 Combining Forms

When you are learning the different types of prefixes, it is important to remember that not every word containing these combinations is a prefix. Sometimes words have ‘combining forms’, which look very similar to prefixes but work differently!

Let me explain….

As you know, a prefix is a letter or a group of letters that appears at the beginning of words, but it can also be removed from the base word, and the word would still be a word without it, even if the meaning changes.

For example, non- means ‘not’ or ‘without’, this is used in words such as ‘nonsense’. The word ‘sense‘ can be separated from the prefix and it would still be a word on its own, even if the meaning is different.

So, combining forms act as prefixes but are different, because the remaining letters cannot be separated to form an independent word.

Here are some examples of prefixes that are also ‘combining forms’:

PREFIX	MEANING	EXAMPLE	COMBINING FORM	MEANING	EXAMPLE
com-, con-	with, alongside	comprise, connote	com-, con-	with, jointly	companion, comrade, community
contra-	against	contraindicate	contra-	against	contraceptive, contradict
de-	opposite	devalue	de-	down, away	descend
ex-	former	ex-husband	ex-	out	exhort
a-	not, without	amoral	a-, an-	not, without	apathy, anaemic
in-	not	inconvenient	in-	into	inebriate, indulge
homo-	same	homograph, homophone	homo-	same	homogeneous
magn-	great	magnate	magn-	great	magnificent, magnanimous, magnitude, magnify
para-	beside	paragraph, paramedic	para-	beside	paradox
sub-	under	submarine	sub-	under	substitute
trans-	across	transnational, transparent	trans-	through, across	transmit, transcend
tri-	three	triangle, tripod	tri-	three	triceps, triathlon

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A prefix (affix) is a word, or letter(s) placed at the beginning of another word (a base word) to adjust or qualify its usage or meaning.
Understanding the meanings of the common prefixes can help us deduce the meanings of new words.

This table defines and illustrates the most common prefixes

Prefix	Example
The opposite, a negative or reverse in-  (in, into) un-   (not/reverse action) ab- (reverse action) de- (reverse action) non- (not) dis-/di-/dif-  (apart) im- (not/reverse action) a- (not)	inaccurate unavoidable abdicate decompound dishonest immature nonexistent atheist
Degree and quality super- (above, over) under-  (lower in grade/dignity) sub-  (below, under) semi-  (half) hemi- (half)  homo- (same)   ultra- (beyond) up- (higher, or better)	superficial underestimate suburban semicircle hemisphere homogenous ultrasonic upgrade
Numbers and quantity bi- (two) uni- (one) tri- (three) twi- (two) di- (two)  du-/duo (two) mono-, mon- (sole, only) multi-, mult- (many) omni- (all) ambi- (both)	bicycle universal tricycle twilight dioxide duet monosyllabic multicultural omnivore ambivalent
Position, direction trans- (over, through, across) out- (better, faster, longer, farther) back- (behind an object) by- (near to) down- (from higher/lesser) fore-  (before, in front) mid-  (middle)  under- (below, beneath) ex- (out of) inter- (among, between) intra- (inside, within)	transform outcome backporch bypass download forearm midstream underwear export international intravenous
Bad or wrong mis- (wrong) mal- (badly)	misfortune malnourish
Attitude pro-  (for, forward, in favour of) anti-  (against, opposite) counter- (against)  with-  (against) un- (against)	pro-life anti-freeze counterpart withstand unequal
Time post- (after, behind) neo- (new) ex-  (out of) pre-   (before)	post-graduation neolithic ex-husband pre-election
With, along with, touching on co- (joint, with, accompanying) fellow-   (joint, with, accompanying) con-/com-/col-/cor- (together or with)	co-worker fellow-worker confederation cohabit correlation
Size maxi- (very long, very large)  mini-  (small) midi- (medium-sized) mega-, megalo- (great, large) micro- (small)	maxi-skirt minivan midi-length megastar micro-organism

The Meaning of English Suffixes

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If you were a prefix, you could change the same word in different ways.You could make a cycle a unicycle, a bicycle, or a tricycle.
_{(Marcie Aboff and Sara Gray, «If You Were a Prefix.» Picture Window Books, 2008)}

A prefix is a letter or a group of letters attached to the beginning of a word (or word root) that partly indicates its meaning. For example, the word prefix itself begins with the prefix pre-, which generally means «before» or «in front of.» (By contrast, a letter or group of letters attaching to the end of a word is called a suffix.) 

Many of today’s English words contain prefixes from Greek or Latin. Understanding the meanings of the most common prefixes can help us deduce the definition of new words that we run across in our reading, especially knowing that they can make a word mean its opposite, such as the difference between possible and impossible.

Still, we do need to be careful. The same prefix may be ​spelled in more than one way (pre— and pro-, for instance), and some prefixes (such as in-) have more than one meaning (in this case, «not» or «without» versus «in» or «into»). Even so, being able to recognize prefixes can help us build our vocabularies. 

To Hyphenate or Not?

Rules vary as to when a word should have a hyphen separating it from its prefix. Go by the dictionary if you are unsure. If you are writing a paper for a class and a particular style guide is used, such as MLA, the Chicago Manual of Style, or APA, the stylebook may have a hyphenation guide or a preferred dictionary to follow for which words to hyphenate and which to close up. If a prefix is attached to a proper noun, you generally hyphenate, such as pre-World War II or anti-American. 

The following table defines and illustrates 35 common prefixes. 

Common Prefixes

Prefix	Meaning	Examples
a-, an-	without, lack of, not	amoral, acellular, abyss, achromatic, anhydrous
ante-	before, earlier, in front of	antecedent, antedate, antemeridian, anterior
anti-	against, opposite of	anticlimax. antiaircraft, antiseptic, antibody
auto-	self, same	autopilot, autobiography, automobile, autofocus
circum-	around, about	circumvent, circumnavigate, circumscribe
co-	with, together	co-pilot, co-worker, co-exist, co-author
com-, con-	together, with	companion, commingle, contact, concentrate
contra-, contro-	against, opposite	contradict, contrast, contrary, controversy
de-	down, off, away from	devalue, deactivate, debug, degrade, deduce
dis-	not, apart, away	disappear, disagreeable, disbar, dissect
en-	put into, cover with	enclose, entangle, enslave, encase
ex-	out of, from, former	extract, exhale, excavate, ex-president
extra-	beyond, outside, more than	extracurricular, extramarital, extravagant
hetero-	different, other	heterosexual, heterodox, heterogeneous
homo-, homeo-	same, alike	homonym, homophone, homeostasis
hyper-	over, more, beyond	hyperactive, hypersensitive, hypercritical
il-, im-, in-, ir-	not, without	illegal, immoral, inconsiderate, irresponsible
in-	in, into	insert, inspection, infiltrate
inter-	between, among	intersect, interstellar, intervene, interpenetrate
intra-, intro-	within, inside	intravenous, intragalactic, introvert
macro-	large, prominent	macroeconomics, macrostructure, macrocosm
micro-	very small	microscope, microcosm, microbe
mono-	one, single, alone	monocle, monologue, monogamy, monotony
non-	not, without	nonentity, nonaggressive, nonessential, nonfiction
omni-	all, every	omniscient, omnivorous, omniscient, omnidirectional
post-	after, behind	postmortem, posterior, postscript, postoperative
pre-, pro-	before, forward	precede, predict, project, prologue
sub-	under, lower	submarine, subsidiary, substandard
sym-, syn-	same time, together	symmetry, symposium, synchronize, synapse
tele-	from or over a distance	telecommunications, telemedicine, television, telephone
trans-	across, beyond, through	transmit, transaction, translation, transfer
tri-	three, every third	tricycle, trimester, triangle, triathlon
un-	not, lacking, opposite of	unfinished, unskilled, ungraceful, unfriendly
uni-	one, single	unicorn, unicellular, unicycle, unilateral
up-	to the top or north, higher/better	upbeat, updo, upgrade, upload, uphill, upstage, upscale, up-tempo

In the English language, there are times when we come across a one-two syllable, or a group of letters being added to a base word to alter its meaning. For example, let us the consider the word “possible”. Adding the letters “im-” before it creates a new word called impossible which means the opposite of possible.

Such type of syllables or group of letters (im-) are called prefixes and they play a key role in English grammar. Knowledge of prefixes are helpful in enhancing vocabulary and comprehension.

What Is a Prefix in English?

Prefix is a group of letters (sometimes a single letter) which is added at the start of a base word to alter its meaning. These letters are affixes. Affixes do not have any significance or meaning when used independently. They are either added before or after words to create new words with new meanings. When affixes are added before a word, they are called prefixes and when they are added after a word, they are known as suffixes.
Example of a prefix: Use of the letters “hemi-” before the word ”sphere” to create a new word hemisphere which means half of a sphere.

When to Use Prefixes

Prefixes can be used for multiple purposes. One of the common uses of prefixes is to mean the opposite or negative of the base word. For example, using the prefix “un-” before necessary to create the word unnecessary or using “dis-” before approve to form disapprove. Both the new words unnecessary and disapprove are the opposites of their base words respectively.

Prefixes are also used to reduce a sentence or a phrase to a single word without changing. For example, instead of saying “He is showing way too much confidence than required”, we can simply say “He is overconfident”.

How to use prefixes

It is important to understand the way prefixes are used. It should be noted that while adding a prefix to a base word, there should not be a change in the spelling of either the base word or the prefix. For example: unkind (combination of “un-” and “kind”). Even if it leads to double consonants, the same rule should be followed. Example: coordinate, irresponsible.

There are also certain rules that need to be followed while using hyphen to join prefixes with words. This will be discussed in the next section.

Writing Prefixes With Hyphens

Use of hyphens in prefixes can be confusing as some prefixes use hyphens while some don’t. Also, there are certain prefixes which may or may not use prefixes based on their meanings. Let is take the case of the prefix “ex-“. There are two meanings of this prefix- “belonging to the past” and “out of/from”. When it means belonging to the past, hyphens are used (ex-husband, ex-president). When it means “out of/ from”, then hyphens are not required (exterritorial, exstipulate)

Hyphens are used when prefixes are added to proper nouns. Example: pro-Nazi, un-Indian, trans-Pacific.

Hyphens are required when the prefix ends with a vowel and the base word starts with the same vowel. Common examples include re-enter, semi-industrious, semi-independent. However, English is a language of exceptions and for some cases, if the vowel is “o” for both the prefix and the word, then the hyphen is not required. For example: coordinate, cooperate.

When the prefix ends with a vowel and the base word starts with a different vowel, hyphens are not required. For example: hydroelectricity, proactive, reactivate.

35 Most Common Prefixes in English

Here are some of the most common prefixes in English with their meanings and examples. 

Ambi-

Meaning: both and around
Examples: ambidextrous, ambivalence, ambiguous, ambidexterity 

Co-

Meaning: together
Examples: coexist, correlation, colleague, co-worker

Anti-

Meaning: against
Examples: anti-national, antibiotic, antibody, antisocial

Mono-

Meaning: one
Examples: Monogamy, monotonous, monolingual, monologue

Semi-

Meaning: half
Examples: Semifinal, semicircle, semiautomatic, semiconscious

Sub-

Meaning: below
Examples: subconscious, subtropical, submerge, subordinate

Un-

Meaning: opposite or not
Examples: unacceptable, unabashed, unlike, unfair

Uni-

Meaning: one
Examples: universe, unilateral, unicycle, uniform

Under-

Meaning: not enough
Examples: underage, underperform, undervalue, underrate

In-

Meaning: opposite or not
Examples: insufficient, insane, independent, invalid

Bi-

Meaning: two
Examples: bilingual, bicycle, biweekly, bilateral

Homo-

Meaning: same
Examples: homogenous, homogeny, homosexual, homonym

Contra-

Meaning: against or opposite
Examples: contradict, contraceptive, contrary, contradictory

Dis-

Meaning: opposite or not
Examples: dislike, disintegrate, dishonour, disappear

Em-

Meaning: to make or put into
Examples: empathy, empirical, emphasis, embankment

Hetero-

Meaning: different
Examples: heterosexual, heterogeneous, heterogamous, heteronomous

Hind-

Meaning: after or back
Examples: hindsight, hindlimb, hindwing, hindquarters

Im-

Meaning: opposite or not
Examples: Immoral, impatient, impartial, imperfect

Inter-

Meaning: between
Examples: interstate, international, intermediate, interaction

Mis-

Meaning: wrong
Examples: miscommunication, miscalculate, misconception, misfortune

Trans-

Meaning: across or changed
Examples: transform, translate, translucent, transgender

Tri-

Meaning: three
Examples: triangle, tripod, trilingual, triathlon

Non-

Meaning: without
Examples: nonsense, non-alcoholic, nonstop, non-fiction

On-

Meaning: near or connected
Examples: onset, online, ongoing, onlooker

Pan-

Meaning: all
Examples: pandemic, pan-Indian, pansexual, pancreatic

Ped-

Meaning: foot
Examples: pedicure, pedestrian, pedal, pedometer

Post-

Meaning: after
Examples: postpone, postseason, postgraduate, postnatal 

Pre-

Meaning: before
Examples: prepone, precaution, prejudice, premeditated

Pro-

Meaning: forward or for
Examples: progress, product, promise, procrastinate

Re-

Meaning: again
Examples: research, repeat, rework, recycle

Sur-

Meaning: over
Examples: surface, surcharge, surplus, surpass

Twi-

Meaning: two
Examples: twin, twice, twi-headed

Ultra-

Meaning: beyond
Examples: ultra-conservative, ultraviolet, ultrasound, ultrasonic 

Extra-

Meaning: more than
Examples: extraterrestrial, extra-curricular, extramarital, extraordinary

Up-

Meaning: higher or better
Examples: uphill, upgrade, update, upturned

How to Learn Prefixes in English

Prefixes are hidden in thousands of words and it is important to learn them to improve vocabulary skills. One of the best ways to learn prefixes is by creating a list of the most popular prefixes and studying them. Try to understand how they are used in a sentence to know them better.

Taking online tests, quizzes can also go a long way to help you get accustomed to prefixes. Sources of visual entertainments like movies, videos, tv series can also aid you to learn prefixes. Keep the subtitles on if it is difficult to understand and interpret the audio.

Examples on Prefixes in English Grammar

Some of the most common examples of Prefixes are:
1. Unpopular
2. Bicycle
3. Misunderstanding
4. Prepone
5. Online
6. Underage
7. Coexist
8. Pandemic
9. Independent
10. Extraordinary

Practice questions on Prefixes in English Grammar

1. Put words in the blanks as per required.

Que. She was ________. She started crying. (happy)
A. Unhappy

Que. I think you should ________ the decision. The move will have big consequences. (consider)
A. Reconsider

Que. Even though she is young, she is quite ________ (dependent)
A. Independent

Que. All these quarrels have made him ________ among his peers. (popular)
A. Unpopular

2. Write prefixes that mean the Opposite of the following words-

a) Agree- disagree
b) Correct- incorrect
c) Fold- unfold
d) Spell- misspell
e) Behave- misbehave
f) Connect- disconnect
g) Understand- misunderstand

Frequently Asked Questions on Prefixes

Que 1. What is Prefix?

Prefix is a group of letters (sometimes a single letter) which is added at the start of a base word to alter its meaning.
Example of a prefix: Use of the letters “hemi-” before the word ”sphere” to create a new word hemisphere which means half of a sphere.

Que 2. How do Prefixes work?

Prefixes work by getting added to a base word and changing the meaning of it. They are an integral part of the English language. They are always added before a word. Examples: 
1. Please “postpone” the meeting.
2. The animals and birds “coexist” in an ecosystem.
3. She is “riding” a bicycle.

Que 3. How to use a Prefix?

It is important to understand the way prefixes are used. It should be noted that while adding a prefix to a base word, there should not be a change in the spelling of either the base word or the prefix. For example: unkind (combination of “un-” and “kind”). Even if it leads to double consonants, the same rule should be followed. Example: coordinate, irresponsible.

There are also certain rules that need to be followed while using hyphen to join prefixes with words. Hyphens are used when prefixes are added to proper nouns. Example: pro-Nazi, un-Indian, trans-Pacific.

Hyphens are required when the prefix ends with a vowel and the base word starts with the same vowel. Common examples include re-enter, semi-industrious, semi-independent. However, English is a language of exceptions and for some cases, if the vowel is “o” for both the prefix and the word, then the hyphen is not required. For example: coordinate, cooperate.

When the prefix ends with a vowel and the base word starts with a different vowel, hyphens are not required. For example: hydroelectricity, proactive, reactivate.

Que 4. How can we learn Prefixes?

One of the best ways to learn prefixes is by creating a list of the most popular prefixes and studying them. 
Taking online tests, quizzes can also go a long way to help you get accustomed to prefixes. Sources of visual entertainments like movies, videos, tv series can also aid you to learn prefixes. Keep the subtitles on if it is difficult to understand and interpret the audio.

Que 5. What are the advantages of using Prefix?

Prefixes have the following advantages:

1. It can shorten a phrase into a single word. For example, instead of saying “He is showing way too much confidence than required”, we can simply say “He is overconfident”.
2. They can be used to mean the opposite of any word. Example: use- misuse, correct- incorrect.
 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

English prefixes are affixes (i.e., bound morphemes that provide lexical meaning) that are added before either simple roots or complex bases (or operands) consisting of (a) a root and other affixes, (b) multiple roots, or (c) multiple roots and other affixes. Examples of these follow:

• undo (consisting of prefix un- and root do)
• untouchable (consisting of prefix un-, root touch, and suffix -able)
• non-childproof (consisting of prefix non-, root child, and suffix -proof)
• non-childproofable (consisting of prefix non-, root child, root proof, and suffix -able)

English words may consist of multiple prefixes: anti-pseudo-classicism (containing both an anti- prefix and a pseudo- prefix).

In English, all prefixes are derivational. This contrasts with English suffixes, which may be either derivational or inflectional.

Selectional restrictions[edit]

As is often the case with derivational morphology, many English prefixes can only be added to bases of particular lexical categories (or «parts of speech»). For example, the prefix re- meaning «again, back» is only added to verb bases as in rebuild, reclaim, reuse, resell, re-evaluate, resettle. It cannot be added to bases of other lexical categories. Thus, examples of re- plus a noun base (such as the ungrammatical *rehusband, *remonopoly) or re- plus an adjective base (*renatural, *rewise) are virtually unattested.^[1]

These selectional restrictions on what base a prefix can be attached to can be used to distinguish between otherwise identical-sounding prefixes. For instance, there are two different un- prefixes in English: one meaning «not, opposite of», the other meaning «reverse action, deprive of, release from». The first prefix un- «not» is attached to adjective and participle bases while the second prefix un- «reverse action» is attached to either verb or noun bases. Thus, English can have two words that are pronounced and spelled the same and have the same lexical category but have different meanings, different prefixes, a different internal morphological structure, and different internal bases that the prefixes are attached to:

• unlockable «not able to be locked»
• unlockable «able to be unlocked»

In the first unlockable «not able to be locked», the prefix un- «not» is attached to an adjective base lockable (which, in turn, is composed of lock + -able). This word has the following internal structure:

[ un [ [ lock ]_verb able ]_adj ]_adj

In the second unlockable «able to be unlocked», the prefix un- «reverse action» is attached to a verb base lock, resulting in the derived verb unlock. Subsequently, the -able suffix is added after the newly created unlock adjective base deriving the adjective unlockable. This word has the following internal structure:

[ [ un [ lock ]_verb ]_verb able ]_adj

Only certain verbs or nouns can be used to form a new verb having the opposite meaning. In particular, using verbs describing an irreversible action produces words often considered nonsense, e.g. unkill, unspend, unlose, unring. These words may nevertheless be in occasional use for humorous or other effect.

Changes in lexical category[edit]

Unlike derivational suffixes, English derivational prefixes typically do not change the lexical category of the base (and are so called class-maintaining prefixes). Thus, the word do, consisting of a single morpheme, is a verb as is the word redo, which consists of the prefix re- and the base root do.

However, there are a few prefixes in English that are class-changing in that the word resulting after prefixation belongs to a lexical category that is different from the lexical category of the base. Examples of this type include a-, be-, and en-. a- typically creates adjectives from noun and verb bases: blaze (noun/verb) > ablaze (adj). The relatively unproductive be- creates transitive verbs from noun bases: witch (noun) > bewitch (verb). en- creates transitive verbs from noun bases: slave (noun) > enslave (verb).

Native vs. non-native (neo-classical) prefixing[edit]

Several English words are analyzed as a combination of a dependent affix and an independent base, such as those found in words like boy-hood or un-just. Following Marchand (1969), these types of words are formed by native word-formation processes.

Other words in English (and also in French and German) are formed via foreign word-formation processes, particularly processes seen in Greek and Latin word-formation. These word types are often known as neo-classical (or neo-Latin) words and are often found in academic learned vocabulary domains (such as in science fields), as well as in inkhorn terms coined in the 17th and 18th centuries. Words of this nature are borrowed from either Greek or Latin or have been newly coined based upon Greek and Latin word-formation processes. It is possible to detect varying degrees of foreignness.^[2]

In some analytic frameworks, such neo-classical prefixes are excluded from analyses of English derivation on the grounds that they are not analyzable according to a mostly synchronic (that is, relatively productive or easily recognizable and relating to present-day idioms) English (that is, «native») basis.^[3] Conceptualized thus, anglicized neo-classical English words such as deceive are not analyzed by Marchand as being composed of a prefix de- and a bound base -ceive but are rather analyzed as being composed of a single morpheme (although the Latin sources of these English words are analyzed as such, as «native» Latin components in the Latin language).^[4] Similarly, pairs such as defend/defense and double (or duple)/duplicity are not considered morphologically related in Marchand’s treatment of English word formation and are thus excluded too, though they are regarded as derivatives of the shared roots in Jespersen’s and Koizul’s, while in others, they may be seen as allomorphs or variants (like deep/depth, a pair formed of Germanic components). However, not all foreign words are unanalyzable according to such an English basis: some foreign elements have been nativized and have become a part of productive English word-formation processes. An example of such a now native English prefix is co- as in co-worker, which is ultimately derived from the Latin prefix com- (with its allomorphs co-, col-, con-, and cor-); and ex- as in ex-soldier, which derives from the Latin ex-.

Initial combining forms vs prefixes[edit]

• Combining form

List of English prefixes[edit]

Native^[5][edit]

Prefix	Meaning	Example
a-	verb > predicative adjective with progressive aspect	afloat, atremble
after-	following after, behind	aftermath, afterlife
back-	behind an object/structure (locative/directional)	backporch, backhoe, backfire
be-	equipped with, covered with, beset with (pejorative or facetious)	bedeviled, becalm, bedazzle, bewitch
by-	near to, next to	byway, bypass, byproduct
down-	from higher/greater to lower/lesser	download, downright, downbeat
en-, em-	to make into, to put into, to get into	empower, enmesh
fore-	before, in front	forearm, forerunner, forebode
hind-	after	hindsight, hindquarters
mid-	middle	midstream, midlife
midi-	medium-sized	midi-length, Midibus
mini-	small	minimarket, mini-room, minivan
mis-	wrong, astray	misinformation, misguide, misfortune, misbehave, misspell
off-	non-standard, away	off-color, offish, offset
on-	immediate proximity, locative	onset, onlook, ongoing, oncoming
out-	better, faster, longer, farther	outreach, outcome, outlier
over-	excessive, above	overreact, overact, overbearing
self-	self	self-sufficient, self-explanatory
step-	family relation by remarriage	stepbrother, stepmother, stepfather, stepsister
twi-	two	twibill, twilight, twins
un-	not, against, opposite of	unnecessary, unequal, undesirable, unhappy
un-	reverse action, deprive of, release from	undo, untie, unexpected, unlock
under-	below, beneath, lower in grade or dignity, lesser, insufficient	underachieve, underpass, understand, undergo
up-	greater, higher, or better	upgrade, uplift, upright
with-	against, back, away (from)	withstand, withhold

Neo-classical^[5][edit]

Prefix	Meaning	Examples
a-	not, alpha privative	acyclic, asexual, atonal, atheist
Afro-	relating to Africa	Afro-American, Afro-Caribbean
ambi-	both	ambidextrous, ambitendency
amphi-	around, two, both, on both sides	amphiaster, amphitheatre, amphibian
an-/a-	not, without	anemic, asymmetric, anarchy
ana-, an-	up, against	anacardiaceous, anode, analog
Anglo-	relating to England	Anglo-Norman, Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-American
ante-	before	antenatal, antechamber, antedate
anti-	opposite, against	antagonist, antivenom
apo-, ap-	away from, detached	aphelion, apogee, apomorphine
arch-	ruling, dominating, most extreme (pejorative)	archangel, archaen, archconservative
astro-	star	astrobiology, astrology, astronomy
auto-	self	autobiography, automatic, autonomy
bi-	two	bicycle, biped, bisexual, binomial, bigamy, binary
bio-	life, biological	biology, biotic
circum-	around, surrounding	circumlocution, circumnavigate, circumference
cis-	on this side of	cislunar, cisgender
con-, co-, com-, col-, cor-	together or with	cohabit, colleague, commingle, confederation, correlation
contra-, contro-	opposite	contradict, contraindication
counter-	against, in opposition to	counteract, counterpart
cryo-	ice	cryogenics
crypto-	hidden, secret	cryptography
de-	down	depress, descend
demi-	half	demigod
demo-	people	democracy, demography
deuter-	second	deuteragonist, deuterogamy
di-	two	dicotyledon, dioxide
dia-	through	dialysis, diameter
dis-/di-/dif-	apart	differ, dissect, divide
du-/duo-	two	dual, duet
eco-	ecological	ecosystem
electro-	electric, electricity	electro-analysis, electromagnetic
en-, el-, em-	in	ellipsis, emphasis, energetic
epi-, ep-	upon, at, close upon, in addition	ephemeron, epicentre, epidermis
Euro-	European	Eurocentric
ex-	out of	exit, expel, explode, exploit, explore, export
extra-	outside	extracurricular
Franco-	French, France	Francophile, Franco-British, Franco-German
geo-	relating to the earth or its surface	geography, geology, geometry
gyro-	spinning on an axis	gyrocopter, gyroscope, gyrosphere
hetero-	different	heterochromia, heterogeneous, heterotroph, heterozygous
hemi-	half	hemimorphic, hemisphere
Hispano-	Spanish, Spain	Hispanoamérica, hispanophobia
homo-	same	homogeneous, homogenize, homologous, homophone, homozygous
hydro-	relating to water, or using water	hydroelectricity, hydrant
hyper-	excess, above, over	hyperthermia
hypo-	deficient, under or below something, low	hypothermia
ideo-	image, idea	ideograph, ideology
idio-	individual, personal, unique	idiolect, idiopathic
in-	in, into	include, insert
Indo-	relating to the Indian subcontinent	Indo-European
in-, il-, im-, ir-	not, opposite of	illegal, illicit, impatient, impossible, inappropriate, inexact, irregular, irresponsible
infra-	below, beneath	infrared
inter-[6]	among, between	intercede, internet, international
intra-[6]	inside, within	intravenous
iso-	equal	isochromatic, isotherm
Italo-	Italian, Italy	italophilia, italophobia
macro-	long	macrobiotic
mal-	badly	malnourish, maladjusted
maxi-	very long, very large	maxi-skirt, maximum
mega-, megalo-	great, large	megastar, megalopolis
meta-	after, along with, beyond, among, behind	metabolism, metaphysics
micro-	small	microbacillus, microscope
mono-, mon-	sole, only	monogamy, monotone, monosyllabic, monomial, monobrow
multi-, mult-	many	multicultural, multi-storey, multitude
neo-	new	neolithic, neoether
non-	not	nonexistent, non-fiction
ob-	to, against	object, obligate
omni-	all	omnipotent, omnipresent, omnivore
ortho-	correcting or straightening	orthodontics, orthotropic
paleo-	old	paleolithic
pan-	all, worldwide	pan-African, pandemic, panorama, pansexual
para-	beside, beyond	parallel, paraplegic, parasail
ped-	foot	pedal, pedestrian
pen-	almost	peninsula, penultimate, penumbra
per-	through, completely, wrongly, exceedingly	permeate, permute
peri-	around, near or adjacent	perihelion, periphrase
photo-	light	photoelectric, photography, photosynthesis
pleo-	more	pleonasm, pleroma
pod-	foot	podiatrist
poly-	many	polygon, polyhedron, polygamy
post-	after	postfix, postpone, postscript
pre-	before	predict, prepare, preview, preschool, prewrite, prefix
preter-	beyond, past, more than	pretermit, preternatural
pro-	for, substitute, deputy	proconsul
pro-	before	procambium
pros-	toward	prosthesis, prostrate, prose
proto-	first, original	protoplasm, prototype
pseudo-	false, imitation	pseudonym
pyro-	fire	pyrokinetic, pyrotechnic
quadri-	four	quadrilateral, quadrinomial
quasi-	partly, almost, appearing to be but not really	quasi-religious
retro-	backwards	retrograde
semi-	half	semicircle
socio-	society, social, sociological	sociopath
sub-, sup-	below, under	submarine, subterranean, suburban, support
super-	above, over	supervisor, superintendent
supra-	above, over	suprarenal
sur-	above, over	surreal, surrender, surplus
syn-, sy-, syl-, sym-	together, with	syllable, symbol, synthesis, system
tele-	at a distance	telegraph, telephone, telescope, television
trans-	across, over	transatlantic, transverse, transform, transgender
tri-	three	tricycle, tripartite, triangle, tricolor, trinomial
ultra-	beyond	ultramagnetic, ultrasonic, ultraviolet
uni-	one, consisting of only one	unicycle, universal
vice-	deputy	vice-president, vice-principal, vice-admiral

Archaic[edit]

Prefix	Meaning	Example
gain-	against	gainsay
umbe-	around	umbestound
y-	inflectional prefix	yclad, yclept (both archaic words)

See also[edit]

• Number prefix
• English grammar
• English compound
• Affix
• List of Greek and Latin roots in English

Notes[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

• Adams, Valerie. (1973). An introduction to modern English word-formation. London: Longman.
• Ayers, Donald M. (1986). English words from Latin and Greek elements (2nd & rev. ed.). Tucson: The University of Arizona Press.
• Bauer, Laurie. (1983). English word-formation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Bauer, Laurie; Lieber, Rochelle; Plag, Ingo (2013). The Oxford Reference Guide to English Morphology. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
• Brown, Roland W. (1927). Materials for word-study: A manual of roots, prefixes, suffixes and derivatives in the English language. New Haven, CT: Van Dyck & Co.
• Cannon, Garland Hampton. (1987). Historical change and English word-formation: Recent vocabulary. New York: P. Lang.
• Jespersen, Otto. (1942). A modern English grammar on historical principles: Morphology (Part 6). London: George Allen & Unwin and Ejnar Munksgaard.
• Marchand, Hans. (1969). The categories and types of present-day English word-formation (2nd ed.). München: C. H. Beck.
• Quirk, Randolph; Greenbaum, Sidney; Leech, Geoffrey; & Svartvik, Jan. (1985). Appendix I: Word-formation. In A comprehensive grammar of the English language (pp. 1517–1585). Harlow: Longman.
• Simpson, John (Ed.). (1989). Oxford English dictionary (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

External links[edit]

• Chart of English Language Roots

English prefixes Meanings Examples a- verb > predicative adjective with progressive aspect afloat, atremble a- not acyclic, asexual, atonal, atheist anti- against, opposite anti-freeze, antivirus, anticlimax, Antichrist arch- supreme, highest, worst arch-rival, archangel be- equipped with, covered with, beset with (pejorative or facetious) bedeviled, becalm, bedazzle, bewitch co- joint, with, accompanying co-worker, coordinator, cooperation counter- against, in opposition to counteract, counterpart de- reverse action, get rid of de-emphasize dis- not, opposite of disloyal, disagree dis- reverse action, get rid of disconnect, disinformation en-/em- to make into, to put into, to get into enmesh, empower ex- former ex-husband, ex-boss, ex-colleague, ex-friend fore- before, in front forearm, forehead, forehand, forerunner hind- after hindsight, hindquarters mal- bad(ly) malnourish, maladjusted mid- middle midstream, midlife midi- medium-sized midi-length mini- small minimarket, mini-room, minivan mis- wrong, astray misinformation, misguide, misfortune out- better, faster, longer, beyond outreach, outcome over- excessive, above overreact, overact, overbearing post- after, behind post-election, post-graduation, post-war pre- before prevent, previous, pre-election, pre-enter, pre-select pro- for, forward, in favor of propulsion, propound, pro-life re- again, back redo, revisit, rerun, reorganize self- self self-sufficient, self-explanatory step- family relation by remarriage stepbrother, stepmother trans- across, from one place to another transatlantic, transSiberian twi- two twibill, twilight un- not, against, opposite of unnecessary, unequal, undesirable, unhappy un- reverse action, deprive of, release from undo, untie, unexpected, unlock under- below, beneath, lower in grade/dignity, lesser, insufficient underachieve, underground, underpass, underdeveloped, underrated up- greater, higher, or better upgrade, uplift, upsurge with- against, back, away (from) withstand, withcall Afro- relating to Africa Afro-American, Afro-Caribbean ambi- both ambidextrous, ambitendency amphi- around, two, both, on both sides amphiaster, amphitheatre, amphibian an-/a- not, without anemic, asymmetric ana-, an- up, against anacardiaceous, anode Anglo- relating to England Anglo-Norman, Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-American ante- before antenatal, antechamber, antecedent anti- opposite, against antivenom apo-, ap- away from, detached aphelion, apogee, apomorphine astro- star astrobiology, astrology, astronomy auto- self autobiography, automatic, autonomy, bi- two bicycle, biped bio- life, biological biology circum- around, surrounding circumnavigate cis- on this side of cislunar con-/com-/col-/cor-/co- together or with confederation, commingle, colleague, correlation, cohabit contra- opposite contradict, contraindication cryo- ice cryogenics crypto- hidden, secret cryptography de- down depress, descend demi- half demigod demo- people democracy, demography deuter- second deuteragonist, deuterogamy di- two dicotyledon, digamy, dioxide dia- through dialysis, diameter dis-/di-/dif- apart differ, dissect, divide du-/duo- two dual, duet eco- ecological ecosystem electro- electric, electricity electro-analysis, electromagnetic en-, el-, em- in ellipsis, emphasis, energetic epi-, ep- upon, at, close upon, in addition ephemeron, epicentre, epidermis Euro- European Eurocentric ex- out of exit, expel, explode, exploit, explore, export extra- outside extracurricular Franco- French, France Francophile, Franco-British, Franco-German geo- relating to the earth or its surface geography, geology, geometry gyro- spinning on an axis gyrocopter, gyroscope, gyrosphere hetero- different heterosexual hemi- half hemimorphic, hemisphere homo- same homogenous, homologous hydro- relating to water, or using water hydroelectricity, hydrant hyper- above, over hyperthermia hypo- under or below something, low hypothermia ideo- image, idea ideograph, ideaology idio- individual, personal, unique idiolect, idiopathic in- in, into insert, include Indo- relating to the Indian subcontinent Indo-European in-, il-, im-, ir- not, opposite of illicit, impossible, inexact, irregular infra- below, beneath infrared inter- among, between interact, intercede, international intra- inside, within intravenous iso- equal isochromatic, isotherm macr- long macrobiotic maxi- very long, very large maxi-skirt mega-, megalo- great, large megastar, megalopolis meta- after, along with, beyond, among, behind metabolism, metaphysics micro- small microbacillus mono-, mon- sole, only monogamy, monotone, monosyllabic multi-, mult- many multicultural, multi-storey, multitude neo- new neolithic, neoclassical non- not nonexistent omni- all omnipotent, omnipresent, omnivore ortho- correcting or straightening orthodontics, orthotropic paleo- old paleolithic pan- all, worldwide pan-African, pandemic, panorama para- beside, beyond parallel, paranormal ped- foot pedal, pedestrian per- through, completely, wrongly, exceedingly permeate, permute peri- around, near or adjacent perihelion, periphrase photo- light photoelectric, photography pod- foot podiatrist poly- many polygon, polyhedron post- after postfix, postpone, postscript pre- before predict, prepare, preview preter- beyond, past, more than preternatural pro- for, substitute, deputy proconsul pro- before procambium pros- toward prosthesis proto- first, original protoplasm, prototype pseudo- false, imitation pseudonym pyro- fire pyrokinetic, pyrotechnic quasi- partly, almost, appearing to be but not really quasi-religious retro- backwards retrograde semi- half semicircle socio- society, social, sociological sociopath sub-, sup- below, under submarine, subterranean, suburban, support super- above, over supervisor, superintendent supra- above, over suprarenal sur- above, over surreal, surrender syn-, sy-, syl-, sym- together, with syllable, symbol, synthesis, system tele- at a distance telegraph, telephone, telescope, television trans- over, through, across transverse tri- three tricycle, tripartite ultra- beyond ultramagnetic, ultrasonic, ultraviolet uni- one, consisting of only one unicycle, universal vice- deputy vice-president, vice-principal, vice-admiral