anti-

Derived from Ancient Greek ἀντι- (anti-, “against”).


tele-

Ultimately from Ancient Greek τῆλε (têle).


re-

indicates a return to previous state, back

indicates an action performed reciprocally, back (e.g., to hit back, to talk back)


bio-

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

bio- + genezo (“genesis”) → biogenezo (“biogenesis”)

bio- + kemio (“chemistry”) → biokemio (“biochemistry”)

bio- + diverseco (“diversity”) → biodiverseco (“biodiversity”)

bio- + industrio (“industry”) → bioindustrio (“bioindustry”)

bio- + maso (“mass”) → biomaso (“biomass”)

bio- + sintezo (“synthesis”) → biosintezo (“biosynthesis”)

bio- + tekniko (“technique”) → biotekniko (“biotechnique”)


dis-

Borrowed from Latin dis-, from Proto-Indo-European *dwís.

shows separation, dissemination, e.g. semi (“sow”) > dissemi (“disseminate”) ; ŝiri (“tear”) > disŝiri (“tear to pieces”).


en-

La libro enhavas tridek ĉapitrojn.

The book contains/includes thirty chapters.

La ĉambro entenis kvardek personojn.

en- + gluti → engluti

en- + skribi → enskribi

en- + blovi → enblovi

en- + brako + -igi → enbrakigi

en- + vico + -igi → envicigi

en- + kaso + -igi → enkasigi

en- + tero + -igi → enterigi

en- + loĝi + -iĝi → enloĝiĝi

en- + ŝipo + -iĝi → enŝipiĝi

en- + dormi + -iĝi → endormiĝi


for-

for- + pafi (“to shoot”) → forpafi (“to frighten off”)

for- + veturi (“to drive”) → forveturi (“to drive away”)

for- + akrigi (“to sharpen”) → forakrigi (“to file down”)

for- + leki (“to lick”) → forleki (“to lick off”)


bo-

From French beau- (used to indicate a male relation by marriage, as in beau-père, beau-frère, or beau-fils), used in Esperanto regardless of gender.

bo- + patrino (“mother”) → bopatrino (“mother-in-law”)

bo- + filo (“son”) → bofilo (“son-in-law”)


ek-

ek- + krii (“to cry”) → ekkrii (“to cry out”)

ek- + kanti (“to sing”) → ekkanti (“to begin to sing”)

The prefix ek- indicates that the action it modifies is momentary or just beginning. It marks the inceptive aspect of verbs.


eks-

Borrowed from Latin ex-. Compare French é-.

eks- + edzo (“husband”) → eksedzo (“ex-husband”)

eks- + ministro (“minister”) → eksministro (“former minister”)

eks- + modo (“fashion”) → eksmoda (“old-fashioned”)

Mi antaŭe renkontis mian eksdunganton ĉe la superbazaro.

I saw my former employer at the supermarket earlier.

eks- + bovo (“head of cattle, bull, cow”) → eksbovo (“ox, bullock, steer”)

eks- + virĉevalo (“stallion”) → eksvirĉevalo (“geliding”)


ge-

Derived from German ge-. The German prefix is used to form collective nouns, but generally has nothing to do with gender. However, there is one word in which the force of German ge- is very similar to that in Esperanto, namely Geschwister, a plurale tantum derived from Schwester (“sister”) but meaning “siblings of either sex”. The Esperanto use might be based chiefly on this word.

ge- + patro (“father”) → gepatroj (“mother(s) and father(s)”)

ge- + frato (“brother”) → gefratoj (“sister(s) and brother(s)”)

ge- + nepo (“grandson”) → genepoj (“granddaughter(s) and grandson(s)”)

ge- + avo (“grandfather”) → geavoj (“grandmother(s) and grandfather(s)”)

(plural only) used with a plural (gendered) noun to indicate multiple genders together

patro (“father”) → gepatroj (“parents”) → gepatro (“a parent”)

frato (“brother”) → gefratoj (“siblings”) → gefrato (“a sibling”)

nepo (“grandson”)→ genepoj (“grandchildren”) → genepo (“a grandchild”)

avo (“grandfather”) → geavoj (“grandparents”) → geavo (“a grandparent”)

(unoffically, by extension) used with a gendered noun to indicate unspecified gender

lernejo (“school”) → gelernejo (“co-educational school”)

ĝui (“enjoy”) → geĝui (“to have fun (in a mixed-gender group); to have (heterosexual) sex”) (jocular)

(unoffically, by extension, often humorous) with or among mixed genders


mal-

Borrowed from French mal- in its secondary sense of denoting the opposite.

mal- + alta (“high”) → malalta (“low”)

mal- + ami (“to love”) → malami (“to hate”)

mal- + dekstra (“right”) → maldekstra (“left”)


pra-

Borrowed from Russian пра- (pra-) and Polish pra-.

pra- + arbaro (“forest”) → praarbaro (“primordial forest”)

pra- + besto (“animal”) → prabesto (“prehistoric animal”)

pra- + homo (“human being”) → prahomo (“primitive man”)

pra- + patroj (“fathers”) → prapatroj (“forefathers”)

pra- + ulo (“person”) → praulo (“ancestor”)

pra- + avo (“grandfather”) → praavo (“great-grandfather”)

pra- + onklino (“aunt”) → praonklino (“great-aunt”)

pra- + nepo (“grandson”) → pranepo (“great-grandson”)


mis-

mis- + kompreni (“understand”) → miskompreni (“misunderstand”)

mis- + paroli (“to speak”) → misparoli (“misspeak”)


ĉef-

From English chief, French chef, among others. Doublet of ĉapitro and kapo.


paleo-

From Ancient Greek παλαιός (palaiós, “old”).

paleo- + botaniko (“botany”) → paleobotaniko (“paleobotany”)

paleo- + ekologio (“ecology”) → paleoekologio (“paleoecology”)

paleo- + magnetismo (“magnetism”) → paleomagnetismo (“paleomagnetism”)

paleo- + grundo (“soil”) → paleogrundo (“paleosol”)


per-

per- + labori (“to work”) → perlabori (“to earn”)

per- + ludi (“to play”) → perludi (“to win”)

per- + flati (“to flatter”) → perflati (“to coax”)

denotes that the action expressed by the root becomes a means to attain a goal


oligo-

Derived from Ancient Greek ὀλίγος (olígos, “few”).


ki-

From interrogative and relative pronouns of European languages, such as French (qui, que, quoi, quel, quand, comment, combien), Italian (che), Russian (кто, как, какой, куда, когда).

wh-, what (interrogative/relative correlative prefix)

kiu

which one, who, which/what (with a noun)


ti-

Demonstratives of European languages in t, such as English (this, that, there, thus, then), French (tel, tant), Polish (ten), Russian (те, то, так, там, такой, тогда). Note also German (dies, den).

this-, that-. (Demonstrative correlative prefix.)

tio

that (without a noun); those; plural tioj ()

tiu

that one, that/those (with a noun); those ones; plural tiuj ()


ĉi-

Inclusive/universal pronouns such as Italian (ciascuno), French (chaque), or English (each)

each-, every-, all-. (Universal correlative prefix.)


i-

The i vowel common to other correlatives, such as ki- and ti-, without the defining consonant.

Any-, some-. (Indeterminate correlative prefix.)


neni-

From the negative particle ne and by analogy with negative pronouns in Indo-European languages such as English never, none, German nie, Italian nessuno, Polish nikt, Portuguese nenhum, and Spanish ninguno. The i vowel is common to all correlatives.

no- (negative/relative correlative prefix)


el-

elveni (“come out”), eltiri (“pull out, draw out”), elĵeti (“throw out”)

eltrinki (“to drink up, drink all of something”), eluzi (“to use up, wear out”), ellerni (“to learn all the way, to master”)

all the way, to a significant degree of completion, up


al-

al- + veni (“to come”) → alveni (“to arrive”)

al- + porti (“to carry”) → alporti (“to bring”)

al- + kuri (“to run”) → alkuri (“to run to”)

al- + esti (“to be”) → alesti (“to be present”)

denotes a physical approach in any direction

al- + konduki (“to lead”) → alkonduki (“to bring”)

al- + rigardi (“to look”) → alrigardi (“to look at”)

al- + paroli (“to speak”) → alparoli (“to address”)

denotes the direction or purpose of a movement or physical action

al- + mezuri (“to measure”) → almezuri (“to adjust”)

al- + propra (“own”) → alproprigi (“to assimilate”)

al- + fari (“to do”) → alfari (“to adapt”)

al- + ĝusta (“correct”) → alĝustigi (“to correct”)

al- + doni (“to give”) → aldoni (“to add”)

al- + diri (“to talk”) → aldiri (“to add”)

al- + meti (“to place”) → almeti (“to apply”)


ali-

An unofficial extension of the correlatives, based on the adjective alia (other).

(neologism, nonstandard, proscribed) other-, else- (correlative prefix)


eksa-

Ultimately derived from Ancient Greek ἕξ (héx, “six”, cardinal numeral).


fi-

fi- + fama (“famous”) → fifama (“infamous”)

shameful, immoral, corrupt, dissolute, dirty, slutty


tribo-

From Ancient Greek τρίβω (tríbō, “to rub”).


po-

vendi pogrande

la ponumera prezo

poiom

A prefix having a similar distributive meaning as the preposition po.


pri-

paroli (“to speak”) → priparoli (“to speak about, to discuss”)

plori (“to weep”) → priplori (“to weep about, to bewail, to deplore”)

ŝteli (“to steal (an object)”) → priŝteli (“to rob (a location)”)

planti (“to plant (a plant)”) → priplanti (“to plant (e.g. a garden)”)

serĉi (“to seek, to search for”) → priserĉi (“to search (a person or location)”)

semi (“to sow (seeds)”) → prisemi (“to sow (e.g. a field)”)

konstrui (“to build (a building)”) → prikonstrui (“to build up (an area)”)

verŝi (“to pour”) → priverŝi (“to pour a liquid onto, to baste”)

alters the expected object of a transitive verb, generally to an object that is the context or extent of the action


kun-

kun- + ekzisti (“to exist”) → kunekzisti (“to coexist”)

kun- + kudri (“to sew”) → kunkudri (“to sew together”)

kun- + labori (“to work”) → kunlabori (“to collaborate”)


pseŭdo-

From Ancient Greek ψευδής (pseudḗs, “false, lying”).


fuŝ-

fuŝ- + paroli (“speak”) → fuŝparoli (“speak (a language) poorly and without effort”)

(colloquial) in a botched, bungled, or ill-conceived manner.

fuŝ- + verko (“artwork”) → fuŝverko (“botched artwork, bungled artwork, ill-conceived artwork”)

(colloquial) botched, bungled, ill-conceived, ruined.


heksa-

Ultimately derived from Ancient Greek ἑξα- (hexa-, “hexa-”, prefix).


ĉirkaŭ-

ĉirkaŭ- + iri (“to go”) → ĉirkaŭiri (“to circumvent”)

ĉirkaŭ- + kolo (“neck”) → ĉirkaŭkolo (“collar”)

ĉirkaŭ- + mano (“hand”) → ĉirkaŭmano (“bracelet”)

ĉirkaŭ- + premi (“to squeeze”) → ĉirkaŭpremi (“to hug”)

ĉirkaŭ- + preni (“to take”) → ĉirkaŭpreni (“to embrace”)

ĉirkaŭ- + mordi (“to bite”) → ĉirkaŭmordi (“to gnaw”)

ĉirkaŭ- + tranĉi (“to cut”) → ĉirkaŭtranĉi (“to trim”)

ĉirkaŭ- + skribi (“to write”) → ĉirkaŭskribi (“to circumscribe”)

denotes the surrounding or envelopment of something.


ekzo-

Derived from Ancient Greek ἔξω (éxō, “outer; external”).

der

ekzo- + citozo (“cytosis”) → ekzocitozo (“exocytosis”)

ekzo- + nukleazo (“nuclease”) → ekzonukleazo (“exonuclease”)


vic-

Back-formation from vico (“row, sequence”).

bf

vic- + prezidento (“president”) → vicprezidento (“vice president”)

vic- + reĝo (“king”) → vicreĝo (“viceroy”)

(politics) vice, in place of; subordinate to.

vic- + filo (“son”) → vicfilo (“stepson”)


kontraŭ-

stari (“to stand”) → kontraŭstari (“to stand against, to oppose, to withstand”)

diri (“to say”) → kontraŭdiri (“to contradict”)

koncipi (“to conceive”) → kontraŭkoncipilo (“contraceptive”)

veneno (“venom”) → kontraŭveneno (“antivenin”)


ekster-

From ekster, derived from Latin extrā (“outside of; beyond”, preposition).