di-

See also: Appendix:Variations of "di"

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /daɪ/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Etymology 1

PIE word
*dwóh₁

Borrowed from Latin di-, from Ancient Greek δι- (di-, “two”).

Prefix

Greek number prefix

2	Previous:	mono-
	Next:	tri-

di-

1. Two, twice or double.

   Synonyms: duo-, bi-, bis-

   carbon dioxide

Translations

two, twice, double

• Catalan: di- (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 兩 (zh), 两 (zh) (liǎng), 二 (zh) (èr), 雙 (zh), 双 (zh) (shuāng)

• French: di- (fr)
• Galician: di- (gl)
• German: di- (de), zwei- (de), doppel-
• Hindi: द्वि (hi) (dvi)

• Italian: di-
• Japanese: 二 (ja) (じ, ji), 両 (ja) (りょう, ryō), 双 (ja) (そう, sō)
• Malay: dwi- (ms)
• Polish: di- (pl), dy-
• Portuguese: di- (pt)
• Russian: двух- (dvux-), дву- (dvu-), двое- (dvoje-), ди- (ru) (di-)
• Spanish: di- (es)
• Swedish: di- (sv)

See also

• dwi-
• twi-

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin dis-.

Prefix

di-

1. Alternative form of dis-, shortened before l, m, n, r, s (followed by a consonant), and v; also often shortened before g, and sometimes before j.

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Ancient Greek δῐ- (di-), from Ancient Greek δῐά (diá, “through”).

Prefix

di-

1. Alternative form of dia-, before a vowel.

   diactinic, dielectric

Derived terms

English words prefixed with di-

References

• “di-”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.
• “di-”, in Merriam–Webster Online Dictionary.

Anagrams

• -id, I'd, I-D, I.D., ID, id, id.

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Catalan

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).

Prefix

di-

1. di-

Derived terms

Catalan words prefixed with di-

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Danish

Prefix

di-

1. two

Derived terms

Danish words prefixed with di-

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Dutch

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /di/

• Audio

  (file)

Prefix

di-

1. Meaning two, twice, or double.

   dioxide

   dioxide

   dipool

   diople

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Esperanto

Etymology

Derived from Latin di-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [di]
• Hyphenation: di

Prefix

di-

1. di-

Derived terms

Esperanto words prefixed with di-

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French

Prefix

di-

1. di-

Derived terms

French words prefixed with di-

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German

Etymology

Ultimately from Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Prefix

di-

1. di-

Derived terms

German words prefixed with di-

Further reading

• “di-” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

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Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay di-, from Classical Malay di-, from Late Old Malay di-, from Early Old Malay ni-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /di/

• Audio

  (file)

Prefix

di-

1. (transitive) Patient focus, used in an OVA sentence.

   dimakan ― to be eaten

Derived terms

Indonesian words prefixed with di-

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Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /di/
• Hyphenation: di-

Etymology 1

From Latin de- (“indicating removal or descent”).

Prefix

di-

1. de-

Derived terms

Italian words prefixed with di-

Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).

Prefix

di-

1. di-

Derived terms

Italian words prefixed with di-

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Latin

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /diː/, [d̪iː]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /di/, [d̪i]

Prefix

dī-

1. Alternative form of dis-

Usage notes

Occurs before b, d, g, l, m, n, r, sc, sp, st, v, and occasionally before consonantal i.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Ancient Greek δῐ- (di-), from δίς (dís, “twice, doubly”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /di/, [d̪ɪ]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /di/, [d̪i]

Prefix

di-

1. Two, double; di-.

Derived terms

Latin words prefixed with di-

Descendants

→ English: di-

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Malay

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /di/

Prefix

di- (Jawi spelling -د‎)

1. (third person) Patient focus, used in an OVA sentence.

   Pintu itu dibuka olehnya.

   That door was opened by him.

Usage notes

Frequently but erroneously called "passive voice", always accompanied with oleh and exclusively used with third-person.

Derived terms

Malay words prefixed with di-

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Navajo

Etymology 1

Represents multiple homophonous thematic and aspectual prefixes of position I and VI, whose exact meaning and etymology remain mostly speculative.

Prefix

di- (position I)

1. fire, near or into it

   • diidiłjeeh ― to make a fire

► Navajo verbs with disjunct prefix di-

di- (position VI)

Young and Morgan (1987) identify 14 or so thematic prefixes, among others:

1. fire, light

   • diidiłjeeh ― to make a fire

2. arms and legs

   • dilʼéés ― to step, to place one's foot

3. extension, elongated shape
4. noise, sound, oral, food, sensory

   • dilwosh ― to shout
   • disééh ― to belch
   • yidiitsʼį́į́h ― to hear it

5. color (see also dini-)

   • dinilgai ― whitish

6. relinquishment, relief

   • yą́ą́ʼdíłgééd ― to uncover it by digging
   • bidizóóh ― to subtract it

7. sanctity

   • diyin ― holy

8. Unclassified, often entering in the formation of other prefix compounds

   • kʼiidilé ― to plant it
   • yidiséí ― to crumble it
   • hadii- ― from end to end
   • díní- (prolongative)
   • tádi- (diversative)
   • bibadi- ― to exhaustion

Four modal-aspectual uses are also distinguished:

1. Forms a number of inceptive verbs, with a (Ø/si) paradigm.

   • dighááh ― to start to go

2. Forms a number of inchoative verbs, with prepounded dah and a transitional (yii/yii) paradigm.

   • dah diighááh ― to start off, to set out, to leave

3. Forms the future mode of all active verbs along with the progressive yi-.

   • doogááł ― he will go
   • didoogááł ― he will start to go
   • dah didoogááł ― he will start off

4. Forms a number of neuter adjectivals.

   • dijool ― spherical, chubby

► Navajo verbs with prefix di-

Etymology 2

Probably cognate with a prefix of similar shape occurring in other Athabascan languages a reflexive possessive pronoun.

Probably cognate with classifier -d- marking passive and reflexive verbs.

Prefix

di- (position IV)

1. Personal prefix used in combination with the prefix of position I à-, marking the reflexive verbs. It always triggers a classifier shift (Ø → d, ł → l).

   yishchʼid ― I'm scratching it

   nishchʼid ― I'm scratching you

   ádíshchʼid ― I'm scratching myself

   ánáádíshchʼid ― I'm scratching myself again

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Northern Sotho

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the pronominal and verbal concord, it displaced the older Bantu noun prefix *bì-. The tone was lowered by analogy with other noun prefixes.

Prefix

di-

1. Class 8 noun prefix.

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Polish

Alternative forms

• dy-

Etymology

From Latin di-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /di/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -i
• Syllabification: di

Prefix

di-

1. di-

   ‎di- + ‎chromatyczny → ‎dichromatyczny

   Synonyms: bi-, dwu-

Derived terms

Category Polish words prefixed with di- not found

Further reading

• di- in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• di- in Polish dictionaries at PWN

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Portuguese

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).

Prefix

di-

1. di- (two, twice or double)

Derived terms

Portuguese words prefixed with di-

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Sotho

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the pronominal and verbal concord, it displaced the older Bantu noun prefix *bì-. The tone was lowered by analogy with other noun prefixes.

Prefix

di-

1. Class 8 noun prefix.

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Spanish

Etymology 1

From Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).

Prefix

di-

1. di-

   Synonyms: bi-, duo-

Derived terms

Spanish words prefixed with di-

Etymology 2

From Latin dis or Latin di.

Prefix

di-

1. dis-

Derived terms

Spanish words prefixed with di-

Further reading

• “di-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

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Tagalog

Etymology

From Proto-Philippine *di.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /di/, [dɪ]

Prefix

di-

1. (Negational prefix) not

Derived terms

• diigkasin
• di-maaari
• di-maabot
• di-maalam
• di-mabasa
• di-mabata
• di-makaugaga
• di-makauwi
• di-makaya
• di-makilala
• di-nabubulok
• di-pagkakaunawaan
• di-pangkaraniwan
• disaluyan

 

Tagalog words prefixed with di-

Related terms

• 'di
• hindi

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Tswana

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the pronominal and verbal concord, it displaced the older Bantu noun prefix *bì-. The tone was lowered by analogy with other noun prefixes.

Prefix

di-

1. Class 8 noun prefix.

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Welsh

Etymology

Proto-Celtic *dī- (“from, of”), from Proto-Indo-European *de. Cognate with Cornish di-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌdiː/, /dɪ/

Prefix

di-

1. intensifying prefix

   ‎di- + ‎goddef → ‎dioddef

   ‎di- + ‎golwch → ‎diolch

2. without, -less, de-, a-, negative prefix

   ‎di- + ‎enw (“name”) → ‎dienw (“anonymous”)

   ‎di- + ‎paid (“pause, respite”) → ‎di-baid (“ceaseless, incessant”)

   ‎di- + ‎swydd (“home”) + ‎-o → ‎diswyddo (“dismiss, discharge, sack, make redundant”)

   Synonyms: af-, an-, dis-

Usage notes

The negative prefix di- indicates a lack of something and is most often attached to a noun in a similar manner to English -less, e.g. dienw (“anonymous, nameless”), di-waith (“unemployed (“workless”)”), diobaith (“hopeless”). In contrast, af- and an- simply denote the negative form of the following root rather than the lack of it.

Derived terms

Welsh words prefixed with di-

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
di-	ddi-	ni-	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “di-”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

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West Makian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d̪i/

Pronoun

di-

1. third-person plural possessive prefix, their

   di oma ― their children

2. (polite) third-person singular possessive prefix, his, her

   mene de ti deto di musala ― this is my grandmother's mat

Etymology 2

Pronoun

di-

1. (inanimate) alternative form of da- (“its”) when preceded by a root-initial i

See also

West Makian personal pronouns

	independent	possessive prefix
1st person singular	de	ti
2nd person singular	ni	ni
3rd person singular	me	mVan., dVinan.
1st person plural inclusive	ene	nV
1st person plural exclusive	imi	mi
2nd person plural	ini	fi
3rd person plural	eme	di

• V indicates the expected assimilated vowel of the following noun, following standard West Makian vowel harmony.

References

• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[1], Pacific linguistics