Wordwyrt

prefix

/pˈɹifɪks/PREE-fiks
/pˈɹifɪks/PREE-fiks

Meaningfixed in front

Common meaning: letters placed before a word

‘before’ + ‘to fasten, fix’ → prefix

Journey through time

  1. Aryan root · reconstructed√MIT‘exchange’No written record; from Skeat’s list of Aryan roots, no. 274, p. 740 · scan
  2. Latinfīgō, fīxī, fīxum‘to fasten, fix’
  3. Old Frenchprefixsource
  4. Englishprefix‘letters placed before a word’ · today

pre- also in: precedeprecisepredictprefaceprelate

fix also in: fixaffixsuffixcrucifix

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin fīgō ‘to fasten, fix’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry fīgō, p. 748 · dictionary scan

Roots

Related words

affixcrucifixfixsuffix

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