جهاد عرفات
25-04-2006, 01:07 PM
Vocabulary: Suffixes and
Prefixes
The University of Alabama
Center for Teaching and Learning
124 Osband
348-5175
What can you do when you run into a word that you don’t know? One thing that may help is to analyze the word, looking for groups of letters that have special meanings. A group of letters with a special meaning appearing at the end of a word is called a suffix. Here is a list of 16 important suffixes.
Suffix Meaning Example
-able able to be manageable
-ible defensible
-al relating to regal
-ance resistance
-ence independence
-ic heroic
-ion state of union
-ism quality of patriotism
-hood brotherhood
-ity legality
-ment puzzlement
-er one who writer
-or advisor
-ite Mennonite
-y full of soapy
-ful wishful
When a group of letters having a special meaning appears at the beginning of a word, we call that group of letters a prefix. Following is a list of 10 prefixes all dealing with counting. Additional prefixes can be found on the handout Vocabulary Builder.
Prefix Meaning Example
uni- one unicycle
mono- one monologue
auto- self autobiography
duo- two duodecimal
bi- two bifocal
tri- three tripod
penta- five pentagon
hexa- six hexadecimal
poly- many polygon
multi- many multicolored
GREEK SUFFIXES
Noun and adjective forming suffixes
-ic, -tic pertaining to, having to do with anthropomorphic
*-ac used instead of -ic if an -i immediately precedes elegiac having to do with the heart
*-ics [Greek, -ika] things having to do with > art, science, study of [usually used with a singular verb] optics
-ical < -ic + -al (Latin), pertaining to, having the nature of biblical
*-oid resembling, like, shaped asteroid
-ite one connected with, inhabitant of; a commercial product, a mineral Luddite
-ism the belief in, profession or practice of, usage neologism
-ist one who believes in, professes, or practices, a follower of misocapnist (one who hates smoke)
*-ast one who does or practices, one who believes in dynast
*-isk, -iscus small asterisk a little star
-ia, -y act, state of [abstract noun forming suffix] polity state of being a citizen: relation of citizens to the state
*-sis act, state, condition of analysis
*-m, -me, -ma [****, -mat-] result of problem
GREEK PREFIXES
* a- [an- before a vowel] not, un-, -less apathy
amphi- both, on both sides, around, about amphbrach short on both sides
* ana- [an- before a vowel] up, back, again anabasis a going up/back; anode "a road up" > a positively charged ion
* anti- instead, against, in opposition to antidote something given against
* apo- [ap- before a vowel or h] from, away from, off, utterly, completely, lack of apostate one who stands away (one who renounces a belief)
* dia-, di- through, across, over, assunder diameter a measure through
* dys- [Greek, dus-] ill, un-, mis-, difficult, bad dysphoria difficult bearing; dysteleology doctrine of the purposelessness of nature
* ec-, ex- [Greek, ek, ex] out, from, off exegesis act of leading out (critical explanation)
ecto- [Greek, ekto-] on the outside ectoderm outer skin
* en-, em- in empathy feeling in
enantio- [en- + anti-] opposite enantionyms words with the same sound but opposite meanings
endo- within, inside, internal endoscope instrument for observing inside
eso- inward, within esoteric more inward
exo- outward, external exosphere the outermost part of the atmosphere; exobiology search for and study of extraterrestrial life
* epi- (ep- before a vowel or h) upon, over, at, near epicycle an orbit over an orbit
* eu- (rarely, ev-) well, good euthanasia good death
* cata-, cat- [Greek, kata] down, against, completely [opp. ana-] catastrophe a turning down
* ****-, met- among, between, change, behind, later metempsychosis transmigration of the soul
palin-, pali- back, again palindrome a running backword (a word or phrase that reads the same backwards or forwards) MA IS A NUN AS I AM
* para-, par- beside, beyond, near, incorrectly, like paradox beyond opinion
* peri- around, about peripatetic walking around
Do not confuse with the Latin prefix per-, "through".
* pro- before, forward, for program something written for
Do not confuse with the Latin prefix pro- "forth, for, forward, instead of, publicly" (proceed, procrastinate, progress, proscribe) or with the Greek prefix pros- "to, toward, besides" (see next), or with the Greek adjective protos "first" (protoplasm, protozoic).
pros- to, toward, besides, in front prosody accompanied song > study of metrical systems
* syn-, sym-, syl-, sys- [Greek, sun] with, together synagogue a bringing together, assembly
* hyper- [Greek, huper] above, beyond, exceedingly hyperbole a throwing beyond (exaggeration)
* hypo-, hyp- [Greek, hupo] under hypotenuse stretching under
Prefixes
The University of Alabama
Center for Teaching and Learning
124 Osband
348-5175
What can you do when you run into a word that you don’t know? One thing that may help is to analyze the word, looking for groups of letters that have special meanings. A group of letters with a special meaning appearing at the end of a word is called a suffix. Here is a list of 16 important suffixes.
Suffix Meaning Example
-able able to be manageable
-ible defensible
-al relating to regal
-ance resistance
-ence independence
-ic heroic
-ion state of union
-ism quality of patriotism
-hood brotherhood
-ity legality
-ment puzzlement
-er one who writer
-or advisor
-ite Mennonite
-y full of soapy
-ful wishful
When a group of letters having a special meaning appears at the beginning of a word, we call that group of letters a prefix. Following is a list of 10 prefixes all dealing with counting. Additional prefixes can be found on the handout Vocabulary Builder.
Prefix Meaning Example
uni- one unicycle
mono- one monologue
auto- self autobiography
duo- two duodecimal
bi- two bifocal
tri- three tripod
penta- five pentagon
hexa- six hexadecimal
poly- many polygon
multi- many multicolored
GREEK SUFFIXES
Noun and adjective forming suffixes
-ic, -tic pertaining to, having to do with anthropomorphic
*-ac used instead of -ic if an -i immediately precedes elegiac having to do with the heart
*-ics [Greek, -ika] things having to do with > art, science, study of [usually used with a singular verb] optics
-ical < -ic + -al (Latin), pertaining to, having the nature of biblical
*-oid resembling, like, shaped asteroid
-ite one connected with, inhabitant of; a commercial product, a mineral Luddite
-ism the belief in, profession or practice of, usage neologism
-ist one who believes in, professes, or practices, a follower of misocapnist (one who hates smoke)
*-ast one who does or practices, one who believes in dynast
*-isk, -iscus small asterisk a little star
-ia, -y act, state of [abstract noun forming suffix] polity state of being a citizen: relation of citizens to the state
*-sis act, state, condition of analysis
*-m, -me, -ma [****, -mat-] result of problem
GREEK PREFIXES
* a- [an- before a vowel] not, un-, -less apathy
amphi- both, on both sides, around, about amphbrach short on both sides
* ana- [an- before a vowel] up, back, again anabasis a going up/back; anode "a road up" > a positively charged ion
* anti- instead, against, in opposition to antidote something given against
* apo- [ap- before a vowel or h] from, away from, off, utterly, completely, lack of apostate one who stands away (one who renounces a belief)
* dia-, di- through, across, over, assunder diameter a measure through
* dys- [Greek, dus-] ill, un-, mis-, difficult, bad dysphoria difficult bearing; dysteleology doctrine of the purposelessness of nature
* ec-, ex- [Greek, ek, ex] out, from, off exegesis act of leading out (critical explanation)
ecto- [Greek, ekto-] on the outside ectoderm outer skin
* en-, em- in empathy feeling in
enantio- [en- + anti-] opposite enantionyms words with the same sound but opposite meanings
endo- within, inside, internal endoscope instrument for observing inside
eso- inward, within esoteric more inward
exo- outward, external exosphere the outermost part of the atmosphere; exobiology search for and study of extraterrestrial life
* epi- (ep- before a vowel or h) upon, over, at, near epicycle an orbit over an orbit
* eu- (rarely, ev-) well, good euthanasia good death
* cata-, cat- [Greek, kata] down, against, completely [opp. ana-] catastrophe a turning down
* ****-, met- among, between, change, behind, later metempsychosis transmigration of the soul
palin-, pali- back, again palindrome a running backword (a word or phrase that reads the same backwards or forwards) MA IS A NUN AS I AM
* para-, par- beside, beyond, near, incorrectly, like paradox beyond opinion
* peri- around, about peripatetic walking around
Do not confuse with the Latin prefix per-, "through".
* pro- before, forward, for program something written for
Do not confuse with the Latin prefix pro- "forth, for, forward, instead of, publicly" (proceed, procrastinate, progress, proscribe) or with the Greek prefix pros- "to, toward, besides" (see next), or with the Greek adjective protos "first" (protoplasm, protozoic).
pros- to, toward, besides, in front prosody accompanied song > study of metrical systems
* syn-, sym-, syl-, sys- [Greek, sun] with, together synagogue a bringing together, assembly
* hyper- [Greek, huper] above, beyond, exceedingly hyperbole a throwing beyond (exaggeration)
* hypo-, hyp- [Greek, hupo] under hypotenuse stretching under