prefix

See also: préfix

Contents

EnglishEdit

Alternative formsEdit

• præfix (obsolete)
• prefixe (for the verb; obsolete)

EtymologyEdit

From Middle French prefixer (verb) resp. Late Latin praefixum (noun), both from Latin praefixus, past participle of praefīgō (“I (fix, fasten, set up) in front”, “I fix on the (end, extremity)”) (from prae- (“before”) + fīgō (“I fix”, “I fasten”, “I affix”)).

PronunciationEdit

• (noun) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹiːfɪks/
• (verb) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹiːfɪks/, /pɹiːˈfɪks/, /pɹɛˈfɪks/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

NounEdit

prefix (plural prefixes)

1. Something placed before another
   1. (grammar, linguistic morphology) a morpheme added to the beginning of a word to modify its meaning, for example as, pre- in prefix, con- in conjure, re- in reheat etc.
   2. (telecommunications) A set of digits placed before a telephone number, to indicate where the number is based, what type of phone number it is (landline, mobile, toll-free, premium rate etc.)

      in the UK, a number with an 0800 prefix is a toll-free number.

      Add the prefix +34 to dial a Spanish number from abroad

   3. A title added to a person's number, such as Mr. or Dr.

Usage notesEdit

• Though much less common, a plural form prefices exists as well, apparently formed by analogy with index–indices, appendix–appendices, and so on.

SynonymsEdit

• forefix (rare)
• foresyllable (rare)
• prefixum (archaic)

HypernymsEdit

• affix (broad sense)

Derived termsEdit

• prefixal
• prefixation

TranslationsEdit

morpheme at the beginning of a word

• Aragonese: prefixo m
• Armenian: նախածանց (hy) (naxacancʿ)
• Asturian: prefixu (ast) m
• Belarusian: прыста́ўка f (prystáŭka)
• Bulgarian: предста́вка f (predstávka), префи́кс (bg) m (prefíks)
• Catalan: prefix (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 前綴 (zh), 前缀 (zh) (qiánzhuì), 詞頭 (zh), 词头 (zh) (cítóu)

• Czech: předpona (cs) f, prefix (cs) m
• Danish: præfiks (da) n
• Dutch: voorvoegsel (nl) n, prefix (nl) n
• Esperanto: antaŭafikso, prefikso
• Finnish: prefiksi (fi), etuliite (fi)
• French: préfixe (fr) m
• Galician: prefixo m
• Georgian: პრეფიქსი (ṗrepiksi), თავსართი (tavsarti)
• German: Präfix (de), Vorsilbe (de) f
• Greek: πρόθημα (el) n (próthima)
• Hindi: उपसर्ग (hi) m (upsarg)
• Ido: prefixo (io)
• Irish: réimír (ga) f
• Italian: prefisso (it) m
• Japanese: 接頭辞 (ja) (せっとうじ, settōji)

• Korean: 접두사 (ko) (jeopdusa)
• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: praefixum
• Latvian: priedēklis m
• Macedonian: пре́тставка f (prétstavka), пре́фикс m (préfiks)
• Maori: pīmua, kūmua
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Persian: پیشوند‎‎ (fa) (pišvand)
• Polish: przedrostek (pl) m
• Portuguese: prefixo (pt) m
• Romanian: prefix (ro) n
• Russian: приста́вка (ru) f (pristávka), пре́фикс (ru) m (préfiks)
• Scottish Gaelic: ro-leasachan m
• Serbo-Croatian: prefiks (sh) m, predmetak (sh) m
• Spanish: prefijo (es) m
• Swedish: förstavelse (sv) c
• Tagalog: unlapi (tl)
• Tamil: முன்னொட்டு (ta) (muṉṉoṭṭu)
• Thai: อุปสรรค (th) (ùp-bpà-sàk)
• Turkish: önek (tr), ön ek (tr)
• Ukrainian: пре́фікс (uk) m (préfiks)
• Volapük: foyümot (vo)
• Welsh: rhagddodiad (cy) m

VerbEdit

prefix (third-person singular simple present prefixes, present participle prefixing, simple past and past participle prefixed)

1. (transitive) To determine beforehand; to set in advance. [from 15^thc.]
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter j, in Le Morte Darthur, book XXI:

     he took the Quene Gueneuer and sayd playnly that he wolde wedde hyr / whyche was his vnkyls wyf and his faders wyf / And soo he made redy for the feest / And a day prefyxt that they shold be wedded / wherfore quene Gweneuer was passyng huey / But she durst not dyscouer hyr herte

   • 1603, John Florio, transl.; Michel de Montaigne, The Essayes, […], printed at London: […] Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:
     , I.40:

     But the danger was, that a man can hardly prefix any certaine limits unto his desire […].

2. (transitive) To put or fix before, or at the beginning of something; to place at the start. [from 16^thc.]

Related termsEdit

• fix
• pre-
• prepend

TranslationsEdit

put or fix before, or at the beginning of

• Dutch: voorvoegen
• Esperanto: prefiksi
• French: préfixer (fr)
• German: präfigieren (linguistics), mit einem Präfix versehen

• Greek: προτάσσω (el) (protásso)
• Italian: prefissare
• Portuguese: prefixar

set or appoint beforehand

• Dutch: op (nl) voorhand (nl) vastleggen (nl), arrangeren (nl), regelen (nl)
• French: préfixer (fr)

• Greek: προτάσσω (el) (protásso)
• Italian: prefissare

See alsoEdit

• Category:English prefixes
• prefix on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

ReferencesEdit

Further readingEdit

• prefix in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• prefix in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

AnagramsEdit

• perfix

---

CatalanEdit

EtymologyEdit

Latin praefixum

NounEdit

prefix m (plural prefixos)

1. prefix

---

CzechEdit

PronunciationEdit

• IPA^(key): [ˈprɛfɪks]
• Rhymes: -ɪks
• Hyphenation: pre‧fix

NounEdit

prefix m inan

1. prefix

SynonymsEdit

• předpona

Derived termsEdit

• prefixový

Further readingEdit

• prefix in Kartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu
• prefix in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

---

DutchEdit

PronunciationEdit

• IPA^(key): /ˈpreːfɪks/

• Audio

  (file)

Etymology 1Edit

From post-Classical Latin praefixum, nominal use of the neuter form of Classical Latin praefixus, past participle of praefīgō (“I (fix, fasten, set up) in front”, “I fix on the (end, extremity)”) — the noun directly thence, whereas the adjective via French préfixe.

Alternative formsEdit

• praefix (archaic)

NounEdit

prefix n, m (plural prefixen, diminutive prefixje n)

1. prefix

SynonymsEdit

• voorvoegsel

AntonymsEdit

• suffix, achtervoegsel

Etymology 2Edit

AdjectiveEdit

prefix (not comparable)

1. (obsolete) fixed, predetermined

InflectionEdit

Inflection of prefix
uninflected	prefix
inflected	prefixe
comparative	—
		positive
predicative/adverbial		prefix
indefinite	m./f. sing.	prefixe
	n. sing.	prefix
	plural	prefixe
definite		prefixe
partitive		prefix

---

OccitanEdit

NounEdit

prefix m

1. (grammar) prefix

Related termsEdit

• sufix

---

RomanianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From French préfixe.

PronunciationEdit

• IPA^(key): /pɾeˈfiks/

NounEdit

prefix n (plural prefixe)

1. prefix

DeclensionEdit

declension of prefix

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) prefix	prefixul	(niște) prefixe	prefixele
genitive/dative	(unui) prefix	prefixului	(unor) prefixe	prefixelor
vocative	prefixule		prefixelor

AntonymsEdit

• suffix

Related termsEdit

• afix
• infix