Words in English (and other languages too) can often be broken down into different parts, including prefixes and suffixes. Knowing the meaning of common prefixes and suffixes in English is very helpful when trying to figure out the meaning of a new and unfamiliar word. If you know the meaning of a prefix or suffix you can separate it from the base word in order to give you some understanding of the new word.
This week I will be presenting common prefixes and suffixes found in English, starting today with prefixes. Do keep in mind that not all English words can be broken into smaller parts in which all the parts have meaning unto themselves.
For example:
The word prefix has the prefix “pre” in it. So you can break the word into pre-fix with pre=before, but fix doesn’t have meaning unto itself that will help you figure out the whole meaning of this word.
On the other hand, the word copilot has the prefix “co” in it. So you can break this word into co-pilot; co=with, pilot=the person in charge of flying a plane. So, you can see that when broken down each part of this word gives you information about what the whole word means. A copilot is someone who flies with the person flying the plane.
Below is a table of very common prefixes found in English that I suggest you become familiar with.
| prefix |
meaning |
example word |
word meaning |
| a- |
without |
amoral |
without moral (moral = rules of right and wrong) |
| anti- |
against |
antibiotics |
medicine that fights against bacteria |
| auto- |
self |
automobile |
a car, a vehicle that moves itself |
| co- |
with |
coexist |
to live together or with another person |
| contra- |
against |
contraindicated |
against recommendations or indications |
| de- |
off, away from |
debug |
to remove (or take away) errors from a computer |
| dis- |
not |
disabled |
not able to do something, handicapped |
| ex- |
former |
ex-president |
former president, a person who is no longer president |
| extra- |
more than |
extraordinary |
more than the ordinary, more than normal |
| il- |
not, without |
illegal |
not legal, not allowed by law |
| macro- |
large |
macrostructure |
the whole structure, a large structure |
| micro- |
small |
microscope |
a scientific instrument used to look at small things |
| post- |
after |
postdoctoral |
after completing a doctorate degree |
| pre- |
before |
preschool |
a type of school for children younger than the normal school age |
| sub- |
under |
subordinate |
a person below or under another person in a place of authority |
| trans- |
across |
transcend |
to go beyond or across the normal limits |
| tri- |
three |
tricycle |
a three wheeled vehicle, like a bicycle |
| un- |
not |
unknown |
not known, without knowledge about something |
| uni- |
one |
unicorn |
a horse-like mythical animal with one horn |
Comments:
Ammy:
I need to remember all of these! So helpful !
I just think out a word : disappoint
This word can be separated into dis+appoint too?
Arkadiy:
Well, these prefixes are not so “English” indeed, they are rather international, found in most modern European languages and stemming from Greek or Latin.
gabriele:
@Arkadiy Very true Daug! Many (if not most) of these prefixes come from Latin or Greek, but have been incorporated into English and other Indo-European languages. So they are very helpful to know, especially for ESL learners whose native language does not use similar prefixes and suffixes.