Prefix definitions

Prefix definitions, etymology & examples

see https://www.dailywritingtips.com/list-prefixes-suffixes

Terms

• assimilation
• cognate
• etymology
• morpheme
  • = the smallest constituent of a word
  • some words are morphemes unto themselves ("it", "and")
  • others are a combination of morphemes ("itself", "below")
• PIE
  • for proto-Indo-European language
  • = the origin or pre-origin language of Indo-European languages, which share the PIE language as their origin
  • Indo-European languages include, Celtic, English, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Latin, Persian, Spanish, and others across Europe and parts of central and western Asia and South Asia
• suffix
  • a word ending "inflection" (change in sound) that identifies or changes a root's part of speech

When is a prefix not a prefix?

• many prefixes are attached to roots that are not words unto themselves
  • some scholars argue that these words are not "prefix + root" and stand as single "morphemes" (word units)
    

A-B-C

ab-

• 1. away, from, from off, down,
  • PIE *apo- off, away
• 2. by (as in agency, for origin, consequence of)
• 2. can generally mean "not" (as in a negation)
• examples
  • aberration, abstract, abnormal, abysmal
  • Note that ab- in "abbreviation" is from ad- (to, toward), thus
    • ab- for "to" (from ad-) + breviare (Latin) for short, low, little, shallow = "to shorten"
    • PIE *mregh-u for short

ad-

• to, toward (space or time), in relation to, regarding
  • from PIE *ad- for to, near, at
  • becomes a- before -sc-, -sp- and -st-
    • aspect, astronomy
  • also af-, -ag, -al,
    • affection, aggression

ana-

• 1. up, upward, through (in place or time)
• 2. back, backward, against
• 3. again, anew
  • by itself, "ana" means "an equal quantity"
• origin
  • PIE *an- for "on, upon, above"
• examples
  • anabaptism for "a second" or "renewed" baptism
  • analysis
    • ana- "up" + *leu "loosen, divide, cut apart" thus "cut or divided up"
  • analog
    • log = from "logos" thus "through or again words or logic"
  • analogy
    • log -y "through or separate words or logic" (that mean the same thing)

com-

• with
• examples
  • complement = with (com-) + fill (-plere) for "add/ed to make complete"
    • from PIE *pele for "to fill"
  • compliment = cognate with Latin complere shifting to complire for "to complete"
    • indicates "completion" and thus "expression of respect" for something completed or done

D-E-F

em-, im- & en-, in-

• = mean the same
  • into
  • not

em-

• put in or into, to affect, bring to the state of, distribute
  • assimilation from in- and into
  • PIE root *em- for "to take, distribute"
• used instead of -en words beginning with -b- and -p-
• examples
  • empathy
    • in the (same) state of pathos (emotions, feelings)
  • embitter (make bitter)
  • embody (make into the body of; representation)
  • emit (distribute
  • emotion

en-

• from PIE *en, into, to make or put

in- prefix synonyms w/ opposite meanings

prefix	definition 1	definition 2
em-	opposite of, not	in, into
en-	opposite of, not	in, into
im-	opposite of, not	in, into
in-	opposite of, not	in, into

Pronoun letter

letter / sound	m	n
goes with	-b, -m, -p	-c, -d, -f, -g, -h, -j, -l, n, -r, -q, -t, -v
em-, en-, im-, in-	ember, immaterial, important	include, induce, infuse, ingress, inhuman, injury, enliven, enrage, inquisitive, into, invisible
-un		does not change with the

G-H-I

in-

• same as en-, im-, em-
• see entry for en-

S-T-U

sym-

• alike, with, together, mutual, reciprocal, at the same time
  • assimilated with syn-
  • origin in PIE *ksun- for "with"
• used instead of syn-' with words beginning with -b-, -m-, -p-, -ph-, -ps-
• examples
  • symbiosis, symbol, sympathetic,

syn-

• alike, with, together, mutual, reciprocal, at the same time
• examples
  • synagogue, synthesis, synthetic,
  • sympathy
    • with emotion