Prefix
| Meaning
| Examples
|
AB-
variants
A-
ABS- before t, c
| away, from, off,
refusal, separation
| Abnormal – differing from normal
Avert – turn away
Abstract – separated from concrete
|
AD-
variants
A- before sc, sp, st
AC- before c, k,q
AF- before f
AG- before g
AL- before l
AN- before n
AP- before p
AR- before r
AS- before s
AT- before t
| to, at, close to, beside,
approach
| Adjoin – to be next to something, to join to some object
Aspire - to desire and work towards achieving something important
Accompany – to join, to go together
Affix – to stick something to something else
Agglutinate – to stick with glue
Alloy – to mix one metal to another
Annex – to add something as a part
Appendix – added part of a book etc
Arrive – to come to a place
Assent – to agree to something
Attend – to be present at a meeting etc
|
ANTE-
| before, earlier
| Antedate - to come from an earlier time in history
|
BI-
variants
BIN-, BIS-
| twice, double,
of two parts
| Bicycle – a vehicle with two wheels
Binocular – a pair of glasses like short telescopes
|
CIRCUM-
| Around
| Circumnavigate – to sail completely around the Earth
|
COM-
variants
CO- before vowels and gn, h
COL- before l
CON- before other consonants
COR- before r
| together, with
| Combine – to mix, join together
Co-exist – to exist at the same time or in the same place
Collect – to bring together the things of the same type
Connect – to join things together
Correlation – a connection between two ideas, facts etc
|
CONTRA-
variants
CONTRO-, COUNTER-
| Against
| Contravene – to do something against law regulations
Controversy – a serious argument or disagreement
Counterattack – an attack that you make against someone who has attacked you
|
DE-
| off, down,
separation, deprivation, absence
| Depart – to leave the place, go away
Descend – to move down
Denude – to remove a natural part of something
|
DIS-
variant
DI-
| division, disconnection,
negation
| Disbelief – a feeling that something is not true
Digress – to move away from the main subject
|
EX-
variants
E- before consonants
EF- before f
ES- before s, c
| out of, off, up
| Exclude – to keep out of place or group
Erase – to remove information from a computer memory or from a tape
Efface – to remove a mark or sign from a surface
Escape – to get away from a place
|
EXTRA-
| out, outside
| Extrajudicial – outside the ordinary powers of the law
|
IN-
variants
IL- before l
IM- before b, m,p
IR- before r
| 1) not; negation
2) in, inside
| Inactive - not doing anything or not workingInstall - place in position ready for use
Illegal – not allowed by the law
Immobile – not moving at all
Irregular – happening not in regular periods of time
|
INTER-
| between
| Interwar – that happened between the two World Wars
|
INTRO-
variant
INTRA-
| into, inside
| Introduce – to bring something into use
Intravenous – (injection) that is done into vein
|
OB-
variants
O-
OC- before c
OF- before f
OP- before p
| to, before,
because of
| Obstacle – something that makes it difficult to achieve your aim, blocks your way
Omit – to not include, leave out
Occasion – special event; reason, need
Offense - an illegal action or a crime
Oppose - to disagree with something and try to prevent it from happening
|
PER-
| through,
completion
| Permeate – to spread through all parts, penetrate
Perfect – complete, without any faults or weaknesses
|
POST-
| after
| postdate – to happen, live, or be made later in history
|
PRAE- = PRE-
| before, in front of,
prior to, ahead
| Prefix – the part of word added before the root
|
PRO-
| ahead, forward;
for, support;
instead of
| Prologue – the introduction to a play, poem etc, that goes before the main part
Pro-American – speaking for, supporting American position, policy etc
Pronoun – a word that is used instead of a noun or noun phrase
|
RE-
variant
RED-
| again, back
| Remake – to make a new version
return – to come back
redeem – recover by effort or payment
|
SE-
variant
SED-
| aside, off the way
| Secede – to formally leave an organization
Sedition – speech made to encourage people to disobey the government
|
SUB-
variants
SU-
SUC- before c
SUF- before f
SUG- before g
SUP- before p
SUR- before r
SUS- before c, p, t
| under
| Submarine – ship operating under water
Suspect - to think that someone is probably guilty
Succession – things or people going one after another
Suffer – to experience something unpleasant
Suggest – to give someone your idea
Support – to agree with an idea, to want it succeed
Surrender – to give up, to stop fighting
Suspend – to stop something for a short time
|
SUPER-
variant
SUPRA-
| over, above
| Superhuman – above usual human power or abilities
Supranational – involving more than one country
|
TRANS-
variant
TRA-
| through, across
| Transparent – letting light pass through it
Traverse – to move across, over, or through something
|
TRI-
| of three parts
| Triangle – a geometrical shape with three straight sides and three angles
|
UNI-
variant
UN-
| one, single, common, indivisible
| Unilateral – done by only one side participating in the situation
Unanimity – a situation in which all people think or act as one
|
VICE-
| instead of, in place of
| Vice-president – person responsible for the president's duties if he or she is ill
|