a-

From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) (ἀν- (an-) immediately preceding a vowel).


psycho-

From Ancient Greek ψυχή (psukhḗ, “soul”).


yocto-

From Ancient Greek ὀκτώ (oktṓ, “eight”), for the eighth order of 10⁻³. The letter y was added, as the second term in a series running backwards through the alphabet.


zepto-

From Ancient Greek ἑπτά (heptá, “seven”), for the seventh order of 10⁻³. The final o conforms to the finals vowel of the SI series from micro- downwards; the letter z was added, as a start in a series of terms running backwards through the alphabet.


deca-

Borrowed from French déca-, based on Late Latin decas (“(set of) ten”), from Ancient Greek δέκας (dékas), from δέκα (déka, “ten”).
 SI prefix

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deci-

Borrowed from French déci-, from Latin decimus (“tenth”).


hecto-

From French hecto-, from Ancient Greek ἑκατόν (hekatón, “hundred”).


milli-

→ Caribbean Javanese: mili


nano-

From Latin nanus (“dwarf”), from Ancient Greek νᾶνος (nânos).


in-

prepended to a noun or adjective, it reinforces the quality signified thereby

prepended to an adjective to negate its meaning; occurs mostly in borrowed terms from French: in-, un-


pyro-

From Latin pyro-, from Ancient Greek πῦρ (pûr, “fire”).


micro-

From New Latin micro- (“small”), from Ancient Greek μικρός (mikrós, “small”).


mega-

From Ancient Greek μέγας (mégas, “great, large, mighty”), from Proto-Indo-European *meǵh₂s (“great”).


anti-

→ Indonesian: anti-

Ultimately from Ancient Greek ἀντι- (anti-).


mono-

From Ancient Greek μόνος (mónos, “alone, only, sole, single”).


octo-

From Ancient Greek ὀκτώ (oktṓ, “eight”) and Latin octō (“eight”).


poly-

From Ancient Greek πολύς (polús, “many, much”), from Proto-Indo-European *polh₁ús (“much, many”).


homo-

A clipping of words formed from Greek ὁμο- (homo-, meaning same).


astro-

From Ancient Greek ἄστρον (ástron, “celestial body”).


epi-

From Ancient Greek ἐπί (epí, “on top of”).


an-

From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) (ἀν- (an-) immediately preceding a vowel).


ex-

Borrowed from French ex-, from Latin ex-.


di-

dioxide

dipool
diople


on-

Afrikaans: on-

Petjo: on

From Middle Dutch on-, from Old Dutch un-, from Proto-West Germanic *un-, from Proto-Germanic *un-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.

on- + mens (“human being”) → onmens (“brute, barbarian”)

on- + dier (“animal”) → ondier (“monster”)

on- + ding (“thing”) → onding (“something unacceptable, absurd”)

on- + kruid (“herb”) → onkruid (“weed”)

on- + weer (“weather”) → onweer (“storm, severe weather”)


on-

From Middle Dutch on, from Old Dutch *āna, from Proto-Germanic *ēnu (“without”), from Proto-Indo-European *anew, *enew (“without”).


ge-

Inherited from Middle Dutch ge-, ghe-, from Old Dutch gi-, ge-, from Proto-West Germanic *ga-, from Proto-Germanic *ga-, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm.
Cognate with German Low German ge-, Dutch Low Saxon ge-, German ge-, Old English ġe- (obsolete English y-, i-, a-), Gothic 𐌲𐌰- (ga-).

(obsolete, no longer productive) Forms perfective verbs from other verbs with a sense of completeness, or simply as an intensifier.


ge-

From the prefix above with an 'empty' suffix originating from Old Dutch *-i, from Proto-Germanic *-ją.

Used with a verb stem to create a neuter uncountable noun referring to an action or its result, seen as a single collective whole. Comparable to English -ing (although that forms countable nouns, as it does in Dutch).


quasi-

→ Indonesian: kuasi-

quasi- should be written connected to the following word


er-

From Proto-West Germanic *uʀ-, from Proto-Germanic *uz- in unstressed positions.
The Middle Dutch er- prefix mostly merged with ver- and her- in Modern Dutch.
The current prefix is therefore either a direct continuation of this prefix or loaned from Old High German ir-, Middle High German er-.
A prefix with the same origin but in stressed positions is oor-.

inseparable verbal prefix that indicates the cause or beginning of an action


acro-

Ultimately from Ancient Greek ἄκρος (ákros).


over-

Hij oversproeide de planten.

prepended to verbs; denotes that action takes place over the object

De man overeet zich.

prepended to verbs, nouns and adjectives; denotes that the action or state takes place excessively


mis-

Afrikaans: mis-

From Middle Dutch mis-, from Old Dutch mis-, from Proto-West Germanic *missa-.


ver-

Afrikaans: ver-

Javindo: fer-

Sranan Tongo: fer-, fru-, fri-

The result of a merger of two Middle Dutch prefixes:
* Middle Dutch er-, an unstressed variant of ur-, or- (modern oor-), from Old Dutch ur-, ir-, from Proto-West Germanic *uʀ-, from Proto-Germanic *uz-.
* Middle Dutch ver-, from Old Dutch fir-, far-, itself from a mixture of Proto-Germanic *firi-, *furi-, *fra- and other similar particles.
The first origin is cognate with Old High German ur-, ir- (German ur-, er-), Old English ā-, Gothic 𐌿𐌶- (uz-).
The second origin is cognate with Old English for- (English for-), Old High German fir-, far- (German ver-), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂- (fair-), 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂- (faur-), 𐍆𐍂𐌰- (fra-).

ver- + minder (“less, fewer”) → verminderen (“to reduce”)

to do or to become what the stem (following this prefix) refers to

ver- + werpen (“to throw”) → verwerpen (“to reject”)

ver- + oordelen (“judge”) → veroordelen (“to condemn”)

used to indicate that the action (referred to by the stem) has a negative connotation (for the direct object of the stem)

ver- + deel (“a part”) → verdelen (“to split into parts”)

to move or change in the manner specified by the stem


ver-

A contraction of older van der (“of the”), which is also common in surnames.

A prefix found as part of surnames, found mainly in the southern Netherlands and in Belgium.


chromo-

Ultimately grom Ancient Greek χρῶμα (khrôma, “color”).


thio-

From Ancient Greek θεῖον (theîon, “Sulfur”).


apo-

→ Indonesian: xxx


wan-

From Middle Dutch wan-, from Old Dutch *wan-, from Proto-Germanic *wana-, a prefixing form of *wanaz.

bad, un- (preceding nouns, verbs and adjectives)


al-

alwetend


te-

From Middle Dutch te-, from Old Dutch *ti-, from Proto-Germanic *twiz-, from Proto-Indo-European *dwis-. Compare German zer-.

tekappen (“to hew into pieces”)

terijten (“to rip apart”)

tesplitsen (“to split into pieces”)

(obsolete, no longer productive) Created verbs with a sense of ‘in pieces, apart, asunder’, or with intensive force.


cardio-

From Ancient Greek καρδία (kardía, “heart”).


ont-

From Middle Dutch ont-, from Old Dutch ant-, from Proto-West Germanic *anda-, from Proto-Germanic *andi-, *anda-, *and-.

un-, de-; forms verbs meaning to negate, remove or separate.


ont-

From Middle Dutch ont-, from Old Dutch int-, from Proto-Germanic *in-.

Forms inchoative verbs, indicating that a process is beginning.


her-

From southern Middle Dutch her- (“re-, again”). Of uncertain origin, but mostly considered a borrowing from Old French re- or specifically its northern variant er-, from Latin re-. In certain contexts this prefix touched on the native Middle Dutch her- (“here, over”) as in hercōmen (“come over”); see German her- below. Compare the attested phrase wēder herhebben (“to get back”), where her- can be interpreted in both ways. The h-spelling was also reinforced by hypercorrection due to the phoneme's frailness in southern dialects. In some cases this also affected the unrelated prefixes er-, oor-, which see.

her- + laden (“to load”) → herladen (“to reload”)


elektro-

→ Indonesian: elektro

Ultimately from Latin electrum (“amber; electrum”), from Ancient Greek ἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron, “amber; electrum”).


hypo-

From Ancient Greek ὑπο- (hupo-), combining form of ὑπό (hupó, “under”). Compare sub-.


ultra-

ultra- (beyond, on the far side of; beyond, outside of)


be-

From Middle Dutch be-, bi-, from Old Dutch bi-, be-, from Proto-Germanic *bi-, from Proto-Germanic *bi (“near, by”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi (“at, near”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian be- (“be-”), West Frisian be- (“be-”), English be-, German Low German be- (“be-”), German be- (“be-”), Swedish be- (“be-”).

Used to indicate that a verb is acting on a direct object (making an intransitive verb into a transitive verb). Always unstressed.

huizen op een land bouwen → een land met huizen bebouwen

Used to change the direct object of a transitive verb, so that what was previously expressed as an optional prepositional object becomes the direct object and vice versa. Always unstressed.


petro-

* From Latin petra (“stone, rock”), from Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra, “stone, rock”).


aller-

From Middle Dutch aller-, alder-, the genitive plural of alle (“all”). The prefix thus literally translates to "of all", yielding adjectives such as allerergst (from ergst (“worst”)) which literally translates to "the worst of all". Words formed this way are thus effectively univerbations.

Zijn allergrootste verdriet was dat zijn zoon de zaak niet wilde overnemen.

The greatest of all his sorrows was that his son did not want to take over the business.

Intensifying prefix for superlatives: very; of them all


n-

From Middle Dutch ne, en, from Old Dutch ne, from Proto-Germanic *ne.

Used to negate the pronoun or adverb which follows it, yielding the same part of speech


hoofd-

From Middle Dutch hôvet-, from Old Dutch hōvit-, from Proto-West Germanic *haubida- (“main”), derived from the noun *haubid (“head”) (whence Dutch hoofd). Cognate with German haupt- and Old English hēafod-.


foto-

From Ancient Greek φωτο- (phōto-), from φῶς (phôs, “light”).


oer-

Petjo: oer (archaic)

Borrowed from German ur-, cognate with the native Dutch oor-, as in oordeel, oorkonde.

ur-, proto-: primordial, primeval, original

Hij is oerdom.

(intensifier) very, intensely, extremely


aarts-

From Middle Dutch aerts-, from Old French arche-, from Vulgar Latin arci-, from Classical Latin archi-. Similar sound evolution as to how French roche (“rock”) became Dutch rots (“rock”) and as to how French torche (“torch”) became Dutch toorts (“torch”).


kinesi-

From Ancient Greek κίνησις (kínēsis, “movement, motion”).


pedo-

From Ancient Greek παῖς (paîs, “child”).


pedo-

From Ancient Greek πέδον (pédon, “ground”).


atmo-

From Ancient Greek ἀτμός (atmós, “vapor, smoke, steam”).


steno-

From Ancient Greek στενός (stenós, “narrow”).


stief-

From Middle Dutch stief-, stiep-, from Old Dutch *stiop-, from Proto-West Germanic *steupa-, from Proto-Germanic *steupa- (“bereft, pushed out”).
Cognate with German stief-, English step-. The form with -f- arose through assimilation before the word vader (“father”); the generalization of this form may or may not have been reinforced by High German influence (where the -f- is regular). Compare the same in Middle Low German stêf-.

inh

step-; a prefix indicating the individual being referred to is related through the marriage of a parent


fysio-

physio-; pertaining to nature, medicine and the human body


oor-

From Middle Dutch or-, oor-, from Old Dutch ur-, or-, from Proto-Germanic *uz-. Related to oer-.

A prefix with a variety of meanings, but originally meaning "out" or "original".


kei-

From kei (“boulder”) in the combination keihard (“rock-hard”), which was then interpreted as a general intensifying prefix.


betovergroot-

From bet- (“better”) + overgroot (“great-grand-”).


voor-

Ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *forē-. Cognate with English fore-.

denotes primarily that something is before or in front of another thing or higher in a hierarchy


kut-

Wat een kutvoorbeeld is dit.

Wat een kutweer.

(somewhat vulgar) fucking, damned, stupid, shitty


kanker-

(intensifier, exceptionally vulgar, chiefly Netherlands) fucking, motherfucking; intensifying prefix with negative connotations.

(intensifier, extremely vulgar, chiefly Netherlands) Generic intensifying prefix.


tering-

Gast, wat een teringzooi.

‘Bakkes dicht, vuile teringlijster!

2010 March 2, “Hard vloeken in een zacht taaltje”, in nu.nl, nu.nl:


reuze-

From reus (“giant”). Compare the cognate German riesen-, and Swedish jätte- which is formed similarly.

een reuzehuis

reuzegezellig

(added to an adjective) very, extremely, hugely


opper-

From Middle Dutch opper-, upper-, comparative of op, up.


om-

Het kind omklemde haar moeder.

The child clamped herself around her mother.

denotes that the action encloses or surrounds the object


zuider-

From Middle Dutch suder, from Old Dutch *sūthar, from Proto-Germanic *sunþra-.


vrouwtjes-

Genitive of vrouwtje, from vrouw (“woman”).


niet-

Afrikaans: nie-

See niet (“not”). Akin to German nicht-.


onder-

prepended to verbs; denotes that the action happens underneath, or downwards on the object; sub-, under-, lower

prepended to verbs, nouns and adjectives; denotes that the action or state takes place insufficiently


bloed-

Ze is bloedmooi.

Die vent is bloedlink.

We waren allebei bloedgeil.

(colloquial) very, intensely, incredibly


aan-

a prefix appended to a small group of verbs; for which it has an intensive meaning


toe-

From Middle Dutch toe-, from Old Dutch *tō-, from Proto-West Germanic *twiʀ-, from Proto-Germanic *twiz-.


huis-tuin-en-keuken-

Literally, “home, garden and kitchen”, with the implication that it is something ordinary, generally found in or around the home.

everyday, run-of-the-mill, garden variety


achter-

a prefix appended to a small group of verbs; where it means after-, behind


door-

De speer doorboorde zijn lichaam.

prepended to verbs; denotes that action goes through, or pierces the object

Mijn jas is doorweekt.

prepended to verbs, nouns and adjectives; denotes that the action is done thoroughly or till its completion


et-

From Middle Dutch et-, at-, ad-, from Old Dutch *ed-, *id-, from Proto-West Germanic *id-, from Proto-Germanic *idi-. Cognate with English ed-.


zelf-

From Middle Dutch self, from Old Dutch self, *selvo, from Proto-Germanic *selbaz, from Proto-Indo-European *selbʰ- (“one's own”), from *s(w)e- (“separate, apart”). Compare Low German sulv, West Frisian self, English self, German selbst, selber, Danish selv. More at self.


rete-

retecool

(informal, before adjectives) very, extremely, hugely


vol-

From Middle Dutch vol, from Old Dutch fol, ful, from Proto-West Germanic *full, from Proto-Germanic *fullaz, from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁nós.


vega-

From vegetarisch, perhaps influenced by veganistisch, or a related root.


bere-

From beer (“bear”) + -e-. Words formed with this prefix thus have a connotation of “like a bear”; e.g. beresterk can be interpreted as meaning “strong as a bear”. The prefix however is used beyond contexts where this comparison makes obvious sense, e.g. berekoud (literally “as cold as a bear”), bere-interessant (literally “as interesting as a bear”) and beregeil (literally “as horny as a bear”) have no immediately obvious relation to the animal anymore.

Beresnel

Beresterk

(informal) Intensifying adjectival prefix.


top-

gozer (“dude, bloke”) → topgozer (“great guy”)

atleet (“athlete”) → topatleet (“top athlete”)

Prefix indicating quality or appreciation.


stront-

Je broer is strontvervelend.

(colloquial) very (in a negative sense); as hell


wereld-

gozer (“dude, bloke”) → wereldgozer (“great guy”)

Prefix used of people, indicating quality and appreciation.


knetter-

From knettergek (“raving mad”), from knetteren (“to crackle”).


takke-

From takkewijf, where the element takke- represents the noun attaque (“attack”). Unrelated to tak (“twig, branch”), although often associated with it, yielding alternate spellings where the prefix is rendered as takken- (e.g. takkeneind).

(mildly vulgar intensifier) damn, fucking