List of English prefixes

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The following prefixes may appear as parts of words in the English language.

Alongside a few "native" English prefixes (such as under- or with-), we find many which acted as prefixes in other languages (mainly Greek, Latin or French) and which English has adopted in already-compounded forms (such as deci- or pyro-).

A prefix may or may not operate productively: one can readily form new coinages with multi-, but might not meaningfully succeed in doing so with twi-. Most Greco-Latin prefixes serve to form new words (classical compounds) in technical jargon.

Note that while some of the following morphemes always function as prefixes (co- or syn-, for example, others simple exemplify linguistic roots that generally or commonly occur first in compound words, like sperm- (compare Leptospermum) or even stand alone as definite words in their own right (under-, Anglo-).

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 of anachronism
andr- man androgyny, androcentrism, android, androgen
anem- wind anemometer
Anglo- English or British Anglo-Irish relations
ante- before antebellum, antediluvian
anthropo- relating to human beings anthropology, anthropocentrism, anthropomorphic
ant(i)- against antidote, antibody, anticlockwise, antichrist
aut(o)- self , autobiography, automobile, autopilot, autopsy, automatic
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
carcin(o)- relating to cancer carcinogenic
cardi(o)- heart cardiovascular, Cardiac arrest
cent-, centi- hundred or hundredth centenarian, centimeter, centipede
cephal(o)- head cephalothorax
chrys(o)- gold chryselephantine, chrysoberylchrysography
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)- world 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, decade
deci- one tenth deciliter
dem(o)- people demographics, democracy
derm(at)- skin dermatology, dermatitis
di- two, double dichromic
di- day diurnal
dia- through diameter, diagnosis, diarrhea
didact(o)- apt at teaching didactic
dis- apart, separation, reverse, opposite dissent, discovery, [Disambiguationdisambiguation]
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 Electricity electrocution, electroencephalogram
embry(o)- embryo embryogenesis
en- to make ~ (transitive verb) enrage, enlarge
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, extraordinary
flor- relating to flowers florist
fore- before, in advance foreskin, foreshadowing
geo- earth geography, geology
glosso- language glossogeny, glossogony, glossolalia
gyn- female gynaecology, gynoid
hemi- half hemimetabolous, hemisphere
hemo- blood hemophilia, hemophobia
hept- seven heptagon
heter(o)- different heterogenous, heterosexual
hex(a)- six hexapod, hexagonal, hexameter
hol(o)- whole, entire hologram, holistic, Holocene
hom(o)- same homogenous, homosexual, homophone
hydro- water hydrogen, hydry
hygro- humidity, moisture hygrometer, hygroscopy
hyper- excessive², having more than three spatial dimensions (mathematics) hyperactive, hyperthyroidism
hyp(o)- below² hypodermic, hypnosis
in- intensively inflammable, invaluable
in-¹ not infallibility, illiteracy, immoral, irrelevant
inter- between, mutual intervention, 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- large macrobiology, macroscopic
mal- bad malpractice, malnutrition
maxi- many ,most maximal, 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, metatarsal
micro- one millionth, very small microgram, microorganism, micronation, microscope
mid- in the middle of mid-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

death necrobiosis, necrophilia
non- not nonsense, non-denial denial
non- nine nonagon
O'- (son) of (often used in Irish family-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
pan(to)-¹ universal, all-embracing pandect, pantechnicon, Pantocrator, pamphlet
para- beyond, near, contrary paralegal, parachute
pent(a)- five pentagon
peri(o)- around, about, enclosing, near perimysium, pericardium, periosteum, perinatal
photo- light, photon photograph, photosensetive, photosynthesis
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, mental psychology, psychosomatic
pyro- fire, flame pyromania
quadr-, quart- four quadrangle, quadruplet, quartic, quartile
quasi- like, as if quasiparticle
quinque- five quinquesection,
quint(i)- fifth, five quintiped, quintet
re- again, repeatedly reduction, , 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
sci- know, knowledge science, omniscient
staphyl(o)- cluster, uvula staphylococcus, staphyloplasty
stom(ato)- mouth stomatitis, stomach
styl- pillar stylus, stylist, stylopodium
sub- below, less than, under,² subset, subsonic, subway, subtitles
super- extremely, more than,² superhuman, Superego, supersonic
syn- together, united, at the same time synergy, synchronicity, synesthesia
tach(y)- rapid, accelerated tachycardia, tachymeter, tachyon
tel(e)- distance, distant telecommunications, television, telephoto lens, telodynamic
tel(o)- end teloblast, telophase
theo- god theology, theogony
trans- across, beyond transfer, transubstantiation, transatlantic, Trans-Siberian railway
tri- three triangle, tricolor, triptych
twi- two twilight, twig, twin
über- / uber- super- / excessive / very uberfic, Übermensch, übercool
ultra- extremely, beyond certain limit ultramontanism, ultraviolet
un¹- not, opposite, take something away unconstitutional, [Viewing and restoring deleted pages by sysopsundelete]
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, zoophilia
¹ Some morphemes demonstrate high allomorphy, usually completely assimilating a following consonant. Partial assimilation of voicing and/or place of articulation can also occur.

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 of	anachronism
andr-	man	androgyny, androcentrism, android, androgen
anem-	wind	anemometer
Anglo-	English or British	Anglo-Irish relations
ante-	before	antebellum, antediluvian
anthropo-	relating to human beings	anthropology, anthropocentrism, anthropomorphic
ant(i)-	against	antidote, antibody, anticlockwise, antichrist
aut(o)-	self	, autobiography, automobile, autopilot, autopsy, automatic
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
carcin(o)-	relating to cancer	carcinogenic
cardi(o)-	heart	cardiovascular, Cardiac arrest
cent-, centi-	hundred or hundredth	centenarian, centimeter, centipede
cephal(o)-	head	cephalothorax
chrys(o)-	gold	chryselephantine, chrysoberylchrysography
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)-	world	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, decade
deci-	one tenth	deciliter
dem(o)-	people	demographics, democracy
derm(at)-	skin	dermatology, dermatitis
di-	two, double	dichromic
di-	day	diurnal
dia-	through	diameter, diagnosis, diarrhea
didact(o)-	apt at teaching	didactic
dis-	apart, separation, reverse, opposite	dissent, discovery, [Disambiguationdisambiguation]
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 Electricity	electrocution, electroencephalogram
embry(o)-	embryo	embryogenesis
en-	to make ~ (transitive verb)	enrage, enlarge
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, extraordinary
flor-	relating to flowers	florist
fore-	before, in advance	foreskin, foreshadowing
geo-	earth	geography, geology
glosso-	language	glossogeny, glossogony, glossolalia
gyn-	female	gynaecology, gynoid
hemi-	half	hemimetabolous, hemisphere
hemo-	blood	hemophilia, hemophobia
hept-	seven	heptagon
heter(o)-	different	heterogenous, heterosexual
hex(a)-	six	hexapod, hexagonal, hexameter
hol(o)-	whole, entire	hologram, holistic, Holocene
hom(o)-	same	homogenous, homosexual, homophone
hydro-	water	hydrogen, hydry
hygro-	humidity, moisture	hygrometer, hygroscopy
hyper-	excessive², having more than three spatial dimensions (mathematics)	hyperactive, hyperthyroidism
hyp(o)-	below²	hypodermic, hypnosis
in-	intensively	inflammable, invaluable
in-¹	not	infallibility, illiteracy, immoral, irrelevant
inter-	between, mutual	intervention, 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-	large	macrobiology, macroscopic
mal-	bad	malpractice, malnutrition
maxi-	many ,most	maximal, 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, metatarsal
micro-	one millionth, very small	microgram, microorganism, micronation, microscope
mid-	in the middle of	mid-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
death	necrobiosis, necrophilia
non-	not	nonsense, non-denial denial
non-	nine	nonagon
O'-	(son) of (often used in Irish family-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
pan(to)-¹	universal, all-embracing	pandect, pantechnicon, Pantocrator, pamphlet
para-	beyond, near, contrary	paralegal, parachute
pent(a)-	five	pentagon
peri(o)-	around, about, enclosing, near	perimysium, pericardium, periosteum, perinatal
photo-	light, photon	photograph, photosensetive, photosynthesis
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, mental	psychology, psychosomatic
pyro-	fire, flame	pyromania
quadr-, quart-	four	quadrangle, quadruplet, quartic, quartile
quasi-	like, as if	quasiparticle
quinque-	five	quinquesection,
quint(i)-	fifth, five	quintiped, quintet
re-	again, repeatedly	reduction, , 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
sci-	know, knowledge	science, omniscient
staphyl(o)-	cluster, uvula	staphylococcus, staphyloplasty
stom(ato)-	mouth	stomatitis, stomach
styl-	pillar	stylus, stylist, stylopodium
sub-	below, less than, under,²	subset, subsonic, subway, subtitles
super-	extremely, more than,²	superhuman, Superego, supersonic
syn-	together, united, at the same time	synergy, synchronicity, synesthesia
tach(y)-	rapid, accelerated	tachycardia, tachymeter, tachyon
tel(e)-	distance, distant	telecommunications, television, telephoto lens, telodynamic
tel(o)-	end	teloblast, telophase
theo-	god	theology, theogony
trans-	across, beyond	transfer, transubstantiation, transatlantic, Trans-Siberian railway
tri-	three	triangle, tricolor, triptych
twi-	two	twilight, twig, twin
über- / uber-	super- / excessive / very	uberfic, Übermensch, übercool
ultra-	extremely, beyond certain limit	ultramontanism, ultraviolet
un¹-	not, opposite, take something away	unconstitutional, [Viewing and restoring deleted pages by sysopsundelete]
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, zoophilia

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

External links

[English Grammar - Simple Guide to Prefixes (from LearnEnglish.de)]

Prefixes Meaning Examples Peri- around perianth,pericarp,perichondrial

[English Grammar - A better way to get the meaning of Prefixes (from Myword.info)]

List of English prefixes

External links

See also