Prefix definitions: Difference between revisions

From A+ Club Lesson Planner & Study Guide
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|'''''un-'''''unclear, under, unfettered, unhinged, unjust, unlimited, unrest, unready, invertibrate  
|'''''un-'''''unclear, under, unfettered, unhinged, unjust, unlimited, unrest, unready, invertibrate  
|-
|-
|'''ad & a'''
|'''ad'''
|'''''ad-'''''addition
|'''''ad-'''''  
|'''''a-'''''
addition, adhere, advertize
|
|}
|}


== Prefixes with dual, opposite meanings ==
* some prefixes have opposite meanings
** '''''ad'''here'' = stuck to
*** ad from '''''a-''''' (adding the "d" before the h
**** '''''ad-''''' (to, into) + '''''haesitare''''' (stuck, in place)
***** "here" = from PIE root '''''*ghais'''-'' forms ''adhere, hesitate''
*** versus
** '''''a'''verse = against, disliking, hostile, unwilling''
*** '''''a-''''' (against, not) + '''''verse''''' (turn)
**** = turn against


asdf
== A-B-C ==
== A-B-C ==



Revision as of 20:02, 16 April 2023

Prefix definitions, etymology & examples

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

Terms

  • assimilation
  • cognate
    • = related sounds that yield shifts in pronunciation, generally between languages that have a common origin
    • ex. the English "night" is "cognate" with the German "nacht"
      • in English the "i" is cognate with the German "a"
      • and the ENglish "ght" is cognate with the German "act"
    • within a language, cognates are seen in words such as "night":
      • Old English: niht was changed to "night" in Middle English in order to represent the "ggh" sound of niht in Old English
        • eventually, the "ggh" sound was dropped and the "i" became "eye"-sound (from "ehh" sound)
        • but the spelling was kept the same, "night"
  • etymology
    • = word origin, or study of word origins
  • 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
  • root
  • 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?[edit | edit source]

  • 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)

Letter sound shifts[edit | edit source]

  • because of the way letter sounds are formed by the mouth (physically)
    • some letters more naturally precede others
  • examples:
    • "m" starts with closed lips, then open lips ("mmmah" sound)
    • "n" starts and ends with open lips, along with release of the tongue from against the front teeth ("nnnah" sound)
    • "p" starts with closed lips, then open lips > open lips ("pppuh" sound)
    • thus
      • n + p requires open for n, then close and open for m
      • whereas m + p only requires closed lips for m, which transitions easily to the open lips p sound
  • consequently, some prefixes with the same meaning use different letters, depending on the first letter of the root word
Pronoun ending letter
m & n -b, -m, -p -c, -d, -f, -g, -h, -j, -l, n, -r, -q, -t, -v
m & n em-, im-ember, eminent, empathy, immaterial, important en-, in-include, induce, infuse, ingress, inhuman, injury, enliven, enrage, inquisitive, into, invisible
m & n um-umbrella, umpire un-unclear, under, unfettered, unhinged, unjust, unlimited, unrest, unready, invertibrate
ad ad-

addition, adhere, advertize

Prefixes with dual, opposite meanings[edit | edit source]

  • some prefixes have opposite meanings
    • adhere = stuck to
      • ad from a- (adding the "d" before the h
        • ad- (to, into) + haesitare (stuck, in place)
          • "here" = from PIE root *ghais- forms adhere, hesitate
      • versus
    • averse = against, disliking, hostile, unwilling
      • a- (against, not) + verse (turn)
        • = turn against

A-B-C[edit | edit source]

a-, ab[edit | edit source]

  • away, away from, from, from off, down
  • also ab-,abs-
  • ex.
    • avert, abduct, abscond
  • for more see ab-

ab-[edit | edit source]

  • away, away from, from, from off, down
    • PIE *apo- off, away
      • abstract
      • absolve
      • absolute
        • note that "absolute" = ab (to, towards) + solvere (to loosen)
          • = not attached, released, without restrictions
  • by (as in agency, for origin, consequence of)
  • can also mean "not" (as in a negation)
  • can also mean "ad-" for to, toward, near
  • 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-[edit | edit source]

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

acer-[edit | edit source]

  • bitter, harsh, severe, sharp, sour,
    • acerbic, acrid
    • also:
      • exacerbate, mediocre
  • from PIE *ak- "sharp, to a point, pierce"
    • includes words such as acid, acme, acrobat, acronym, acropolis, acumen, acupuncture

add-[edit | edit source]

  • same as ad-
    • addition, addendum

ana-[edit | edit source]

  • 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- & con-[edit | edit source]

  • mean the same thing

com-[edit | edit source]

  • 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

con-

D-E-F[edit | edit source]

em- & en-[edit | edit source]

  • = mean the same
    • into
    • to place
    • to cause
    • not, to restrict
  • en- precedes all letters except those that follow -em
  • em- precedes -b, -m, -p
    • see chart above

em-[edit | edit source]

  • 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-[edit | edit source]

  • 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

digi-[edit | edit source]

G-H-I[edit | edit source]

in-[edit | edit source]

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

J-K-L[edit | edit source]

M-N=O[edit | edit source]

P-Q-R[edit | edit source]

S-T-U[edit | edit source]

sym-[edit | edit source]

  • 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-[edit | edit source]

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

V-X-Y-Z[edit | edit source]