Prefixes

A prefix is an affix which is placed before the stem of a word. Adding it to the
beginning of one word changes it into another word. For example, when the
prefix un- is added to the word happy, it creates the word unhappy. Particularly
in the study of languages, a prefix is also called a preformative, because it
alters the form of the words to which it is affixed. Prefixes, like other affixes, can
be either inflectional, changing the syntactic category, or derivational, changing
either the lexical category or the semantic meaning. In English, there are no
inflectional prefixes. Prefixes, like all other affixes, are bound morphemes. The
word prefix is itself made up of the stem fix (meaning "attach", in this case), and
the prefix pre- (meaning "before"), both of which are derived from Latin roots.

Prefix Meaning Example Comments

asymmetric, "not a- before consonants, an-

a- "not"
symmetric" before vowels

acrophobia, "fear of
acro- "high"
heights" (more)

allotransplantation,
"transplant of tissue
allo- "other"
from another
person" (more)

aneuploid, "not a- before consonants, an-

an- "not"
euploid" before vowels

antebellum, "before
ante- "before"
a war"

anti-inflammatory,
"against
anti- "against"
inflammation"
(more)

automobile, "moves
auto- "self"
itself" (more)

bicentennial, "two
bi- "two"
centuries"
 Prefixes

cooperation,
co- "together"
"working together"

contraindication,
contra
"against" "against indication"
-
(more)

countermeasure,
counte
"against" "action against"
r-
(more)

"negative, deactivate, "stop

de-
remove" from working"

diatomic, "two
di- "two"
atoms"

"negative, disappear, "vanish"

dis-
remove" (more)

"negative,
dysfunction, "bad
dys- badly,
function" (more)
wrongly"

epidural, "outside
epi- "on, above" the dura mater"
(more)

extracellular,
extra- "outside" "outside a cell"
(more)

hemisphere, "half
hemi- "half"
of a sphere" (more)

hexagon, "six-sided
hexa- "six"
polygon" (more)
 Prefixes

hypercalcemia, "too
"a lot"; "too
hyper- much calcium in
much"
the blood" (more)

"a little"; hypokalemia, "not

hypo- "not enough potassium
enough" in the blood" (more)

ignoble, "not noble"

ignorant, (from ig- (before gn- or n-), il- (before l-),
ig- "not" roots meaning) "not im- (before b-, m-, or p-), in- (before
knowing" most letters), or ir- (before r-)
(more)

ig- (before gn- or n-), il- (before l-),

illegal, "not legal"
il- "not" im- (before b-, m-, or p-), in- (before
(more)
most letters), or ir- (before r-)

ig- (before gn- or n-), il- (before l-),

imbalance, "lack of
im- "not" im- (before b-, m-, or p-), in- (before
balance" (more)
most letters), or ir- (before r-)

ig- (before gn- or n-), il- (before l-),

inactive, "not
in- "not" im- (before b-, m-, or p-), in- (before
active"
most letters), or ir- (before r-)

infrared, "below red

infra- "below" on the spectrum"
(more)

interobserver,
inter- "between" "between
observers" (more)

intracellular, "inside
intra- "within"
a cell" (more)

ig- (before gn- or n-), il- (before l-),

irregular, "not
ir- "not" im- (before b-, m-, or p-), in- (before
regular" (more)
most letters), or ir- (before r-)
 Prefixes

macroeconomics,
macro
"large-scale" "workings of entire
-
economies" (more)

"bad", malocclusion, "bad

mal-
"wrong" occlusion" (more)

"big", "as
maxi-single, "single
maxi- big as
with extras" (more)
possible"

mesoamerican,
meso- "middle" "middle of the
Americas" (more)

micrometer, "small-
"small-
micro- measurement
scale"
instrument" (more)

midportion, "middle
mid- "middle"
part" (more)

miniature, "small";
mini- "small" "smaller version"
(more)

monotheism, "belief
mono- "one"
in one god" (more)

"many", multiplex, "many

multi- "more than signals in one
one" circuit" (more)

nonstop, "without
non- "no", "not"
stopping" (more)

octopus, "eight-
octo- "eight"
footed" (more)
 Prefixes

overexpression,
"excess", "too much
over- "too much"; expression"
"on top" overcoat, "outer
coat" (more)

Sometimes "all-" is used, especially in

pancytopenia, "low
Asian English, where All-Union was a
counts across all
standard translation of the Russian
cell types"
word meaning "pan-USSR" or "USSR-
pan- "all" pan-American,
wide", and "All-India" is a similar
"involving all of the
standard term in India, comparable to
Americas"
words such as national, nationwide,
(more)
orfederal (in the case of federations).

paranormal,
"beyond the
"beside"; normal"
"beyond"; paresthesia,
para-
"related to"; "altered sensation"
"altered" paramilitary,
"military-like"
(more)

pentateuch, "the
penta- "five" five books of
Moses" (more)

pericardial, "around
peri- "around"
the heart" (more)

"through"; percutaneous,
per- "throughout "through the skin"
" (more)

polyglot, "many
poly- "many"
languages" (more)

postoperative,
post- "after" "after surgery"
(more)
 Prefixes

preassembled,
"before";
pre- "already built"
"already"
(more)

pro-science, "in
pro- "in favor of" favor of science"
(more)

Proto-Indo-
"first";
European,
proto- "primitive";
"precursor of Indo-
"precursor"
European" (more)

pseud "false", pseudonym, "fake

o- "specious" name" (more)

quadri quadrilateral, "four-

"four"
- sided" (more)

"somewhat", quasiparticulate,
quasi- "resembling "resembling
" particles" (more)

reestablish,
re- "again" "establish again"
(more)

By normative convention, always

"[acting on self-cleaning,
hyphenated (except for a few
self- or by] "cleans itself"
multiprefix compounds such
oneself" (more)
as unselfconscious)

"partial"; semiarid,
semi- "somewhat" "somewhat arid"
; "half" (more)

subzero, "below
sub- "below"
zero" (more)
 Prefixes

"above";
"more supermarket, "big
super-
than"; market" (more)
"great"

supraorbital,
supra- "above" "above the eye
sockets" (more)

tetravalent, "four
tetra- "four" valence electrons"
(more)

"across"; transatlantic,
trans- "connecting "across the Atlantic
" Ocean" (more)

tripartite, "three
tri- "three"
parts" (more)

ultraviolet, "beyond
"beyond";
ultra- violet on the
"extremely"
spectrum" (more)

"not";
unopened, "not
un- "remove";
opened" (more)
"opposite"

"beneath"; underexposure,
under- "not "not enough
enough" exposure" (more)

xenophobia, "fear
of strangers or
foreigners"
xeno- "foreign" xenotransplantatio
n, "transplant from
another species"
(more)
Prefixes
 Prefixes

Activity

Directions: Using this information about prefixes, write a definition

for each word on the lines below.

A prefix is a group of letters at the beginning of a word. These are common

prefixes that mean not or the opposite of: de-, dis-, im-, mis-, un-.

1. disliked: _______________________________________________________________

2. decaffeinated:
__________________________________________________________

3. impractical: _________________________________________________________

4. misunderstand:
________________________________________________________

5. unreliable: _________________________________________________________

Directions: Choose the words from the word bank and supply the prefix
that best complete the sentences below. Write the words in the blanks.

Word bank: clog| forestation| spell | match |patient|

1. When writing, I always _______________ the word embarrass.

2. I dont mind waiting in line, but my brother is

_______________.

3. My roommate likes loud music, but I dont. We are a real

_______________.

4. We had to call the maintenance man to _______________ the

sink.

5. Cutting down trees is known as _______________

Directions: Complete each sentence by filing out the blanks.

Word bank: noncommittal | non-invasive| nondescript | contradicts |

counterproductive counterfeit | contraband |non-profit| contraceptive| contrast |
contrary| counter clockwise antiseptic| disembark| disadvantage| antipathy|
antifreeze| disenchantment| antinuclear| dismissively| antisocial| antibiotics|
disquiet| dismantled| disguise| antonyms| disintegrate disembodied

1. _________________ to opinions of the time, Galileo believed the earth

revolved around the sun.
2. Ynas version of the facts _________________ your version; which story is
true?
3. A _________________ pill is used to prevent pregnancy.
4. The smuggler is carrying ___________________ items.
5. _________________ a cat and a dog; they differ in several ways.
 Prefixes

6. The Red Cross is a _________________ organization, also called a charity.

7. The care was plain and ordinary, quite _________________.
8. Ariels shrug was _________________; he made no commitments.
9. Laser surgery is quick and _________________.
10.Several students ran around the track in a _________________ direction.
11.The _________________ bills were illegally produced in his basement.
12.Farmers know it is _________________ to let cows roam in the corn.
13.The doctors prescribed _________________ to help the patient fight against
the bacterial infection.
14.Use_________________ to keep your engines water from freezing.
15.Numerous _________________ activists protested outside the nuclear power
plant.
16.The soldier felt the deepest _________________ towards his enemies; he
hated them.
17.Use an _________________ cream on that wound; it will kills all the germs.
18.Life and death are _________________, or words of opposing meaning.
19.A shy person may develop an _________________ frame of mind.
20.The statue was constructed in France, _________________, then
reconstructed in New York.
21.One _________________ to living in Hawaii is the frequent rainfall.
22.After the argument, Denzel felt only _________________ and despair.
23.After several years in the sun, the plastic pool will _________________ into
little shards.
24.After three weeks at the sea, the crew was happy to _________________ at
Port Said.
25.The _________________ and ghoulish voice echoed through the dark halls.
26.When the lightning grew intense, everyone experienced a feeling of
_________________.
27.When asked what was wrong, Ness shrugged _________________ and said
nothing.
28.No one could penetrate his _________________; he was unknown and
incognito.

Direction: Write at least two words with the prefix listed below.

Prefix Words that begin with the prefix

com-

con-

geo-

inter-

mal-

mega-

micro-

mis-
 Prefixes

para-

poly-

over-

post-

tele-

therm-

trans-

auto-

bi-

bio-

centi-

counter-

fore-

inter-

mid-

milli-

out-

para-

photo-

semi-

under-

uni-