What is a prefix?

1. A prefix (noun) is an affix added to the beginning of a word or word root to form a new word.

The word prefix comes from Latin fixus (fasten, attach) and pre (before, in front, in advance).

If you know what a prefix means, it will help you understand the meaning of a new word.

Examples:

♦ dis – to do the opposite of

dislike – the opposite of like

disagree – the opposite of agree

disappear – the opposite of appear

♦ ex = was, but is not now

ex-wife – no longer a person's wife

 

♦ in and im = not

informal – means not formal

invisible – means not visible

impossible – means not possible

impolite – means not polite

♦ mis = badly or incorrectly

misread – to read incorrectly

misunderstand – to fail to understand, or to interpret incorrectly

♦ non = not

non-alcoholic – means not alcoholic (it contains no alcohol)

♦ over = too much

overpay – to pay someone too much money

oversleep – to sleep longer than you wanted to

overspend – to spend too much money

♦ pre = before

preheat – to heat (something) before you use it e.g. an oven

prepay – to pay for in advance

♦ re = again

redo – means do again

rewrite – means write again

retake – means take again e.g. I have to retake my English exam.

♦ un = not

unhappy – means not happy

unkind – means not kind

unfriendly – means not friendly

Many prefixes have more than one meaning, and I've only given you a small selection here. A good dictionary will help you learn the meanings of different prefixes, which will then help you understand new words and build your vocabulary.

 

 

Image © Alex E. Proimos