ab-

From Latin ab-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epo (“off, away”) (English off, of). See Proto-Indo-European *apo-. Doublet of apo- and off-.

a-

found if the root word started with m, p, or v

abs-

found if the root word started with c or t

ab- + sorb → absorb

ab- + normal → abnormal

ab- + axial → abaxial


ab-

(physics) A unit of electromagnetic charge in the centimeter-gram-second system: the abcoulomb.


osteo-

Combining form of Ancient Greek ὀστέον (ostéon, “bone”).


pseudo-

From Middle English pseudo- (but uncommon before Modern English), from Ancient Greek ψευδής (pseudḗs, “false, lying”).

pseud-

found before vowels, as in pseudepigraphic


a-

From Middle English a- (“up, out, away”), from Old English ā-, originally *ar-, *or-, from Proto-West Germanic *uʀ-, from Proto-Germanic *uz- (“out-”), from Proto-Indo-European *uds- (“up, out”). Cognate with Old Saxon a-, German er-.

arise, await

(no longer productive) Forming verbs with the sense away, up, on, out.

abide, amaze

(no longer productive) Forming verbs with the sense of intensified action.


a-

* From Middle English a- (“on”), derived from unstressed Middle English an (“on”), from Old English an (“on”).
* See a (preposition, on, to, in, etc.)

aglow, apace, afire, aboil, a-bling, abluster

(rare or no longer productive) In, on, at; used to show a state, condition, or manner. Also passing into sense 2.

asunder

(no longer productive) In, into. Also passing into sense 5.

astern, abeam

Come a-morning we are going hunting.

hits a-poppin

doins a-transpirin [doings a-transpiring]

1777, Thomas Arne, A-Hunting We Will Go:

The twelfth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Twelve lords a-leaping,
…
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,

circa 1850, Here We Come A-wassailing/Here We Come A-caroling
Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green;
Here we come a-wand’ring
So fair to be seen.

Oh waste no words a-wooing
The soft sleep to your bed;

1939, Alfred Edward Housman, Additional Poems, XIII, lines 6-7:

The order is rapidly fadin'
And the first one now will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'

1964, Bob Dylan, "The Times They Are a-Changin' " (recorded 1963, released 1964)

If the van’s a-rockin’, don’t come a-knockin’.

(archaic or dialectal) In the act or process of. Used in some dialects before a present participle.


a-

From Middle English a-, a variant form of y-, from Old English ġe-, from Proto-West Germanic *ga-, from Proto-Germanic *ga-, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“with”).

aware, alike

Alternative form of y- (archaic and dialectal) In dialect, it is sometimes conflated with sense 5 of the previous definition, and is used as a general indicator of a participle.

y-

I have a-gone.

I have a-seen a bird.

(Devon) Used to form the past participle of a verb.


a-

From Anglo-Norman a-, from Old French e-, from Latin ex-.

abash

(no longer productive) Forming words with the sense of wholly, or utterly out.


a-

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

amoral, asymmetry, atheism, asexual, acyclic, atypical

When invited to believe in the Chimaera, the horse-centaurs, or the winged horse Pegasus, all of them straightforward Pelasgian cult-symbols, a philosopher felt bound to reject them as a-zoölogical improbabilities ….

1948 (revised 1952), Robert Graves, The White Goddess, Faber & Faber 1999, page 7

If aroused outside the proper outlet of marriage, [female lust] could range out of control, turning its possessor into an a-feminine monster: that is what happened to fallen women.

2012, Faramerz Dabhoiwala, The Origins of Sex, Penguin, published 2013, page 191:


a-

From Middle English a-, from Middle French a-, from Latin ad (“towards”).

ascend, aspire, amass, abandon, avenue

(no longer productive) Towards; Used to indicate direction, reduction to, increase to, change into, or motion.


a-

avert, aperient, abridge, assoil, assoilzie


a-

From Middle English a-, o- (“of”). See a (preposition, of).

anew, afresh, athirst


a-

A-tisket a-tasket,
A green and yellow basket

Alternative form of -a (“empty syllable added to songs, poetry, verse and other speech”)


a-

a-be, a-going

Let that choilt a-be, wilt ta. ― Let that child alone, will you.

(Chester) Used as a prefix to verbs in the sense of remaining in the same condition. Actively doing something.


self-

From Middle English self-, silf-, seolf-, from Old English self-, sylf-, seolf-, from Proto-Germanic *selba-, from Proto-Germanic *selbaz (“self”). Cognate with Dutch zelf- (“self-”), German Low German sülvst- (“self-”), German selbst- (“self-”), Swedish själv- (“self-”), Icelandic sjálf- (“self-”). More at self.


d

Abbreviations.
* (British penny; old penny): abbreviation of Latin denarii, the name of the corresponding Roman coin.
* (dice): abbreviation of dice
d
# Abbreviation of died or death.
#: William Shakespeare, d 1616
# (stenoscript) Abbreviation of do and inflections doing, did, done and homophone due
#: exception: dz 'does'
# (stenoscript) prefix dis- or des-

ng

or <i class="Latn mention" lang="en">death</i>.


il-

From Latin il-, assimilated form of in- before l-.

not; a form of the prefix in-, used before l


non-

From Middle English non- (“not, lack of, failure to”), from Middle English non (“no, not any; not, not at all”, literally “none”) and Old English nān- (prefix), both from Old English nān (“no, not any”), from Proto-West Germanic *nain, from Proto-Germanic *nainaz (“none, nought, zero”), see none. Merged with and reinforced by Middle English non- (“not”), from Old French non- and Medieval Latin nōn (“not”), from Old Latin noinu, noinom, from ne oinom (“not one”).

der

nonaboriginal is a person who is not aboriginal, nonabrasive is a substance that is not abrasive, nonabstract is not abstract

Used in the sense of no or none, to show lack of or failure to perform; or in the sense of not, to negate the meaning of the word to which it is prefixed.

Not, the negation of the root word (a quality).

nonaccountability is absence of accountability, nonacceleration is lack of acceleration, nonaction is the absence of action; failure to act

Absence, the absence of the root (a quantity).

nonabiding is the practice of avoiding mental constructs during daily life, nonacceptance is a neglect or refusal to accept, nonaccumulative is tending to avoid accumulation

nonaccent is a spoken accent that is neutral and undistinctive; nonacrocentric is having the centromere near the middle, and thus having roughly equal-sized arms; nonaccent is an unaccented beat or syllable, as in music or poetry

nonpayment (“lack of payment, failure to pay”)

nonaggressive (“not aggressive”)


hecato-

From Ancient Greek ἑκατόν (hekatón, “hundred”). Doublet of hecto- and centi-.


un-

PIE word
 *ne
From Middle English un-, from Old English un-, from Proto-West Germanic *un-, from Proto-Germanic *un-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-. Cognate with Scots un-, on- (“un-”), North Frisian ün-, Saterland Frisian uun-, West Frisian ûn-, on-, Dutch on-, Low German un-, on-, German un-, Danish u-, Swedish o-, Norwegian u-, Icelandic ó-. More distant cognate with Latin in-, Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) (whence English a-, modern Greek α- (a-)) and Sanskrit अ- (a-).
Doublet of in- and a-.

un- + educated → uneducated (“not educated”)

(added to adjectives or past participles) not

un- + conformity → unconformity (“lack of conformity”)

un- + conference → unconference

(added to nouns) contrary to traditional norms; unconventional


un-

PIE word
 *h₂énti
From Middle English on-, from Old English on-, ond-, and- (“against, facing, toward; in return, back, without”), from Proto-West Germanic *anda-, from Proto-Germanic *anda-, *andi- (“against”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti (“across, forth, forward, ahead”), from *h₂énts (“end, limit, forehead”). More at and-.

inh

un- + dress → undress (“to take one's clothes off”)

un- + lock → unlock (“to undo the locking of”)

Un-cry these tears I cried so many nights
 Un-break my heart

1996, “Un-Break My Heart”, in Secrets, performed by Toni Braxton:

(added to verbs) the inverse of a specified action

un- + cage → uncage (“to release from a cage”)

un- + tangle → untangle (“to remove the tangling of”)

(added to nouns to form verbs) deprive of, release from, free from, remove from, extract from

un- + decipher → undecipher

un- + thaw → unthaw

(rare) intensifying a verb that already suggests opposition or removal


un-

un- (“1”) + bi- (“2”) + un- (“1”) + -ium (element suffix) → unbiunium (“element 121”)

Used for the digit one to form temporary names of elements whose existence has been predicted, and which have not yet been given a trivial name.

un- + decillion (“10³³”) → undecillion (“10³⁶”)

un- + vigintillion (“10⁶³”) → unvigintillion (“10⁶⁶”)

Used to form large numbers as the first in the sequence.


psycho-

[ˈsaɪ̯.kəʊ̯]

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

This endeavour forms the core of Daniel Pick's fascinating study of the mobilisation of psychoanalysis not only for the Allied war effort, but for a postwar world momentarily seduced by the idea that war and violence might be eridicated by a bit of psycho-science.

2012, Richard Overy, “The Mind of Evil”, in Literary Review, number 399:

Relating to the soul, the mind, or to psychology.


step-

From Middle English step-, from Old English stēop- (“deprived of a relative, step-”, prefix), from Proto-West Germanic *steupa-, from Proto-Germanic *steupa- (“orphaned, step-”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp- (“to push, strike”).
Cognate with Scots step- (“step-”), West Frisian stiep- (“step-”), Dutch stief- (“step-”), Low German steef- (“step-”), German stief- (“step-”), Swedish styv- (“step-”), Icelandic stjúp- (“step-”). Related to Old English stīepan (“to deprive, bereave”). Not, however, related to the familiar English noun or verb step.

cog

A prefix used before father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, child, and so forth, to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative but is related through the marriage of a parent.

խորթ

prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative

stief- (e.g. stiefdochter, stiefmoeder, stiefvader, stiefzoon)

(no prefix exists, there are special words)


yocto-

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.

International System of Units
International System of Units

In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10⁻²⁴ short scale septillionth or long scale quadrillionth). Symbol: y


zepto-

Greek (h)epta- (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.

In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10⁻²¹ (short scale sextillionth or long scale trilliardth). Symbol: z


exa-

From Ancient Greek ἕξ (héx, “six”), for the sixth order of 10³, analogous to tera-.

In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10¹⁸ (a short scale quintillion or long scale trillion). Symbol: E


zetta-

Coined with Latin septem and Ancient Greek ἑπτά (heptá, “seven”) in mind, for the seventh order of 10³. The consonants pt are reduced to tt as in Italian, by analogy with peta-; the initial z was chosen instead of s to avoid confusion with s for second.

In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10²¹ (a short scale sextillion or long scale trilliard). Symbol: Z


mebi-

The IEC prefix meaning 2²⁰ = 1,024² = 1,048,576. Compare to mega-, meaning 10⁶ = 1,000² = 1,000,000, a million.


gibi-

The IEC prefix meaning 2³⁰ = 1,024³ = 1,073,741,824. Compare giga-, meaning 10⁹ = 1,000³ = 1,000,000,000, a billion.


kibi-

The IEC prefix meaning 2¹⁰ = 1,024. Compare kilo-, meaning 10³ = 1,000, a thousand. Abbreviation: Ki


peta-

Based on penta- (“five”) with the middle letter removed, analogous to tera-.

In the metric system, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10¹⁵ (a short scale quadrillion or long scale billiard). Symbol: P


tera-

From Ancient Greek τέρας (téras, “monster”). Also from Ancient Greek τέτταρες (téttares, “four”), by analogy with tetra- for being the fourth power of 10³. Doublet of terato-.

der

In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10¹² (short scale trillion or long scale billion). Symbol: T


atto-

From Danish atten (“eighteen”), extending the idea to how femto- is derived from Danish femten (“fifteen”) and the fermi unit.

In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10⁻¹⁸ (short scale quintillionth or long scale trillionth). Symbol: a


yotta-

From Ancient Greek ὀκτώ (oktṓ, “eight”), for the eighth order of 10³. The consonants ct are reduced to tt as in Italian, by analogy with peta-; the final a conforms to the finals vowel of the SI series from mega- upwards; the letter y was added, as the second term in a series running through the alphabet backwards (from zetta-).

In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10²⁴ (a short scale septillion or long scale quadrillion). Symbol: Y

bronto-

terms previously proposed to be the next prefix


femto-

From Danish femten (“fifteen”), and the previous name of the femtometre, the fermi.

In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10⁻¹⁵ (short scale quadrillionth or long scale billiardth). Symbol: f.


deca-

From Late Latin decas (“(set of) ten”), from Ancient Greek δέκας (dékas), from δέκα (déka, “ten”).
 SI prefix

 da
 Previous:
 deci-

 Next:
 hecto-

enum

decagon

In the metric system, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10. Symbol: da

дэка-

used to multiply the unit it is attached to by 10


ir-

From Latin ir-, assimilated form of in- used before r-.


deci-

In the metric system, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10⁻¹. Symbol: d


centi-

From French centi- and its etymon Latin centi-, from centum (“hundred”). Doublet of hecato- and hecto-.

(specifically) In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10⁻². Symbol: c

centimillionaire


hecto-

engineering notation
scientific notation

From French hecto-, from Ancient Greek ἑκατόν (hekatón, “hundred”). Doublet of hecato- and centi-.

In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 100. Symbol: h


giga-

From Ancient Greek γίγας (gígas, “giant”); cognate to giant.

giga- + watt → gigawatt ("one billion watts")

In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10⁹ (short scale billion or long scale milliard). Symbol: G

(computing, sometimes proscribed) Multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 2³⁰ or 1,073,741,824.

Wow, I am giga-jealous right now.

(slang) Augmenting an adjective; intensely, extremely, or to an exceptionally high degree.

giga- + Chad → gigachad

giga- + Stacy → gigastacy

(Internet slang, originally 4chan) Used to augment nouns; denoting an invididual who is a paragon of something.


milli-

From Latin mille (“thousand”), via French.

Example: milligram

In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, one-thousandth of the unit to which it is prefixed; that is, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10⁻³. Symbol: m.

Example: millipede


im-

From Latin im-, assimilated form of in- used before b-/p-/m-.


im-

From em-, from Old French em-. Also from later Middle French im-, partly by confusion with im- of Latin origin (on which see above).

Alternative form of the prefix em-, itself variant of en-.


nano-

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

In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10⁻⁹ (short scale billionth or long scale milliardth). Symbol: n

nano- + biology → nanobiology

Derived from the nanotechnology industry.

nano- + particle → nanoparticle

nano- + plankton → nanoplankton


in-

PIE word
 *h₁én
From Middle English in-, from Old English in- (“in, into”, prefix), from Proto-Germanic *in, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁én. More at in.

inbeat is occurring on an inward beat, inbend is to bend or curve inwards, incave is to cave inward

in, into, towards, within.
Inward (direction)

inbreed is to produce or generate within, inburning is burning within, incircle is a circle within a polygon

in, into, towards, within.
Within (position)

inhold, inmove, intake, inthrill

inborn, inbound

infield, infighting, insight, intalk, inwork


in-

From Middle English in-, borrowed (in words of Latinate origin) from Latin in-, from Latin in, from Proto-Indo-European *en (cognate to Germanic in-, above). Often borrowed from French in- (e.g. incise, incite, incline, indication), or as French en-, originally from Latin in.

imband is to form into a band or bands, imbar is to bar in, imbarn is to store in a barn

inblind is to make blind, incloister is to cloister

imbannered is having banners, inaureole is to have a halo, incarnate is be crimson

il- before l, e.g. illusion
im- before b, m, or p, e.g. imperil
ir- before r, e.g. irrigate

Note: Before certain letters, in- becomes


in-

PIE word
 *ne
From Middle English in-, borrowed (in words of latinate origin) from Latin in- (“not”). Sometimes the Latin word has passed through French before reaching English (e.g. incapable, incertainty, inclement, incompatible). Doublet of un-.

inedible

inaccurate

(non-productive) Used with certain words to reverse their meaning.

(non-productive) Added to adjectives to mean not.

incredulity

ineptitude

Added to nouns to mean lacking or without.

inannihilable is that cannot be annihilated, inappellable is that cannot be appealed against, inassimilable is that cannot be assimilated

ig- before n, e.g. ignoble
il- before l, e.g. illegal
im- before b, m, or p, e.g. improper
ir- before r, e.g. irresistible


pyro-

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


auto-

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-, “self-”).

lbor

auto- + biography → autobiography

auto- + erotic → autoerotic


auto-

auto- + focus → autofocus

auto- + loader → autoloader

auto- + walk → autowalk


auto-

Clipping of automobile, from auto- + mobile

auto- + cross → autocross

auto- + -phile → autophile

Relating to cars or the driving of cars.


zoo-

From (combining form of) Ancient Greek ζῷον (zôion, “animal”).


hect-

Form of hecto-—meaning 100—used before a vowel.


meg-

megohm

Alternative form of mega- used before a vowel.


out-

From Middle English ut-, from Old English ūt- (“out, without, outside”) (also as ūta-, ūtan- (“from or on the outside, without”), as in ūtanweard (“outward, external”)), from Proto-Germanic *ūt- (“out-”). Cognate with Dutch uit-, German aus-, Swedish ut-, Icelandic út-. More at out.

inh

outback

outhouse

outcast

outlead

outflee

outdo

outlast

outmaneuver

It out-Herods Herod. Pray you, avoid it.

c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:

She was nobody when he married her, barely the daughter of a gentleman; but ever since her being turned into a Churchill she has out-Churchill’d them all in high and mighty claims: but in herself, I assure you, she is an upstart.

1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter XVIII, in Emma: […], volume II, London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC, page 345:

With a few honorable exceptions it out-Descartesed Descartes […]

2016, Noam Chomsky, What Kind of Creatures Are We?, New York: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 124:

Forms verbs with the sense of surpassing or exceeding the prefixed word. This construction is productive.

outsize

outrun

outgrow

By the end of the competition, Lisa's plant had outgrown its competitors, winning the competition.

The plant's leaves outgrew their box

outfit

outwork


pico-

Borrowed from Spanish pico (“beak, little bit, speck”)

bor

In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10⁻¹² (short scale trillionth or long scale billionth). Symbol: p

(biology) Used to designate sizes, especially, of cells, smaller than those prefixed by nano- or micro-; sized between 0.2 and 2.0 μm.


tri-

PIE word
 *tréyes
From Latin tri- (“three”) and Ancient Greek τρι- (tri-, “three”).


tri-

(chemistry) Used in combination with a known element name (e.g. 'tri-silicon') to designate an unknown element that would reside three periods lower than the known element on a Mendeleev-type periodic table. See Mendeleev's predicted elements.


ennea-

From Ancient Greek ἐννέα (ennéa, “nine”).


micro-

From Ancient Greek μικρός (mikrós, “small”).
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *mey-der.?
Ancient Greek μικρός (mikrós)der.
English micro-

etymon

micro- + organism → microorganism

micro- + gram → microgram


micro-

micro- + wiki → MicroWiki

(micronationalism) Pertaining to an aspect of micronationalism; micronational.


kilo-

From French, kilo- irregularly derived from Ancient Greek χίλιοι (khílioi, “one thousand”). The etymologically "correct" form would be chili- or chilo-, resulting in forms such as chiliasme (“chiliasm”) or chilopode (“centipede”); but the French, when creating the prefix, had to avoid a possible (standard) pronunciation of chi as /ʃi/, too close to the vulgar verb chier.

der

In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 1,000. Symbol: k

(computing) Multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 2¹⁰ (1024)


mega-

From Ancient Greek μέγας (mégas, “great, large, mighty”), from Proto-Indo-European *meǵh₂s (“great”). Cognate with Latin magnus, Sanskrit मह (maha, “great, massive, large-scale, epic”), and with Germanic words: Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌺𐌹𐌻𐍃 (mikils), Old English micel, Middle English muchel, English much, Old High German mihhil, Old Norse mikill, Danish meget.

cog

In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by one million (10⁶.) SI Symbol: M.

(computing) Multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 2²⁰ (= 1,048,576, the binary number closest to a million). Computing symbol: Mi.

(computing, marketing) Multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 2¹⁰ × 10³ (= 1,024,000, the binary round number closest to a million).

What?! I'm not sure if I scream that out loud or if my inner voice bounces off the insides of my skull. Why is Archie once again meandering over to Team Nadine? Sounds like I'm not the only one who's mega-confused.

2014, Michael Griffo, Starfall (The Darkborn Legacy), New York, NY: Kensington Publishing Corporation, →ISBN, pages 93–94:

(slang, augmentative) Really, very, uber-, super-.


ante-

From Latin ante (“preposition and prefix”); akin to Ancient Greek ἀντί (antí), Sanskrit अन्ति (anti), Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌳- (and-), 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰- (anda-) (only in compounds), 𐌰𐌽𐌳- (and-), 𐍉𐌽𐌳- (ōnd-), (only in compounds): compare answer, along, German ant-, ent- (in compounds). Doublet of and- and anti-.

antebellum

antechamber


ambi-

From Latin ambo (“both”). Doublet of amphi-. More at umbe.

ambidirectional, ambipolar, ambispective, ambifix

ambifix, ambilateral, ambilineal

ambisense, ambivert, ambisyllabicity

ambilocal, ambivalent, ambiquitous


quadr-

Alternative form of quadri- used before a vowel.


duo-

PIE word
 *dwóh₁
From Latin duo (“two”).


hemi-

From Ancient Greek prefix ἡμι- (hēmi-, “half”), from ἥμισυς (hḗmisus, “half”). Doublet of semi-.


demi-

From Middle English demi (“half, half-sized, partial”), from Anglo-Norman demi (“half”), from Vulgar Latin *dimedius, from Latin dīmidius, from dis- (“apart; in two”) + medius (“middle”).


hexa-

From Latin hexa-, from Ancient Greek ἑξα- (hexa-), from ἕξ (héx, “six”).


tetra-

From Ancient Greek τετρα- (tetra-), combining form of Ancient Greek τέτταρες (téttares), from τέσσαρες (téssares, “four”).

Which is how Kit first heard about the T.W.I.T. back in London, and of the ghostly neo-Pythagorean cult of tetralatry or worship of the number four, currently the rage in certain European circles

2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage 2007, p. 665: [cf. -latry]

tetra-

forming compound words having the sense of ‘four’


uni-

From Latin uni-, combining form of unus (“one”).


xylo-

From Ancient Greek ξύλον (xúlon, “wood”).


octa-

From Ancient Greek ὀκτα- (okta-, “eight”); compare ὀκτώ (oktṓ).


anti-

From Ancient Greek ἀντι- (anti-, “against”). Doublet of and- and ante-.

anti- + abortion → antiabortion

anti- + racism → antiracism

anti- + aircraft → antiaircraft

anti- + freeze → antifreeze

anti- + bacterial → antibacterial

anti- + hero → antihero (“a protagonist who acts in an unheroic manner”)

anti- + climax → anticlimax (“a failed or reverse climax”)

anti- + chess → antichess (“a variant of chess where the goal is to lose all of one's pieces”)

The opposite of what is typically expected.

anti- + clockwise → anticlockwise

anti- + Arctic → Antarctic

Physically opposite, reverse in position or direction.

anti- + pope → antipope (“a person who claims to be the real pope”)

anti- + Christ → Antichrist

anti- + electron → antielectron

anti- + galaxy → antigalaxy

(particle physics) Composed of antimatter.

anti- + rabbit → antirabbit

anti- + horse → antihorse

(immunology) Reacting with immunoglobins found in the specified animal.


hex-

Alternative form of hexa- used before a vowel.


pent-

Alternative form of penta- used before a vowel.


quin-

From one combining form of Latin quinque (“five”). See, e.g., quindecim.


oct-

Form of octa- or octo- used before a vowel.


hept-

Alternative form of hepta- used before a vowel.


thermo-

From Ancient Greek θερμός (thermós, “warm, hot”).


mono-

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


octo-

octo- (canonical)
before a vowel oct- (canonical)

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


bi-

PIE word
 *dwóh₁
Borrowed from Latin bi-, from Proto-Italic *dwi-, from Proto-Indo-European *dwi-. Doublet of twi- and di-.

noun (m. sg.) + בן שתי + noun (f. pl.) (e.g. בניין בן שתי קומות, "a two-story building")

noun (m. sg.) + בן שתי + noun (m. pl.) (e.g. ספר בן שני חלקים, "a two-part book")

noun (f. sg.) + בת שתי + noun (f. pl.) (e.g. קואליציה בת שתי מפלגות, "a two-party coalition")

noun (f. sg.) + בת שני + noun (m. pl.) (e.g. מערכת בת שני גופים, "a two-body system")

གཉིས་ལྡན (gnyis ldan, literally “having two”)

ཟུང་ལྡན (zung ldan, literally “having a pair”)

གཉིས་མ (gnyis ma, literally “both, double”)

གཉིས་རེ (gnyis re, literally “every two”)

ལྡབ་གཉིས (ldab gnyis, literally “twice”)

biarticular is affecting, or connecting two joints; biaxial is along two axes; bicoloured is of two colours

biangular is having two angles or corners, biantheriferous is having two anthers, bicardial is having two separate hearts, bikont is a eukaryotic cell with two flagella; thought to be the ancestor of all plants

Having or possessing two of the root word's quality.

biacetabular is relating to both acetabula, biallelic is of or pertaining to both alleles of a gene, bicaval is relating to both veins of the vena cava

biadjoint is adjoint in two different ways, biaffine is affine in two different ways, biclonal is having cell markers from two different cell lines

Being different in two ways with respect to the root.

bifurcate is to divide or fork into two channels or branches, bicapitate is to divide something equally between two people or organisations, bicarinate is dividing into two points at the end

Forked, divided by two, halved; (chemistry, proscribed) half

bialgebroid is a double algebroid, bifarious is twofold, double, biarticulated is doubly articulated

bicentric is having a bisexual bias or basis, biphobia is antipathy towards bisexuals, biromantic is romantically attracted to both males and females

(LGBT) Bisexual, relating to bisexuality.

biconcave is having both sides concave, biballism is ballism that affects both sides of the body

(anatomy) Bilateral, on both sides of the body.

biannual is occurring twice a year, biannual is something occurring twice each year, biconjugate is paired twice

biannual is occurring once every two years; biennial, bicentennial is occurring every two hundred (200) years

bibrow is a pair of eyebrows which do not meet in the middle, as opposed to a unibrow, bicomplex is composed of a pair of complex numbers having certain defined properties


bi-

biont is a living organism

(before a vowel) Alternative form of bio-


hepta-

From Ancient Greek ἑπτά (heptá, “seven”).


multi-

From late Middle English multi-, from Latin multī, from multus.

More than one; pertaining to more than one thing.


cor-

From the Latin cor-, the prerhotic form of con-.


penta-

PIE word
 *pénkʷe
Borrowed from Ancient Greek πέντε (pénte, “five”); ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷe. Compare Persian پنج, Northern Kurdish pênc, Ossetian фондз (fonʒ), Pashto پنځه (pindzə), Sanskrit पञ्चन् (páñcan). Doublet of five, which was inherited from Proto-Germanic.


col-

Alternative form of co- / con- (before l).


col-

Alternative form of colo- (before a vowel).


counter-

From Middle English counter-, cownter-, countre-, from Anglo-Norman countre-, from Old French contre, ultimately from Latin contra (“against”).


andro-

From Ancient Greek ἀνδρός (andrós), genitive of ἀνήρ (anḗr).

android

androgyny


poly-

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

der

polydactyl, polyglot, polyvalent

polyacetal, polyethene, polyether

polycule, polyphobia, polyfamily


contra-

From Latin contra (“against”). Doublet of counter-.


cyber-

Relating to the Internet or cyberspace, or to computers more generally.


com-

From Latin com (“with”), an archaic form of cum (“with”).

The form of con- used before b, m, and p


semi-

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-semi.wav

Borrowed from Latin semi- (“half”), from Proto-Indo-European *sēmi/*sēmi-. Cognate to English sam, and to hemi- (via Ancient Greek).

Nothing like a nice hot ethnic dish before you go to see that semi-expensive, semi-meaningful Off-Broadway show.

1994, Eric Bogosian, Pounding nails in the floor with my forehead:


extra-

From Latin extra (“outside, except, beyond”, adverb and preposition), from exter (“being on the outside”).

uder

extramarital: outside of marriage


hetero-

From Ancient Greek ἕτερος (héteros, “other, another, different”).

bor

heterogamous is in which a plant has male and female flowers, heterochromatic is having more than one colour, heterogender is involving people with different genders, heteroglossia is the coexistence of distinct linguistic varieties

Varied, heterogeneous; a set that has variety with respect to the root.

heteroalkene is any analogue of an alkene in which a doubly bonded carbon atom is replaced by a heteroatom, heteroaddition is any addition reaction that introduces a heteroatom, heterofullerene is any compound formally derived from a fullerene by replacing one or more carbon atom by a heteroatom, heteroaromatic is having the characteristics of an aromatic compound whilst having at least one non-carbon atom in the ring

(organic chemistry) Heterocyclic: a cyclic compound with multiple elements in its ring. The non-carbon atoms are known as heteroatoms.

heterofunctionalization is any reaction in which two different functional groups are added at the same time, heterofibril is a fibril composed of two or more types of collagen, heterodimeric is produced from two similar but different monomers

heterochrome is of different colors, heterocladic is relating to branches of different arteries, heteroexchange is the exchange of different entities (eg acidic and basic amino acids, heterocoordination is coordination between different metal atoms

Across, spanning multiple distinct kinds of the root, different.

heterocentric is having a heterosexual bias or basis, heteroamorous is characterized by love with another of the opposite sex; heteroromantic, heterofemale is a woman who is heterosexual

allo-

sometimes synonymous; differentiated in transplantation sense, intraspecies versus interspecies

heteroadministered is administered by a clinician on behalf of a patient, heterobiography is biography written by another person (not autobiography), heterocentric is focused on other people (as opposed to the self), heteroencapsidation is the encapsidation of the genetic material of one type of virus with the coat protein of another

heterodromous is spiralling in opposite directions on a stem or branch, heterofacial is on opposite faces, heterodirectional is that moves or operates in the opposite direction as another, heterochiral is reversed (as a mirror image), but otherwise identical

heterogenetic is of a disease: produced by infection from outside the body, heterocephaly is the appointment of the governing body by an outside authority, heterodiegetic is of or relating to a narrator that does not take part in the plot

(transplantation) Outside; Synonym of xeno-.

heterogangliate is having the ganglia of the nervous system arranged in an asymmetrical manner, heteracanth is having the spines of the dorsal fin asymmetrical, heterocercal is a fish's tail's shape that is vertically asymmetric

heterochylia is the irregular production of gastric juices, heterodynamic is describing a lifecycle in which the organism is sometimes active and sometimes dormant, heterochronic is occurring at different times or intermittently

Inconsistent, irregular, or intermittent.

heterogamous is characterized by alternating generations of a parthenogenetic and sexual nature, heteroclitic is signifying a Proto-Indo-European stem which alternates between more than one form when declined for grammatical case


bio-

From Ancient Greek βίο- (bío-), combining form and stem of βίος (bíos, “life”).

biochild; biodad; biofamily; biofather; biokid; biomom; biomother; bioparent; biosib; biosibling; bioson


tele-

From Ancient Greek τῆλε (têle, “at a distance, far off, far away, far from”).

der

telegram

telerobot

telecast

telefantasy

telethon

telepost

teletape

teletypewriter

telecheck

telesales

telebooth

telemarketing


hypno-

From Ancient Greek ὕπνος (húpnos, “sleep”).

IN HYPNO-VISION

1999 April, Matt Groening, “Episode Two: The Series Has Landed”, in Futurama, season 1, episode 2, opening title:

Related to hypnosis, often in the form of hypnotherapy.


necro-

From Ancient Greek νεκρός (nekrós, “dead body”), from the Proto-Indo-European suffixed full-grade *nekro- of *neḱ- (“perish, disappear”); see also Middle Welsh angheu (“death”), Breton ankou, Old Irish éc, Latin noxius (“harmful”), nocēo (“to hurt, harm”), nex (“murder, violent death”) (as opposed to mors), Old Persian 𐎻𐎴𐎰𐎹𐎫𐎹 (vi-n-θ-y-t-y /vi-nathayatiy/, “he injures”), Avestan 𐬥𐬀𐬯𐬌𐬌𐬈𐬌𐬙𐬌 (nasiieⁱti, “disappears”), 𐬥𐬀𐬯𐬎- (nasu-, “corpse”), Sanskrit नश्यति (naśyati, “disappear, perish”).


biblio-

From Ancient Greek βιβλίον (biblíon, “paper, document, tablet, small book”) or its descendant Latin Biblia (“the Bible”).


aero-

From Ancient Greek ἀέρος (aéros), the genitive singular of ἀήρ (aḗr, “air”).


homo-

From Ancient Greek ὁμός (homós, “same”).


homo-

Of or pertaining to homosexuals or homosexuality.


homo-

(organic chemistry) Used to form the names of compounds derived from simpler ones by addition of a methylene group.


re-

From Middle English re-, from Old French re-, from Latin re-, red- (“back; anew; again; against”), of uncertain origin but conjectured by Watkins to be from Proto-Indo-European *wret-, a metathetic alteration of *wert- (“to turn”). Displaced native English ed-, eft-, a-, with-/wither-, gain-/again-.

re- + new → renew (“to make something new again”)

re- + commit → recommit (“to commit an act again”)

re- + heat → reheat (“to heat something that has cooled off”)

reletter, relead, rebronze (examples from: )

a completive or intensification of the base; up, a-, out

reject, reply, resist


dipl-

Alternative form of diplo- used before a vowel.


deuter-

Alternative form of deutero- used before a vowel.


Euro-

Shortened unetymologically from Europe or Europo- in compounds. 20th-century formation, perhaps echoing terms like Afro-, Indo-, Sino- etc.
An early attestation is the 1911 title The "Euro-Asian" or "Anglo-Indian", but the word Eurasian is attested in English from 1844.
In finance, the term is a generalisation of Eurobond, which originally referred to bonds denominated in dollars but issued in Europe.

Pertaining to Europe, especially as a political entity.

Euro- + Sterling → Eurosterling

Eurocurrency markets are active in other major currencies as well, including Eurosterling, Euroyen, and euro-denominated Eurocurrencies (sometimes called “Euroeuros”).

2012, Kirt C. Butler, Multinational Finance: Evaluating Opportunities, Costs, and Risks of Operations, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN:

(finance, of a financial instrument) Denominated in a currency other than that of the country in which it is issued.


dys-

From New Latin dys-, from Ancient Greek δυσ- (dus-, “hard, difficult, bad”).

dyschezia, dysacusis, dysbasia, dyslexia, dyscopia

dysaemia, dyscognitive

dysejaculation, dysuria

dysbalanced, dyschloremia, dysdifferentiation

dysgraphia, dysphasia, dysoxic

dysphoria, dystopia

dysgnathic, dysafferentation, dysesthesia

dysautoregulation

dyscontrol, dysmetria

dysendocrinism, dysexecutive, dysautonomia, dysbarism

dysfluent


dodeca-

Borrowed from Ancient Greek δώδεκα (dṓdeka, “twelve”).


diplo-

From international scientific vocabulary, reflecting a New Latin combining form, from Ancient Greek διπλόος (diplóos), διπλοῦς (diploûs, “double”).

classical compound
international scientific vocabulary


astro-

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

der

celestial bodies: fixed stars, wandering stars (planets), etc.; space; astronomy

astro- + centric → astrocentric


deutero-

From Ancient Greek δεύτερος (deúteros, “second (of two)”).

cog

deutero- + -gamy → deuterogamy (“second marriage”)

deutero- + benzene → deuterobenzene


dia-

From Ancient Greek prefix δια- (dia-), from διά (diá, “through, across, by, over”).


eigen-

Borrowed from German eigen (“own”). Many of the compounds represent partial translations from German, e.g. eigenvalue from German Eigenwert. Doublet of own.

(linear algebra) Forms terms pertaining to or related to eigenvectors, eigenvalues; especially for naming mathematical objects which are not affected by a given linear transformation except for by scalar multiplication.


neo-

From Ancient Greek prefix νεο- (neo-), from νέος (néos, “new, young”).

(organic chemistry) Having a structure, similar to that of neopentane, in which each hydrogen atom of a methyl group has been replaced by an alkyl group

(organic chemistry) Being a newly-discovered or -synthesized variant of an existing compound


equi-

From Latin aequi-, from aequus. See also equ-.


ecto-

From Ancient Greek ἐκτός (ektós, “outside”).


ethno-

From Ancient Greek ἔθνος (éthnos, “a company, later a people, nation”).

der

race; ethnicity (in the sense of classification of human beings).


fluor-

(organic chemistry) Alternative form of fluoro- used before a vowel.


gastr-

gastrectomy

(prevocalic) Alternative form of gastro-.


eur-

Eurasian


em-

place of articulation
place of articulation

The form taken by en- before the labial consonants b and p, as it assimilates place of articulation.


endo-

From Ancient Greek ἔνδον (éndon, “inner; internal”).


geo-

From Ancient Greek γεω- (geō-), combining form of γῆ (gê, “earth”).


ferro-

Coordinate term: ferri-

(chemistry) ferrous:
Iron (the metal).
Iron of oxidation number 2.


electro-

Initially from French électro- and Latin electro-, ultimately from electrum, from Ancient Greek ἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron, “amber”). Equivalent to and later based upon electric, electricity, &c. + -o-.

Combining form of electric and electrical.


epi-

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

epilittoral is above a littoral zone, epinasal is above the nose, epinecral is above a necral layer

epibenthos is benthic organisms that live on top of the sediment, epipetric is growing on rocks, epispinal is on the spinal cord

Upon, atop, directly on top of in terms of position.

epichromosomal is outside of a chromosome, epiclone is an epigenetic clone, epigenome is the total epigenetic state of a cell

epilanguage is a second language used regularly for some purpose or purposes, epiphenomenon is an activity, process, or state that is the result of another, epitoxoid is a toxoid that generates less of an immune response than an original one

Secondary: a consequence, by-product, additional, or lesser version.

epikarst is the upper part of a karst system, epiphase is the upper phase of a multiphase system, episternum is the upper segment of the sternum

A part or segment that is located on the upper part of an object.

epidermis is the outer layer of the skin of vertebrates, epipleuron is the outer margin of an elytron of a beetle, epitrochlea is a projection on the outer side of the distal end of the humerus

A part or locatation that is outer, particularly an outer layer.

epicedrol is an epimer of cedrol, epicholesterol is the 3α- isomer of cholesterol, epitestosterone is an inactive epimer of the steroid hormone testosterone

epifascial is on the surface of a fascia, epilimnion is on the surface layer of a liquid body, epixylous is growing or living on the surface of wood

epiparasitism is behaviour of epibiotic parasites, episymbiont is an epibiotic symbiont, episymbiotic is of or relating to an epibiotic symbiotic relationship

(zoology) Epibiotic: an organism that lives on another organism.

epignathous is hook-billed, epinasty is a nastic movement which bends a plant part outwards, epipod is a small projection arising from the thoracic legs of a crustacean

epicadmium is used attributively to describe kinetic energies above that at which cadmium has a large neutron cross section, epidemic is an occurrence of a disease or disorder in a population at a frequency higher than that expected in a given time period, epimenorrhagia is excessive menstruation

More, above a usual quantity, additional in quantity.

epimuscular is relating to the transmission of force without the use of muscles, epilanguage is a more subconscious, self-imposed, form of metalanguage, epitheory is a theory based on a more fundamental theory or on a metatheory

epizootic is an epidemic among animals, epornitic is pertaining to a disease of high morbidity that is occasionally present in a bird population

epicellular is when bacteria live in close proximity to but not inside a host cell, epistellar is when a gas giant has a close orbit to its parent star, epituberculosis is abnormal symptoms near the site of a tuberculous lesion

epifamily is a rank between family and superfamily, epiphyletic is mostly monophyletic but containing some hybrids, eparchy was an administrative sub-provincial unit in post-Ottoman independent Greece

epifascicular is surrounding a fascicle, epimacular is surrounding, or on the edge of the macula, epiperimetric is surrounding a perimeter

Surrounding in position: the edges of the root entity.

epiglottis is a cartilaginous organ in the throat of terrestrial vertebrates covering the glottis when swallowing to prevent food and liquid from entering the trachea, epispore is the thickish outer coat of certain spores, episcope is a form of projector that projects images of opaque objects

epiclassical is coming after the classical period and, epigenesis is changes in the mineral content of rock after its formation, Epipaleolithic is the Mesolithic period (post-Paleolithic)

epilobous is having overlapping lobes, epipharynx is a structure that overlaps the mouth in certain insects, epipole is the intersection of the baselines of two cameras used to form a stereo image

epimorphism is a morphism analogous to a surjective function epiplexis is a rhetorical device where a sequence of rhetorical questions is used to elicit an emotional response, episememe is the meaning expressed by a tagmeme

Mapping onto, passing along, resolving to.

epipelagic is of, pertaining to, or inhabiting the water from the surface of the sea down to 200 metres, epiplankton is plankton normally living in the top hundred fathoms of a body of water (at a depth of about 180 metres or less), epivalve is the apical (top) valve of a diatom

Top: a part that is positioned at the uppermost of multiple levels.

epicnemial is relating to the anterior of the tibia, epiplastron is either of the foremost pair of lateral plates in the plastron of turtles, episternum is the anterior part of the pleuron of an insect

epichaperome is a network of chaperomes present in cancer cells, epiorganism is a group of organisms (such as a hive of bees, epicrisis is a critical or analytical study, evaluation, or summing up, especially of a medical case history

Entirety, a system being referred to as a whole.

epidural is of or pertaining to the space immediately outside the dura mater, episkeletal is above or outside the endoskeleton, epicycloid is the locus of a point on the circumference of a circle that rolls without slipping on the circumference of another circle

epithermal is describing deposits of minerals formed from warm water at shallow depth, epicortex is a thin layer of polysaccharide on the surface of the cortex, epigeous is growing on, or close to, the ground

epimorphic is that becomes segmented prior to hatching, epiascidiate is in the form of a tube, epicalyx is a group of bracts resembling a calyx

Similar, in the same form of, resembling.

epiphallus is in some gastropods, an enlargement of the vas deferens that continues beyond the apex of the penis, epifilm is an epitaxial film, epigrowth is epitaxial growth


gastro-

Coined based on Ancient Greek γαστήρ (gastḗr, “stomach”).

gastroenteritis

gastrointestinal

gastronomy


fore-

non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger

From Middle English fore-, from Old English fore-, from Proto-West Germanic *forē-, from Proto-Germanic *fura-, *furai- (“before, in front of, for”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“before, formerly; through, throughout”).
Akin to Old Saxon and Old High German fora-, Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌰- (faura-) (see 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌰 (faura)), Dutch voor- (“fore-”).

inh

foreshadow is to occur beforehand, forewarn is to warn beforehand, forechosen is chosen beforehand

Before: the root is happening earlier in time.

foredawn is the time just before dawn, foreday is the morning or afternoon, foreyear is the earlier part of the year

Before with respect to time; earlier.
The early stage of the root time period

forebirth is that which precedes birth, foreking is a preceding king, forehammer is a large sledge which strikes right before a smaller one

Directly or immediately preceding in time.

forebooth is a booth positioned near the front, foregear is any gear located in a front or forward position, forehew is to hew in front

Before with respect to position: front, ahead, leading, anterior.

forecabin is a cabin located toward the front of a vessel, forebridge is a raised platform or pilothouse at the front of the bridge, foreboom is the boom of the foremast

forebrain is the anterior part of the brain, forehoof is a front hoof, foregear is armour for the front of the body

forebeam is the leading portion of a remote signal from a moving source, forefront is the leading position or edge, forebreast is the furthest part of a mine where the mining is actively happening, forearm is the part of the arm between the wrist and the elbow

Outer: the leading, outward portion of a wave or effort; or a distal part of a body.

forebody is the forepart of a vehicle, forecourt is the front part of the court in racket sports, forehand is all of the part of a horse which is before the rider

Forepart: the front part of an object or area.

foredune is a kind of dune ridge that runs parallel to the shore of a body of water, foreland is the zone adjacent to a mountain chain where material eroded from it is deposited, forby is near, beside, or close to

forebeach is the area of beach nearest the water's edge; the foreshore or intertidal zone, forefield is the nearest part of a field (as of view or of combat), forend is part of a rifle, underneath the barrel, where it is supported by the hand

Nearest: the part of the root which is nearest/closest.

foredawn is to anticipate dawning, foreglimpse is a glimpse of the future, forecast is an estimation of a future condition

Forward in temporal direction, anticipating.

forehearth is the forward extension of the hearth of a blast furnace, forebite is a condition where the front teeth are set too far forward in the mouth, foregaze is to gaze forward

Forward in direction.
Forward in spatial direction.

forecry is to cry forth, forehand is a stroke in which the palm of the hand faces the direction of the stroke, foreleader is one who leads others by example

Forward in direction.
Outward in spatial direction.

foredescribed is described earlier in the same document, forebook is a prelude to a book or series of books, forebelief is a previous belief

Before with respect to order or rank: first, prior, superior, ahead.

Previous or earlier in order or sequence.

forebell is the first of a series of bells, forefinger is the index (first) finger, foredeal is the first place

forehand is superiority or advantage, forechoice is a motive which is in agreement with correct desire, forby is superior

forecolour is any colour which stands out among others, forehand is the chief or most important part, foreground is the software application a user is currently interacting with

Prominent, most important, foremost or greatest in rank

forebear is an ancestor, forefather is ancestor, fore-elder is an ancestor


fore-

forelay is to waylay

Used to indicate error, exclusion, or inadequacy; Alternative form of for-.


fore-

"Occurring only in words adopted from French, as forcatch v., forfeit n., forprise n., represents Old French for-, fors-, identical with fors adv. (modern French hors) outside, out."

foreclose is to shut out


an-

From Middle English an-, from Old English an-, on- (“on-”), from Proto-West Germanic *ana-, from Proto-Germanic *ana- (“on”). More at on.

ancome, aneal, anent


an-

From Ancient Greek ἀν- (an-). Doublet of un- and in- .

not; used to make words that have a sense opposite to the word (or stem) to which the prefix is attached. Used with stems that begin with vowels and "h".

anoxia (without oxygen), anandrous (without male parts)


de-

From Latin dē-, from the preposition dē (“of”, “from”). For sense development, compare Old English æf-, which was a similar prefix.

de- + couple → decouple

de- + align → dealign

de- + ice → de-ice

de- + baptize → debaptize

de- + bus → debus

de- + bark → debark

de- + benzylate → debenzylate

de- + arterialization → dearterialization

de- + fraud → defraud

de- + complex → decomplex

de- + numerate → denumerate

de- + pauperize → depauperize

de- + prostrate → deprostrate

de- + specificate → despecificate

de- + substantival → desubstantival

de- + verbal → deverbal

de- + mise → demise


dis-

From Middle English dis-, borrowed from Latin dis-, from Proto-Indo-European *dwís.

dis- + agree → disagree

dis- + connect → disconnect

dis- + satisfied → dissatisfied

dis- + interested → disinterested

dis- + honour → dishonour

Not, the reverse of. (Especially forming words with a negative connotation)

dis- + card → discard (“to throw out a card”)

dis- + bar → disbar (“to expel from the bar”)

dis- + franchise → disfranchise (“to remove one's franchise, to prevent from voting”)

dis- + embowel → disembowel

dis- + annul → disannul (“to annul”)

dis- + function → disfunction


eco-

From French éco-, from Latin oeco-, from Ancient Greek οἶκος (oîkos, “house, household”).

uder

ecology or the environment (in the ecological sense)


en-

From Middle English en- (“en-, in-”). Originally from Old French en- (also an-), from Latin in- (“in, into”); but also from an alteration of in-, from Middle English in-, from Old English in- (“in, into”), from Proto-Germanic *in (“in”). Both the Latin and the Germanic forms are from Proto-Indo-European *en (“in, into”). Intensive use of Old French en-, an- is due to confluence with Frankish *an- (intensive prefix), related to Old English on- (intensive prefix). More at in-, on-.

em-

before certain consonants, principally b or p

encrypt

neologism from κρυπτός (kruptós; ) or κρύπτω (krúptō, )

embrocate

from embrocatus, from ἐμβροχή (embrokhḗ, )

empiric

via empirique and empiricus from ἐμπειρικός (empeirikós; )

encaustic

probably neologism after καυστικός (kaustikós; )

energy

via énergie and energia from ἐνέργεια (enérgeia; )

embathe, enquire, enlist

Forms a transitive verb whose meaning is to make the attached adjective

embark, enplane, enthrone

enclothe, embalm, enseam

enslave, embetter, engloom

empower

entangle, enwisen, enhamper


ex-

unhyphened with primary or secondary stress

From Middle English, from words borrowed from Middle French; from Latin ex (“out of, from”), from Proto-Indo-European *eǵ-, *eǵs- (“out”), *eǵʰs. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἐξ (ex, “out of, from”), Transalpine Gaulish ex- (“out”), Old Irish ess- (“out”), Old Church Slavonic изъ (izŭ, “out”), Russian из (iz, “from, out of”).

borrowed from Latin: extract, expel, except, expression, exclusion

ex-directory; borrowed from Latin: exterior

ex-husband, ex-president, ex-wife

This parrot is no more. It has ceased to be. It's expired and gone to see its maker. This is a late parrot. It's a stiff. Bereft of life, it rests in peace. If you hadn't nailed it to the perch it would be pushing up the daisies. It's run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. This is an ex-parrot.

1969 December 7, “Full Frontal Nudity”, in Monty Python's Flying Circus, season 1, episode 8, spoken by Mr Praline (John Cleese), Dead Parrot sketch:

excaudate, exstipulate


for-

From Middle English for-, vor-, from Old English for-, fer-, fær-, fyr- (“far, away, completely”, prefix), from the merger of Proto-Germanic *fra- ("away, away from"; see fro, from) and Proto-Germanic *fur-, *far- (“through, completely, fully”), from Proto-Indo-European *pro-, *per-, *pr-. Cognate with Scots for-, West Frisian fer-, for-, Dutch ver-, German ver-, Swedish för-, Danish for-, Norwegian for-, Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰- (fra-), Latin pro-. More at for.

forsteal is to steal away, forloppin is being a runaway, forban is to exile, fordrive is to drive away, fortake is to take away, forthrow is to throw off, forshake is to shake off, forhow is to cast off

(no longer productive) Forth: prefixed to verbs to indicate a direction of 'away', 'off', 'forth'.

forsing is to sing to exhaustion, forwander is to wander until weary, fortravel is to tire by travelling

(no longer productive) Exhausting: prefixed to verbs with the sense of wearing or exhausting one's self.

forhang is to hang to death, forthink is to cause distress or regret to, fordo is to kill

(no longer productive) Destructively: prefixed to verbs with the sense of destruction or pain.

forteach is to misteach, forswear is to commit perjury, forworship is to worship wrongly, forlead is to mislead, forlive is to live pervertedly

(no longer productive) Wrongly: prefixed to verbs with the sense of wrongly, amorally.

forslip is to allow someone or something to escape by letting them slip by; forslug is to lose, neglect, or destroy by sluggishness; forslack is to lose or spoil by slackness

(no longer productive) Neglectfully: prefixed to verbs with the sense of abstaining from or neglecting.

forblack is extremely black, forswollen is excessively swollen

(no longer productive) Very: intensifying adjectives.

fordote is to make foolish or doting, forguilt is to bring into a state of guilt

(no longer productive) Making: prefixed to verbs to indicate the subject takes the character of the verb.

forwax is to grow to excess, forgrow is to grow to excess, forhare is to affright or harry exceedingly

(no longer productive) Excessively: prefixed to verbs with the sense of doing so in excessive or overwhelm.

forjudge is to exclude by a judgment, forshut is to shut off or out, forbar is to exclude

(no longer productive) Excluding: prefixed to verbs to give the sense of prohibition or exclusion.

forbeat is to beat, fordread is to be in dread of, forlay is to lie in wait for

forgrow is to become grown over or become covered with growth, forbathe is to bathe abundantly or thoroughly, forseek is to seek thoroughly, forwrap is to wrap up

(no longer productive) Thoroughly: prefixed to verbs with the sense of thoroughly, all over.


for-

From Old English for-, which is identical with the preposition "for". In "Old English and Middle English it occurs frequently as a variant of fore- prefix, with the senses ‘before’, ‘in front’, ‘on behalf of’, etc.; cf. Old English for-, forecuman to come before, Middle English forganger and foreganger n."

forstand is to stand in front of so as to bar the way, fordede is a deed done for another, forlead is alternative form of forelead (“lead forward, lead before”)


for-

foreclose is to shut out, forprise is an exception or reservation, forfeit is that which is taken from somebody in requital of a misdeed committed


uber-

Borrowed from German über-. Doublet of over-.

And Gisele Bündchen was known as an uber-model, over and above super-models.

Uber-fans forget that even a sporting arena is a public place, not the living room; and that in public places certain rules of conduct apply.

(slang, augmentative) Super; really; mega-.


di-

PIE word
 *dwóh₁
Borrowed from Latin di-, from Ancient Greek δι- (di-, “two”).

diacetate is any salt or ester having two acetate groups, dialkene is any alkene having two double bonds, diarchy is a state under the rule of two people; the form of government of such state, diactinal is having two rays

diglossia is the presence of a cleft or doubled tongue, dicatalectic is doubly catalectic, at both the middle and the end of the verse, dichoree is a double choree

diblock is of or pertaining to two blocks together, dimeson is a bound pair of mesons, dijet is a pair of jets

dikinetic is having both metakinetic and mesokinetic joints, dialetheism is the theory that statements can be both true and false at the same time and in the same sense, dianalytic is describing a function that is analytic or antianalytic with regards to both the domain and codomain

Both, possessing two distinct (possibly opposing) qualities.


di-

divide is to split or separate (something) into two or more parts, diverge is to run apart; to separate; to tend into different directions

Alternative form of dis-: split, to split; shortened before l, m, n, r, s (followed by a consonant), and v; also often shortened before g, and sometimes before j.


di-

Borrowed from Ancient Greek δῐ- (di-), from Ancient Greek δῐά (diá, “through”).

diactinic is capable of transmitting the chemical or actinic rays of light, dielectric is an electrically insulating or nonconducting material considered for its electric susceptibility, ie its property of polarization when exposed to an external electric field

Alternative form of dia-: across or through, before a vowel.


saint

From the pattern of naming various parishes and other places for Christian saints.

(toponymy) Capitalized and placed before another term, particularly personal names, to create placename without direct association to any religious character.


y-

From Middle English y-, from Old English ġe- (perfective and associative prefix); see those entries for more. Cognate with German ge-, Yiddish גע־ (ge-).

inh

ybarred, yclept, yclad, ybaptized, yslain, yronne

(not productive, obsolete) Used with past participle conjugations to form past participles (this prefix does not occur independently and is no longer productive).


con-

Inherited from Middle English con-, from Latin con-, from cum (“with”).

並

add a notion similar to those conveyed by with, together, or joint

concorporate is united into a single body, conglobulate is to collect together into a globule, conglutination is to glue together into a glutination

Unite: to unite into a collection indicated by the root word.

conarticular is that articulates together, conjubilant is rejoicing together, consubsistence is subsistence together

confamilial is belonging to the same taxonomic family, contypic is relating to the same type, conspecific is relating to the same species

Having commonality, having the same property indicated by the root.

Belonging to the same group indicated by the root.

connascent is born together, concreate is to create at the same time, congeneration is simultaneous generation (as of heat and light from the same action)

Synchronous or simultaneous with the root.

concitizen is a fellow citizen, condisciple is a fellow disciple, concelebrant is one who concelebrates

confocal is having the same foci, consimilar is having similarities in common, conterminant is having the same termination

convivify is to gain eternal life, confix is to make firm, constrict is to limit or restrict

congenial is very genial, connatural is inherent (very natural), convicinity is immediate vicinity (very close)

consalazinic acid is a lichen acid found together with salazinic acid, conphaseolin is a protein found with phaseolin, connegative is a verb form used with a negative verb in certain languages

Found with. What is found with the root.

consequence as what comes from the sequence, convicine is a glycoside coming from vicine, connatal is an anomaly present at birth

Indicating a common origin:
From, coming from the root.

conplastic is produced by introducing the genetic material from one strain into the cytoplasm of another; contour is a speech sound which behaves as a single segment, but which makes an internal transition from one quality, place, or manner to another; converb is a verb with a stressed, separable prefix

When one entity is put into another, or one entity affects the other.

confraternization is mutual fraternization, confated is fated with something else, connascence is a relationship between two or more elements of software in which changing one necessitates changing the others in order to maintain overall correctness

Mutuality, indicating a reciprocal relationship or influence

constrict is to coil around prey in order to asphyxiate it, constellate is to adorn with constellations

concolorate is having a uniform colour


con-

Back-formation from conlang, short for "constructed language".

attached to certain words to obtain new, informal, subcultural words in which con- conveys a notion of:


pre-

From Middle English pre-, borrowed from Latin prae-, from the preposition prae (“before”).

d'avant

to form adjectives, for example a pre-1960 car - une voiture d'avant 1960;before a number

avant

to form adverbs, for example to go back pre-1960 - retourner avant 1960

Before; physically in front of; (anatomy) anterior.


metro-

metro-link, metro-bus, metro-rail

metropolitan: of or relating to the city.


metro-

From metra, medical English, via New Latin, via Ancient Greek μήτρα (mḗtra), "uterus".


intra-

intraclade is within a monophyletic taxon, intracoalition is within a coalition, intracorporate is within a corporation

Within a single entity indicated by the root word:

intrabone is within a bone, intracardiac is inside the heart, intracolic is within the colon

Inside or with, in terms of location or position.

intraoperational is during an operation, intradiurnal is during the hours of daylight, intradecadal is within a decade

intra-

prefix signifying inside, within, interior, during

intrajudge is within the evaluations of a single judge, intradoctor is relating to a single doctor, intraparticipant is of a single participant

intracavitary is into a cavity of the body, intracloacal is into or within the cloaca, intracistern is into the cisterna

A direction that is inward or into the location indicated by the root word.

intramarry is to marry a member of the same group, social stratum, or religion: the marriage is intra a social group rather than this being within a single marriage; intranet is a private computer network: i.e. a network that is intra; intrapreneur is a person employed to work independently within a company in order to introduce innovation and to revitalize and diversify its business: i.e. an entrepreneur that is intra; intraconnect is to connect with other cells that are connected together in a cluster,

Indicating that the root is internal in nature.

intrachiral is between individuals of the same chirality, intraploidy is between organisms that have the same ploidy, intra-allelic is such that one allele affects the expression of another allele in the same gene locus

Between two or more similar entities that are within a larger entity. The root indicates the commonality between the entities.

intramedian is located between the anterior and posterior media longitudinal veins on the wing, intragalactic is occurring between two or more points within a galaxy, intramolecular is between different parts of the same molecule

Spatially located in between two points within the region indicated by the root entity.

intramercurial is between the planet Mercury and the sun, intrapetiolar is situated between the petiole and the stem, intraaxillary Situated below the point where a leaf joins the stem.

Spatially located in between the root entity and a reference point.

intracalvarium is the interior of the calvarium, intracranium is the interior of the cranium

The interior of the region indicated by the root.

intramountain is a part of a mountain, intradiegetic is part of the narrative

intrametric is pulses that are aligned with the musical metre, intradirective is being an intransitive verb in which the subject both actively performs and undergoes the action

In alignment or synchronous with the root entity.


e-

e.g. eluviation, edentulous, elenge

(non-productive) Used to form adjectives with the sense of something being lacking or removed.


e-

Electronics (magazine)
Oxford English Dictionary
United States Postal Service

In an electronic form, especially computerized and digital; often in association with the Internet.


e-

e-stop, e-brake


e-

(marketing) Used to prefix product names, to indicate an electrified or all-electric variant of the product, particularly cars.

(marketing) Used to prefix product names, to indicate a battery-powered or onboard electric power source variant.

e-stim


e-

(electronics) Used to prefix items that are embedded into devices, instead of being discrete or removable elements.


blasto-

From Ancient Greek βλαστός (blastós, “a germ, bud, sprout, shoot”), from βλαστάνειν (blastánein, “to bud, sprout, grow, properly of plants, but also of animals”).

uder

blastophthoria


inter-

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₁én
Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér
Proto-Italic *ənter
Latin inter
Latin inter-bor.
English inter-
Borrowed from Latin inter- (“between, amid”), a form of prepositional inter (“between”).

bor+

Borrowed from Latin inter- (“between, amid”)

interangular is between angles, interbarb is between barbs, interbronchial is between the bronchi

A position which is in between two (or more) of the kind indicated by the root.

A spatial position which is in between two (or more) of the kind of landmark indicated by the root.

interarmy is between armies, interobserver is between observers, interparental is between parents

A social position which is in between two (or more) of the kind of social group indicated by the root.

interlitter is between litters (of animals), intermonth is between months, interoccurrence is between occurrences

A temporal position which is in between two (or more) of the kind of event indicated by the root.

interday is between subsequent days, interdiastolic is between successive diastoles, interpausal is between successive pauses

A temporal position which is in between two successive events of the kind indicated by the root.

interlexical is between consecutive words, intercarinal is between adjacent carinae, intercarbon is between neighbouring carbon atoms

A spatial position which is in between two adjacent landmarks of the kind indicated by the root.

interhippocampal is between the hippocampus and other parts of the brain, intermercurial is between Mercury and the Sun, interelectrolyte is between an electrolyte and an electrode

A spatial position between the root landmark and an unspecified reference point.

interblog is between blogs, intercausal is between causes, interexperiential is between experiences

interlegible is mutually legible, interattraction is mutual attraction, intercalibrate is to calibrate by means of mutual comparison

Mutually: the root verb or property has a symmetric and bidirectional relationship between the relevant parties.

interfuse is to fuse together, interknit is to knit together, interreact is to react together

Combining together: the root verb is done together, generally uniting or merging multiple objects.

interculture is a new culture formed by the merging of aspects of existing cultures, interhalogen is any binary compound of two different halogens, interprime is the mean of two consecutive odd primes

Hybrid: combining two or more of the root together to produce a hybrid.

interfriction is friction between two or more things, interflow is the flow of water from rain/snow directly through the soil, intermesh is to mesh between one another, interlay is to insert layers of a different material between

Internally: the root verb is done in between or among relevant entities; also formining nouns and adjectives derived from the verb form.

Interspatially: the root verb is done between or among spatial entities; also forming nouns and adjectives derived from the verb form.

interact is a pair or series of acts involving more than one person, intermarry is to marry a member of another social group, intergern is to exchange grins or snarls (gerns)

Intersocially: the root verb is done between or among social entities; also forming nouns and adjectives derived from the verb form.

intermention is to mention among other things; interpoint is to punctuate with stops or pauses; interadditive is to added between the parts of another thing, such as a clause inserted parenthetically into a sentence

Intermittently: the root verb is done between or among temporal entities; also forming nouns and adjectives derived from the verb form.

interavailable is such that tickets purchased for one route or service can be used on another, intermural is originating as street art but being curated and displayed in a gallery or museum

Transferable: the root entity is or can be transferred between multiple locales.

intershine is to shine among or between, interdistinguish is to distinguish between, interreflection is the illumination of an object by reflected light from other objects that are not light sources

interlaminate is to arrange in alternating laminae or layers, interplant is to alternate plantings of two or more species, interbed is the interleaving of distinct strata (beds) of rock

Alternating: a sequence of alternating kinds of the root.

interoceanic is connecting two oceans, intersesamoidian is connecting sesamoid bones, interregional is connecting two or more regions

Link: to connect multiple kinds of the root.

Abutment: to connect multiple spatial regions of the type indicated by the root.

interlaboratory is involving cooperation between laboratories, interservice is involving relationships between branches of the armed forces, interliner is a passenger whose journey involves changing from one airline company to another

Cooperating: to connect multiple social entities of the type indicated by the root.

interartistic is involving the overlap of multiple forms of art, intercausative is having overlapping causation, intersectional is the overlap of multiple forms of discrimination

Overlapping: the overlap of multiple kinds of the root.

intercellular is connecting cells, interneuron is a multipolar neuron that connects afferent and efferent neurons, internetwork is to set up as a network of networks

intergenerational is across generations, intersecular is spanning more than one century (secular)

Spanning across multiple time periods indicated by the root.

intermicronational is independent of micronational boundaries, international is independent of national boundaries, intercurrent is not belonging to any particular season

Universal or independent of the root social groups or time periods.

interlanguage is a common language used by speakers of different languages, interexperience is experience shared with another person, interownership is the ownership of a resource by multiple parties

Communal: a kind of the root which is shared among people.

interdisciplinary is of or pertaining to multiple distinct academic disciplines, intermodal is relating to more than one mode of transport, intergenetic is pertaining to multiple languages with different roots

interbasin is a waterway between reservoirs, interfascicle is a thickened rib of silica between the fascicles of a centric diatom, intershell is the layer between two stellar shells

Intermediate between multiple of the type indicated by the root.

Midsection: an object which is positioned spatially between multiple of the root.

interjoist is a middle joist or crossbeam; interleaf is a sheet of paper or cardboard, placed between layers on a pallet to create a cohesive structure; interarea is an area where the soil composition differs significantly from the surrounding region - this is a converse of the previous sense, where the root indicates the surroundings rather than that which is surrounded

Connector: an object of the type of the root has a spatial position which is in between.

intermediatrix is a female intermediator; intermessenger is one who carries messages between other parties; intergroup is a group of members of the European Parliament of no particular party or committee, to facilitate the exchange of views

An intermediator or middleman between multiple social entities. The root indicates the kind of intermediator rather than the social entities.

internym is the insertion of a quotation between one’s first and last names, interdental is a small toothbrush for cleaning in between adjacent teeth, interlinear is inserted between the lines of a text

Inserting between multiple entities of the kind indicated by the root.

interpause is a pause between acts, interact is a short act or piece between others, intercadence is the occurrence of an extra beat between the two regular pulse beats

Interlude: a time period or event which is intermediate between other time periods. The root indicates what the intermediate event is and not the surrounding periods.

interlocution is an intermediate decree before final decision, interact is intermediate time period, intercycle is the interval during which the operation of a punched card device was halted to allow time for processing of card contents

Interval: an event or time period which is intermediate between time periods of the type indicated by the root. Here the surrounding time periods are indicated by the prefix and not the intervening event.

intergenotype is an intermediate genotype; interform is an intermediate form; intermedia is interdisciplinary activities between media, such as those between drawing and poetry, or between painting and theatre

internetted is connected into a computer network, interblag is the Internet

(technology) Internet: relating to the internet or computer networking.

intersexual is an intersex person; interphobia is fear or hatred of intersex people, intergender is an intersex person whose gender identity is influenced by being intersex

(LGBT) Intersex: relating to intersex people.


millimilli-

(obsolete) micro- (in the names of SI units)


micromicro-

(obsolete) Pico- (in the names of SI units)


millimicro-

(obsolete) nano- (in the names of SI units)


were-

Back-formation from werewolf (“man-wolf”), from Old English werewulf, derived from wer (“man”) + wulf (“wolf”).

back-form

lycanthrope, used with animal names to indicate a person who changes shape into that animal.


pseud-

Alternative form of pseudo- (used before a vowel other than o)


mid-

Since the mid-1980s, when Indonesia first began to clear its bountiful forests on an industrial scale in favour of lucrative palm-oil plantations, “haze” has become an almost annual occurrence in South-East Asia.

2013 June 29, “Unspontaneous combustion”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 29:

He's in his mid-thirties — meaning he is roughly around the age of 34-36, as opposed to one's early thirties (aged roughly 31–33) and one's late thirties (aged roughly around 37-39).

He was born in the mid-1930s.

a mid-shoulder stretch

mid-key, midclass, midgut, midbrow

He was hit by a ball mid-jump.

During, in the middle of doing something.


myria-

From French myria-, ultimately from Ancient Greek μυρίος (muríos, “ten thousand”).

der

(obsolete) In the metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 10,000. Symbol: my


mini-

Shortened from miniature, ultimately from Latin minium (“red lead”). Influenced by similarity to minimum and minus.

(diminutive) Smaller version of an item than usual.


xeno-

From Ancient Greek ξένος (xénos, “alien”).

xenophilia, xenophobia

xenolith, xenomenia

porcine xenograft

(biology, medicine, transplantation) From a donor of another species.

xeno- + archaeology → xenoarchaeology


baro-

From Ancient Greek βάρος (báros, “weight”), from βαρύς (barús, “heavy”).


hyper-

From Ancient Greek ὑπέρ (hupér, “over”), from Proto-Indo-European *upér (“over, above”) (English over), from *upo (“under, below”) (whence English up). Doublet of over-, super-, and sur-.

Forms augmentative forms of the root word.

hyper- → hyperactive

hyper- → hypersonic

Used to create forms that are found beyond the root.

hyper- → hyperspace

(mathematics, physics) existing in more than three spatial dimensions

hiper-

hyper- → hypertext


arc-

From Latin arcus (“bow, arc”), as they represent an angle or arc. Compare etymology of arch.

arkusz-

forms the names of inverse trigonometric and hyperbolic functions

arc-sine (British), arcsine (US)

arctan

(mathematics) Used to form the names of inverse trigonometric functions, and the symbols for these functions.

(mathematics, sometimes proscribed) Alternative form of ar- used to form the names of inverse trigonometric functions, and the symbols for these functions.


syn-

From Ancient Greek συν- (sun-), from σύν (sún, “with, in company with, together with”). Compare Sanskrit सम्- (sam-).

syn- + -onym → synonym

syn- + chron- → synchronize

syn- + esthesia → synaesthesia


proto-

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πρωτο- (prōto-), combination form of πρῶτος (prôtos, “first”), superlative of πρό (pró, “before”).

Proto-

proper names of protolanguages and their associated people

protophysics, protometal, protoword

In many ways, both good and bad, he was a proto-Justin Bieber—a teenage dream to be bought and sold, with what would turn out to be very little regard for his own humanity.

2022 November 6, Emma Garland, “Aaron Carter was the millennium’s bubblegum bad boy – and the victim of a rapacious music industry”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

An early, primitive stage of development.

protograph, protolacteal, prototype, protoplasm

protogynous, protandrous

(ordinal number) First in order; which stage is first.

protoderm, protocneme

All Indo-European languages from Albanian to Zazaki are descended from Proto-Indo-European.

(linguistics, genetics) Most recent common ancestor (often hypothetical) of.

প্রত্ন-

(linguistics) ancestor of a family of languages

protoxide, protosulfide, protiodide

(inorganic chemistry) A minimal proportion of a particular substance when in a combination. See protosalt.

protophilic, protolysis

(chemistry) Relating to protons and/or positive charge.

prototroch, protoconid, protoconule


s-

Abbreviation of scalar (“particle with spin 0”).

abbrev

(physics) Subatomic particles with a spin (quantum angular momentum) of 0, predicted by supersymmetry; the bosonic equivalent of known fermions.


phono-

From Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, “voice, sound”). The word φωνή primarily referred to articulated human or animal sounds. This is in contrast to ἠχή -- from which echo is derived -- which referred to sounds in general.

der

phonograph


lipo-

From international scientific vocabulary, reflecting a New Greek combining form, from Ancient Greek λῐ́πος (lípos, “animal fat”).

bor

(biology, medicine, usually) lipids: oils, cholesterols, fat/lard, tallow, and so on.

fat specifically, as:
The form of lipid.

Fat tissue or fat cells, which contain such lipids.


lipo-

From Greek λείπω (leípo, “to leave, be lacking”).


ant-

antacid

A variant form of anti- used before a vowel.

antumbra

A variant form of ante- used before a vowel.


mal-

From Old French mal- from the Latin adverb male, from malus.

malism, malinfluence

maleffect

malodor

maldifferentiation

maldescent

malfed, malnourished, malcirculation

malcommunication

maladherence, malcontent


ad-

Borrowed from Latin ad-. Doublet of at-.

accouple, admarginate, admixture, attune

(no longer productive) Doing, enacting, forming a verb.

adaxonal, addental, admedial

adapical, adfluvial, adgerminal

Towards in direction or movement. (anatomy) Towards the midline of the body.

acclaim, adsignification, adspection

(no longer productive) Intensifying, additionally.

admarginal, adnervular, adstratum

adfix, adposition, affix

Appending and/or prepending. Adding from either side.

adnominal, adverb, assoil

adatom, adcumulate, aggrade


on-

From Middle English on-, from Old English on-, an-, from Proto-West Germanic *ana-, from Proto-Germanic *an-, *ana- (“on-”), from Proto-Indo-European *ano-, *nō- (“on”). Cognate with Dutch aan-, German an-, Swedish an-. Doublet of ana-.

oncome, onset, onfall, onlay


rhabdo-

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ῥάβδος (rhábdos, “rod, wand”).


dinitro-

(chemistry) containing two nitro groups (-NO₂)


deoxy-

(chemistry) Formally derived from another compound by the replacement of a hydroxy group by a hydrogen atom


dichloro-

(chemistry) containing two chlorine atoms


arterio-

(anatomy, medicine) Alternative form of arteri-


cephalo-

Meronym: encephalo-

(biology, medicine) Relating to the head; sometimes, particularly, the brain.


benzo-

benzodiazepine, benzoyl

(organic chemistry) Related to benzene or benzoic acid.


aceto-

From Latin acētum (“vinegar”), because acetic acid is a constituent of vinegar.

(organic chemistry) Containing a methyl group bonded to a carbonyl group (CH₃CO-); e.g., acetophenone

aceto-

containing a methyl group bonded to a carbonyl group


cyto-

Borrowed from Ancient Greek κύτος (kútos, “container, receptacle”).

cyto- + pathology → cytopathology


arthro-

From international scientific vocabulary, reflecting a New Latin combining form, from Ancient Greek ἄρθρον (árthron, “a joint”).

der

(biology, medicine) articulation = joint (as for example in arthroplasty).

artro-

biology: referring to a joint or meaning articulation

(biology, medicine) articulation = speech (as for example in dysarthrophonia).


histo-

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἱστός (histós, “web, tissue”).


azo-

azine

(organic chemistry) Containing nitrogen especially as the divalent group N=N.

(inorganic chemistry) Containing aluminum-doped zinc oxide.


chloro-

From Ancient Greek χλωρός (khlōrós, “pale green”).

uder

(organic chemistry) Containing chlorine.


amino-

(chemistry) Of amines and of the amino functional group.

amino-

of amines and the amino functional group


helio-

Representing a combining form of Ancient Greek ἥλιος (hḗlios, “sun”).


super-

Learned borrowing from Latin super-. Doublet of sur-, over-, and hyper-.

superlabial, superglacial, superlineal (examples from )

located above; (anatomy) superior in position

supercategory, superfamily, superculture

supernatural, superhuman, supersonic

superwavelength, supersynchronous, superrotation

superphosphate, superhydration

excessive; exceptionally large in quantity

superintendent, supervisor

super-

superior in size, quality, number, degree, status, title or position

supervolcano, supercow, superantigen, superpotent

superbenevolent, superblizzard, superquiet, supersharp, superbright

(augmentative) intensely, extremely, or exceptional

superparticle, superpartner, superWIMP

superheroic


haemo-

From Ancient Greek αἱμο- (haimo-), akin to αἷμα (haîma, “blood”).


quasi-

Borrowed from Latin quasi (“almost, as it were”), from quam (interrogative adverb) + sī (conditional particle).

-ass

resembling; restricted to casual registers

The quasi-death of insanity with its small periodic remissions, its deviations into good sense, even into brilliant insight, was almost more cruel really than outright death.

1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber, published 1992, page 18:

-like

resembling; forms adjectives from nouns only

The British constitution famously rests on convention. This requires a compact between politicians working as a cabinet and a quasi-independent civil service.

2020 July 20, Simon Jenkins, “Britain deserves better than an Old Etonian Donald Trump”, in The Guardian:

To a limited extent or degree, to be somewhat or partially.


sexa-

sexa- or (canonical)
before a vowel sex- (canonical)


icosa-

From Ancient Greek εἴκοσι (eíkosi, “twenty”).


chilia-

From Latin chilias, itself from Ancient Greek χίλιοι (khílioi, “thousand”).


triskaideka-

From Ancient Greek τρεισκαίδεκα (treiskaídeka, “thirteen”), from τρεῖς (treîs, “three”) + καί (kaí, “and”) + δέκα (déka, “ten”).

uder

τρεισκαίδεκα


septua-

From Latin septua (“seven”), from septem (“seven”).


hendeca-

From Ancient Greek ἕνδεκα (héndeka, “eleven”).


quinqu-

Alternative form of quinque- used before a vowel.


sesqui-

From Latin sēsqui- (“1½ times; increased by 50%”), from semi- (“half”) and -que (“and; also”).


twi-

From Middle English twi-, from Old English twi- (“two, double”), from Proto-Germanic *twi- (“two-, double-”), from Proto-Indo-European *dwi- (“two-, double-”) (compare Proto-Germanic *twiz- (“twice”), from Proto-Indo-European *dwís (“twice”)), from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ (“two”).
Compare twin, twice, two, and see more details at two.
Cognate with German zwie- (“twice”), Swedish tve- (“twi-, double”), Russian дву- (dvu-), двух- (dvux-) Old Prussian dwi- (“twi-”), Latin bi-, bis (“twice”) (< Old Latin dui-, duis).

inh

twi-headed

twilight, twisexual, twi-tongued

(rare or no longer productive) double, both


oxy-

From Ancient Greek ὀξύς (oxús, “sharp”).


oxy-

Reduced from oxygen which in turn is from French oxygène, from Ancient Greek ὀξύς (oxús).


ortho-

In this sense, it is the angle that is "right" or straight rather than the line; orthogon is a right-angle triangle, orthocentric is a tetrahedron where all three pairs of opposite edges are perpendicular, orthoclastic is a crystal whose cleavage planes are at right angles.

E.g. orthorexia is an unhealthy fixation with healthy or righteous eating, an orthotaxon is a true taxon based biological relationships rather than form, orthology is speech which is proper, orthoquartzite is very pure quartz sandstone.

E.g. orthophotography is the geometrical correction of aerial photographs, orthoptics is the treatment of muscular irregularities of the eye, orthodontics is the correcting of misaligned teeth.

E.g. An orthocousin, unlike a cross-cousin, is on the same side of the family; orthogamy is when a plant's ovules are fertilized by pollen from the same plant; orthochronous is a transformation which preserves the direction of time.

E.g. orthocclusion is normal occlusion, orthodromic is when neurological impulses are passed in the normal direction, orthogravitropism is the ordinary effect of gravity on plants

E.g. orthoconic is a mollusc shell that is straight rather than spiraled, orthodentin is dentin composed of straight tubes, orthognathous is straight-jawed. .

E.g. orthochrysotile is an orthorhombic chrysotile, orthopyroxene is a pyroxene that forms orthorhombic crystals, orthohexagonal is having orthorhombic hexagonal symmetry.

(crystallography) Orthorhombic crystal structure.

E.g. orthophenylene, orthosubstitution, orthocleavage.

(organic chemistry) In isomeric benzene derivatives, having the two substituents in adjacent (1,2) positions (compare meta- and para-).

E.g. orthophosphate, orthosilicate, orthoferrite.

(chemistry) Having an extra proportion of water.

E.g. orthogonal as in statistically independent, orthopair is a pair of disjoint subsets, orthogonal in the sense of two aspects of a software problem are able to be treated separately.

E.g. orthonasal is the first direction from which olfaction happens; orthosteric is the original and unmodulated binding site; orthotone is when a speaker retains the accent.

E.g. orthostyle is a series of columns in architecture, an ortholinear keyboard has the keys aligned in straight columns, an orthographic projection has its rays parallel.

E.g. orthopositronium, orthohelium, orthoquarkonium.

(physics) Of any molecule of the form X₂ in which the two nuclei have parallel spin.

E.g. orthogeriatrics is the combination of orthopaedics and geriatrics, orthosurgeon is an orthopaedic surgeon, orthoroentgenography is orthopedic roentgenography.

E.g. orthotropic is to grow vertically (up or down), orthostasis describes the state of the human body in a standing position, orthograde is walking or standing in that position.

E.g. orthogneiss is a gneiss derived from igneous, rather than sedimentary (paragneiss); orthoamphibolite, orthocumulate.


iso-

From Ancient Greek ἴσος (ísos, “equal”).

isoeffect, isointense

isorhythm

Isomethadone is an isomer of methadone.

isohexane

(organic chemistry) (of an aliphatic compound, especially a fatty acid) Having a branch on the penultimate carbon atom of a chain.

isotherm, isochrone

(meteorology, geography) Forms terms for specific kinds of isolines.


meta-

From Ancient Greek μετα- (meta-), from μετά (metá), from Mycenaean Greek 𐀕𐀲 (me-ta), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *meth₂ (“in the middle”).

noncog

(botany and zoology) Later or subsequent.

(obsolete, architecture and zoology) Situated between two segments.

(chemistry) Having fewer molecules of water than the ortho- equivalent.

meta-

chemistry: having fewer molecules of water than the ortho- equivalent

(organic chemistry) in isomeric benzene derivatives, having the two substituents in alternate (1,3) positions; contrasted with ortho- and para-.

meta-

chemistry: contrasted with ortho- and para-


meta-

Pertaining to a level above or beyond; reflexive or recursive; about itself or about other things of the same type. For example, metadata is data that describes data, metalanguage is language that describes language, etc.

meta-

pertaining to a level above or beyond; reflexive or recursive; about itself or about other things of the same type


meta-

(geology) Modified by metamorphosis; analogies and derivatives of metamorphism.

meta-

geology: analogies and derivatives of metamorphism


um-

From Middle English um-, umbe-, embe-, from Old English ymb-, ymbe- (“around”), from Proto-West Germanic *umbi-, from Proto-Germanic *umbi (“around, about, by, near”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi (“round about, around”). Cognate with Dutch om- (“around”), German um- (“around”), Latin amb- (“around, about”), Latin ambi- (“both”), Ancient Greek ἀμφί (amphí, “around, about”), Sanskrit अभि (abhi, “against, about”). More at umbe.

cog

(rare, now rarely productive, primarily in dialects, chiefly Scotland) Prefix meaning around, about.


cyano-

From Ancient Greek κυάνεος (kuáneos, “dark blue”).

der

(chemistry) derived from cyanogen or a cyanide / nitrile


semper-

From the Latin adverb semper (“always”).


vice-

From Latin vice (“in place of”), ablative form of vicis.

Taking the place or rank of (another person); deputy.


sub-

From Latin sub (“under”). Doublet of hypo-.

subterranean

submarine

subplot

subconical

subequatorial


papa-

Borrowed from Latin pāpa, from Ancient Greek πάππας (páppas).

Of or pertaining to the pope or the papacy.


Brit-

Britart, Britpop


preter-

Zurich is the capital of the preter-modern, preter-futurist movement called Dadaism, the home of its organ, of the literary and artistic group of Dadaists.

1919 June 8, “Intolerance at Zurich”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:


caco-

From Ancient Greek κακός (kakós, “bad”).


cis-

From the Latin preposition cis (“on this side of”). The earliest known sexuality-related use of the prefix in any language was in a 1914 German-language book on sexology. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest use of the prefix in the context of gender in English dates from 1994.

quote-book

Lexikon Des Gesamten Sexuallebens

1914, Ernst Burchard, Lexikon Des Gesamten Sexuallebens, Berlin, BV047570799, page 32:
Cisvestitismus, die Neigung, die Kleidung einer anderen Altersstufe, Volks- oder Berufsklasse des gleichen Geschlechts zum Zwecke sexueller Entspannung anzulegen, dem Transvestitismus verwandt (s. Verkleidungstrieb).
Cisvestism, the tendency to don the clothes of a different age group, ethnic group, or profession of the same sex for the purpose of sexual relaxation, related to transvestism (see disguise instinct).

cis- + alpine → cisalpine (“on this [the Roman] side of the Alps”)

cis- + Rhenane → cisrhenane (“on this [the speaker's] side of Rhine”)

cis- + Caucasia → Ciscaucasia

cis- + Jordan → Cisjordan

cis- + Neptunian → cis-Neptunian

cis- + diazene → cis-diazene

(physical chemistry) Forming names of chemical compounds in which two atoms or groups are situated on the same side of some plane of symmetry passing through the compound.

cis- + gender → cisgender

cis- + sexism → cissexism

cis- + normativity → cisnormativity

(gender) Being, or pertaining to being, cis (cisgender or cissexual).


trans-

cis-

antonym(s) of “chemistry, other side/beyond, gender”

Borrowed from Latin trāns (“across, on the far side, beyond”).

bor

trans- + national → transnational

trans- + regional → transregional

trans- + American → transamerican

trans- + alpine → transalpine

trans- + uranic → transuranic

To or on the other side of, beyond; outside of.

անդր

across, through, over, beyond, to or on the other side of, outside of

transacetylase, tranexamic acid, transaldolase

(physical chemistry) A compound in which two atoms or groups are situated on opposite sides of some plane of symmetry passing through the compound. (Also used without the hyphen as an adjective; see trans.)

transmasculine, transfeminist, transphobia

For quotations using this term, see Citations:trans-.

Transgender or transsexual, or pertaining to those who are transgender or transsexual.


neuro-

From Ancient Greek νευρο- (neuro-), combining form of νεῦρον (neûron, “sinew, tendon, cord”).

neuropathy, neurospinal, neurodynamics

There's been a proliferation of “neuro-” fields. Some, like neuroendocrinology and neuroimmunology, are stodgy old institutions by now.

2017, Robert Sapolsky, chapter 2, in Behave, Penguin, →ISBN:

Nerves, nervous tissue, or the nervous system.

невро-

relating to nerves or the nervous system

neuroqueer, neurospicy


cryo-

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek κρύος (krúos, “ice, icy cold, chill, frost”).


archi-

From Ancient Greek prefix ἀρχι- (arkhi-), from ἄρχω (árkhō, “I begin, lead, rule, govern”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ergʰ- (“to begin, rule, command”).


arch-

From Middle English arch-, arche-, from Old English arċe-, ærċe-, erċe- (“arch-”), borrowed from Latin archi-, this stemming from Ancient Greek ἀρχι- (arkhi-).

archeparch is the archbishop of an archeparchy, archmarshal is the grand marshal of the old German empire, archdiocese is an area administered by an archbishop. These are all specific ranks.

A title in a hierarchy which indicates a higher degree of rank than its root word.

archantagonist is a chief antagonist, archmodernist is a leading modernist, archcompetitor is a primary competitor. Unlike the previous sense these are not formal titles, but are nevertheless a leader of the community indicated by the root.

That an arch-election denier who has been at the forefront of attempts to overturn Biden’s victory should refuse to state openly whether she will abide by the outcome of her own election has set alarm bells ringing.

2022 November 2, Ed Pilkington, “‘The Trump playbook’: Republicans hint they will deny election results”, in The Guardian:

Leading, foremost, primary, or principal.

archfool is an extremely foolish person, archracist is an extremely racist person, archnationalist is extremely nationalist.

The arch-perfectionist Guardiola, almost inevitably, pointed out that Foden did not start well but he could not argue with how he finished, saying: "He can do whatever he wants. He's a really top-class player.

2024 April 3, Phil McNulty, “Man City 4-1 Aston Villa: Phil Foden produces 'masterclass' to show worth again”, in BBC:

(augmentative) Intensely, extremely, or exceptionally.

archmage is a very powerful mage; archvillain is the most evil or powerful villain; archwife is a big, masculine wife and/or a dominating woman. Note that the archwife is a powerful woman who is a wife, rather than being intensely wifely.

In Judeo-Christian lore: archangel refers to the first and original angels, archdevil to their devil counterparts, archsin is an original or primary sin.


ob-

(non-productive) Against; facing; a combining prefix found in verbs of Latin origin.