What is a Prefix?
A Prefix is a letter or a group of characters that we place before or at the beginning of a word to entirely change the meaning of the term. The Prefix is one of the main three types of Affix. For example:
What is the prefix for literate?
The word ‘literate’ means a person who can read and write. But when you place ‘il’ before ‘literate’, it becomes ‘illiterate’ and the meaning of the word becomes totally changed. The word ‘illiterate’ means a person who is unable to read. So, in the word ‘illiterate’, ‘il’ is a Prefix.
Actually, most of the time Prefix is used to create the opposite word.
One more example for you.
In the above paragraph, you can see the two words ‘able’ and ‘unable’ which are opposite of each other. The word ‘able’ means having the skill and ‘unable’ means lacking the skill. The word ‘unable’ is formed by placing ‘un’ before ‘able’. So, here ‘un’ is a Prefix.
Different Types of PREFIXES with Meaning and Examples
| Prefix | Meaning | Examples |
| a- | Not, without | Atypical, amoral |
| aero- | Connected with air or aircraft | Aerospace, aerodynamic |
| agro-, agri- | Connected with farming | Agricultural, agroindustry |
| all- | CompletelyIn the highest degree | An all-inclusive priceAll-important, all-powerful |
| ambi- | Referring to both of two | Ambivalent |
| anglo- | Connected with England and Britain (and another country or countries) | Anglo-Indian |
| ante- | Before, in front | Antenatal, ante-room |
| anthropo- | Connected with human | Anthropology |
| anti- | Against The opposite ofPreventing | Anticlockwise Anti-war Anti-freeze |
| arch- | Main, most important or most extreme | Archbishop |
| astro- | Connected with the stars or outer space | Astrophysics |
| audio- | Connected with hearing or sound | Audio-visual |
| auto- | About or by yourselfBy itself, without a person to operate it | Autobiography automatic |
| be- | To make or treat sb/sth asWearing or covered withTo cause sth to beUsed to turn INTRANSITIVE verbs | They befriended himBejewelled The rebels besieged the fortShe is always bemoaning her lot. |
| bi- | Two, twice, double | Bilingual, bicentenary |
| bibilo- | Connected with books | Bibliography |
| bio- | Connected with living things or human life | Biodegradable |
| by- | Less importantnear | By-productA bystander |
| cardio- | Connected with the heart | Cardiology |
| centi- | Hundred, hundredthOne hundredth | CentipedeCentimetre (= one-hundredth of a metre) |
| chrono- | Connected with time | chronology |
| co- | Together with | Co-pilot, coexist |
| contra- | Against, opposite Corresponding | Counter-productive (=producing the opposite of the desired effect)Counterpart |
| cross- | Involving movement or action from one thing to another or between two things | Cross-fertilize |
| crypto- | Hidden, secret | Crypto-communist |
| cyber- | Connected with electronic communication | Cybercafe |
| de- | The opposite ofTaking sth away | DecompressDecaffeinated coffee |
| deca- | Ten, having ten | Decathlon |
| deci- | One-tenth | Decilitre |
| demi- | Half, partly | Demi-god |
| demo- | Connected with people or population | Democracy |
| di- | Used in chemistry to refer to substances that contain two atoms of the type mentioned | Dioxide |
| dis- | not , the opposite of | Discontinue |
| e- | Connected with the use of electronic communication, especially in the Internet, for sending information, doing business etc. | E-commerce |
| eco- | Connected with the environment | Eco-friendly |
| electro- | Connected with electricity | Electromagnetism |
| en-(em)- | To put into the thing or condition mentioned To cause to be | Endanger, empowerEnlarge, embolden |
| equai- | Equal, equally | Equidistant |
| ex- | Former | Ex-girlfriend |
| extra- | Outside, beyond Very, more than usual | Extraterrestrial (=coming from somewhere beyond the earth)Extra-thin |
| fore- | Before, in advance In front of | Foreword (at the beginning of a book)Foreground |
| geo- | Of the earth | Geoscience |
| haemo-hemo- | Connected with blood | Heptatholon (an athletics competition, usually one for women, that consists of seven different events) |
| hepta- | Seven, having seven | Hectometre |
| hetero- | Other, different | Heterogeneous |
| hexa- | Six, having six | Hexagonal |
| homo- | The same | homogeneous |
| hydro- | Connected with waterConnected with or mixed with water | Hydroelectricity Hydroxide |
| hyper- | More than normal, too much | Hyper-sensitive |
| hypo- | Under, below normal | Hypodermic |
| In- (il, im-, ir) | Not, the opposite ofTo put into the condition mentioned | Incorrect, illegalImport, inflame |
| info- | Connected with information | An info sheet |
| infra- | Below a particular limit | Infrared |
| iso- | Equal | isotope |
| kilo- | Thousand | Kilogram |
| macro- | Large, on a large scale | Macroeconomics |
| mal- | Bad or badly, not correct or correctly | Malnutrition |
| mega- | Very large or greatOne million | Megastoremegawatt |
| meta- | Connected with a change of position or stateHigher, beyond | MetamorphosisMetaphysics |
| micro- | Small, on a small scaleOne-millionth | MicrochipA microlitre |
| mid- | In the middle | Mid-afternoon |
| milli- | One-thousandth | Millisecond |
| mini- | Very small | Mini-skirt |
| mis- | Bad or wrong | Misbehaviour |
| mono- | One, single | monolingual(=using one language) |
| multi- | Many, more than one | Multicoloured |
| nano- | One billionth | Nanosecond |
| neo- | New, in a later form | neo-fascist |
| neuro- | Connected with the nerves | Neuroscience |
| non- | Not | Nor-biodegradable |
| octo- | Eight, having eight | Octogenarian |
| off- | Not on, away from | Offstage |
| oft- | Often | An oft-repeated claim |
| omni- | Of all things, in all ways or all places | Omnipresence |
| ortho- | Correct, standard | Orthography |
| osteo- | Connected with bones | Osteopath |
| out- | Greater, better, further, longer, etc.Outside, away from | Outrun, outdoOutpatient |
| over- | More than normal, too muchCompletely Upper, outer, extra | OvereatOverjoyed Overtime |
| paed-(ped-) | Connected with children | Paediatrics |
| palaeo-(paleo-) | Connected with ancient time | Palaeontology |
| pan- | Including all of sth, connected dwith the whole of sth | Pan-African |
| para- | Beyond Similar to but not official or not fully qualified | Paranormal A paramedic |
| patho- | Connected with disease | Pathology |
| penta- | Five, having five | Pentagon, pentathlon |
| petro- | Connected with rocksConnected with patrols | Petrology Petrochemical |
| philo- | Liking | Philanthropist |
| phono- | Connected with sound or sounds | Phonetic, phonology |
| photo- | Connected with lightConnected with photography | Photosynthesis Photocopier |
| physio- | Connected with nature Connected with physiology | Physiotherapist |
| poly- | Many | Polygamy |
| post- | After | Post-war |
| pre- | Before | Pre-pay, preview |
| pro- | In favour of, supporting | Pro-democracy |
| proto- | Original, from which others develop | Prototype |
| pseudo- | Not genuine, false or pretended | Pseudonym |
| psycho- | Connected with the mind | Psychology |
| quad-, quadri- | Four, having for quad | quadruple(=multiply by four) |
| quasi- | That appears to be sth but is not really soPartly, almost | A quasi-scientific explanation Quasi-official body |
| radio- | Connected with radio waves or the activity of sending out radio or television programmes (=broadcasting)Connected with radioactivity | Radio-controlled car Radiographer |
| re- | Again | Rewrite, reappearance |
| retro- | Back or backwards | Retrospective |
| self- | Of, to or by yourself or itself | Self-control |
| semi- | Half | Semicircle, semi-final |
| socio- | Connected with society or the study of society | Socio-economic |
| step- | Related as a result of one parent marrying again | Stepmother |
| sub- | Below, less thanA smaller part | Subzero Subdivide |
| super- | Extremely, more or better than normalAbove, over | Superhuman Superstructure, superimpose |
| techno- | Connected with technology | Technophobe (=a person who is afraid of technology |
| tele- | Over a long distance, farConnected with television | Telepathy, telescopicTeletext |
| theo- | Connected with God or a god | Theology |
| thermo- | Connected with heat | Thermo-nuclear |
| trans- | Across, beyondInto another place or state | Transatlantic Transplant |
| tri- | Three, having three | Triangle |
| ultra- | Extremely, beyond a certain limit | Ultra-modern |
| un- | Not, the opposite ofIn verbs that describe the opposite of a process | Unable, unlock Undo |
| under- | Below Lower in age, level or positionNot enough | Underground Under-fives Under-cooked food |
| uni- | One, having one | Uniform, unilaterally |
| up- | Higher, upwards, towards the top of sth | Upturned |
| vice- | Next in rank to sb and able to represent them or act for them | Vice-captain |