List of English prefixes

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Prefix Meaning Examples
a(n)- not, without atonality, asexuality, amoral, anarchy, anonymous
ab- away abduction, absolutism, ablution
acr(o)- high, up, hill Acropolis, acrobatics
ad- near, at adrenal
aden(o)- gland adenectomy
aer(o)- air aeronautics, aerodrome, aeroplane, aerodynamics
agr(o)- relating to farming agriculture
alt- high altitude
alter- another Alter-ego, alternate
am- love amorous, amateur
ambi- around, either, encircling ambiguity, ambidexterity, Ambisagrus
an(a)-out ofanachronism
andr- man androgyny, androcentrism, android, androgen
anem- wind anemometer
Anglo- English or British Anglo-Irish relations
ante- before antebellum
anthropo- relating to human beings anthropology, anthropocentrism, anthropomorphic
ant(i)- against antidote, antibody, anticlockwise
aut(o)- self autonomy, autobiography, automobile, autopilot
bar(o)- heaviness, heavy barometer
bathy- deep Bathyscaphe, Bathysphere
be- completely, excessively; forms transitive verbs bemuse, bespeak, bewail
ben- well Benediction, benign
bi- two bicycle, bijection, bicameralism
bi(o)- life biology, biography, biopsy
bibli(o)- relating to books bibliophilia, bibliography
blast(o)- bud, germination blastocyst
brady- slow bradycardia
brom(o)- stench Bromine, bromide
bronch(o)- relating to breathing bronchitis
cac(o)- bad cacophony, cacography
cad/cas- a fall cadence, cascade
cardi(o)- heart cardiovascular, Cardiac arrest
cent-, centi- hundred or hundredth centenarian, centimeter, centipede
cephal(o)- head cephalothorax
chrom(ato)- colour chromatic, chromosome
chron(o)- time chronology, chronic, chronicle
circum- around circumcision, circumlocution, circumference
co- together cooperative, co-belligerence
colpo- vagina colpospasm
con- with, together connotation, Congress, congregation
contr- against, opposite contradiction, contraception, controversy
cosm(o)- cosmology, cosmopolitan, cosmotheism
counter- against, opposite counterpoint, Counter-Reformation
crin(o)- cry(shed tears) endocrinology
cryo- frost, icy cold cryogenics, cryoelectronics, cryostorage
crypt(o)- hidden cryptography, cryptozoology
cyt(o)- cell (originally hollow receptacle) cytoplasm, cytology
culp- fault culpable, culprit
dactyl(o)- finger, digit dactylogram
de- taking something away, the opposite decentralisation, dehydration, Denazification
dec(a)-, dek(a)- ten decamerous, December, decimeter
deci- one tenth deciliter
dem(o)- people demographics, democracy
derm(at)- skin dermatology, dermatitis
di- two, double dichromic
di- daydiurnal
dia- through diameter, diagnosis, diarrhea
didact(o)- apt at teaching didactic
dis- apart, separation, reverse, opposite dissent, discovery, disambiguation
dok, dox(o)- view, teaching doxology, dogma, orthodox
dynam(o)- power, force dynamic, dynamite, dynamo
dys- bad, deformed, abnormal dyspepsia, dystrophy, dysarthria
eco- house economy, ecology, ecosystem, ecotage
ecto- outer, external ectomorphic, ectoparasite
edaph(o)- soil edaphic
electr(o)- relating to Electricityelectrocution, electroencephalogram
embry(o)- embryo embryogenesis
end(o)-, ent(o)- inside endoscope, endothermic, entoblast
enne(a)- nine enneastyle, enneagram
enter(o)- intestine enteritis
eo- earliest, most primitive eobacterium, eohippus
ep(i)-, eph- upon, above, around epitaxy, epicenter, ephemeral
erg(o)- work, labour ergonomics synergy, energy
erythr(o)- red erythrocite
erot(o)- love erotic, erotomania
ethno- race, people ethnology, ethnolinguistics, ethnocentrism
eu- good eulogy, euthanasia, eugenics, euphemism
Euro- European Euro-MP, Eurocentric
ex- former ex-wife, ex-president
exo- outside exoskeleton
extra- outside, beyond, additional extra-thin, extra-special extraordinary, extraterrestrial
flor- relating to flowersflorist
fore- before, in advanceforeskin, foreshadowing
geo- earthgeography, geology
glosso- languageglossogeny, glossogony, glossolalia
gyn- female gynaecology, gynoid
hemi- halfhemimetabolous, hemisphere
hemo- bloodhemophilia, hemophobia
heter(o)- differentheterogenous, heterosexual
hex(a)- six hexapod, hexagonal, hexameter
hom(o)- samehomogenous, homosexual
hydro-waterhydrogen, hydry
hyper- excessive2, having more than three spatial dimensions (mathematics) hyperactive, hyperthyroidism
hyp(o)- below2hypodermic, hypnosis
in- intensively inflammable, invaluable
in-1 not infallibility, illiteracy, immoral, irrelevant
inter- between, mutualintervention, international, internet
intra- within intramural, intravenous, intraocular
kilo- thousand kilogram, kilowatt
Litho- Rock lithosphere
Luso- Portuguese lusophone
Mac- or Mc- "son of" (often used in last names) McCarthy, Kirsty MacColl
macro- largemacrobiology, macroscopic
mal- badmalpractice, malnutrition
maxi- many ,mostmaximal, maximum
Mc- McDonalds-like, often derogatory McJob, McPaper (See McWords)
mega(l)- million, very large megabyte, megaphone, megalopolis
meso- middle mesoamerica, mesoscale
meta- after, beyond metacarpal, metaphysics
micro- one millionth, very small microgram, microorganism, micronation
mid- in the middle ofmid-term elections, Mid-Autumn Festival
milli- thousandth milligram, milliliter
mini- small miniskirt, miniseries
mis- bad, wrong miscarriage, misanthropy, misogyny, mistake
mon(o)- one, single monolith, monorail, monotony, monocle
multi- many multiculturalism, multilingualism
myco- relating to fungi mycology, mycoprotein
myri(a)- Ten thousand myriagon, myriad
non- not nonsense, non-denial denial
non- nine nonagon
O'- (son) of (often used in last names) O'Brian
oct(o)-, oct(a)- eight octane, octopod, octagon, October
omni-all omnidirectional, omnivore, omnipotent
oo- ("oo-oh") egg, ovum oocyte
out- more, to a greater degree outdo, outrun
over- (noun)more than normal, too much overpopulation, over-consumption, overlord
over- (verb)to do too much, to (verb) over overlook, overspend, oversee
pent(a)- five pentagon
peri(o)- around, about, enclosing, near perimysium, pericardium, periosteum, perinatal
phyto- relating to plants phytogeography, phytoplankton
post- after postpartum depression,postmodernism
pre- before prediction, preview, precedent, prenatal care
pro- for, in favour of pro-choice, protagonist
psycho- mind, mentalpsychology, psychosomatic
pyro- fire, flamepyromania
quadr-, quart- four quadrangle, quadruplet, quartic, quartile
quinque- fivequinquesection,
quint(i)- fifth, five quintiped, quintet
re- again, repeatedly reduction, reflection, revolution
rect(i)- proper, straight rectify, rectangle
retro- backward retrograde, retrospective
scler(o)- hard scleroderma, atherosclerosis
semi- half, partial semi-automatic, semi-detached
sept(a)- seven heptachord, September
sex(i)- six sexivalent
Sino- Chinese Sino-American relations
spasm(o)- spasm spasmatic, spasmolysis
sperm- seed spermophile, spermine
spher(o)- sphere, ball spherical, atmosphere
sphygm(o)- pulsation sphygmomanometer, sphygmograph
splen(o)- spleen splenomegaly
splanchn(o)- viscera splanchnopathy
schiz(o)-, schist(o)- split schizophrenia, schistocyte
staphyl(o)- cluster, uvula staphylococcus, staphyloplasty
stom(ato)- mouth stomatitis, stomach
styl- pillar stylus, stylist, stylopodium
sub- below, less than, under,2subset, subsonic, subway, subtitles
super- extremely, more than,2 superhuman, Superego, supersonic
syn- together, united, at the same time synergy, synchronicity, synesthesia
tach(y)- rapid, acceleratedtachycardia, tachymeter, tachyon
tel(e)- distance, distant telecommunications, television, telephoto lens, telodynamic
tel(o)-endteloblast, telophase
theo- godtheology, theogony
trans- across, beyond transfer, transubstantiation, transatlantic, Trans-Siberian railway
tri- three triangle, tricolor, triptych
twi- two twilight, twig, twin
ultra- extremely, beyond certain limit ultramontanism, ultraviolet
un1- not, opposite, take something away unconstitutional, undelete
under- below, incompletely underestimate, underage, undercook
uni- one, single uniform, unification
up- higher upscale, update, upgrade, upheld
ur- first, original urtext
ur(o)- urine uric, urinal
vita- life vitamin, vital
with- together, united withhold, withstand
zoo- ("zoo-oh") relating to animals zoomorphic, zoology

1 Some morphemes demonstrate high allomorphy, usually completely assimilating a following consonant. Partial assimilation of voicing and/or place of articulation is also possible.

2 The order from least to greatest is hypo-, sub-, super-, and hyper.

External links

Prefixes Meaning Examples Peri- around perianth,pericarp,perichondrial

See also

it:Elenco dei prefissi della lingua italiana