Words with a suffix and prefix: Fill in the Prefixes and Suffixes #1: EnchantedLearning.com

Latin Roots Suffixes and Prefixes: Words

Did you know that the English language is made up of many words derived from other languages? In fact, over 60% of English words are derived from Latin, French, and Greek. This article will explore Latin roots, suffixes, and prefixes. Not sure what they are? No worries, we will look at a definition of each of these terms, along with some examples and English words that use them.

Latin Roots, Suffixes, and Prefixes Definition

It’s important to be aware of what roots, prefixes, and suffixes are, as they all help to determine the meaning of words. If you haven’t heard of these terms before, here are some definitions and examples:

Roots Definition

A root (also known as a base) refers to the core form of a word. It has a distinct meaning and can make sense on its own.

An example of a root word is ‘child.’ This word makes sense on its own and has its own definition. Nothing has been added to it.

A root carries most of a word’s meaning. Once you learn the root of a word, you will be able to construct new words. For example, take the verb ‘slow.’ This is a root word. You can add ‘ly’ to the end to turn it into the adverb ‘slowly.’ The ending ‘ly’ is known as a suffix.

Here’s a definition of suffix:

Suffix Definition

A suffix refers to a letter or group of letters added to the end of a root word to create a new meaning. Suffixes can be added to a root word for a variety of reasons, such as:

1. To change tense

Take the root word ‘paint‘ (e.g., I paint a picture). To change this to the past tense, you would add the ‘ed‘ suffix, which changes it to ‘painted.’

It is important to be aware that the grammar rules in English are not always consistent, and words are not always ‘regular.’ This means that the suffixes and prefixes added to words will not always be the same or follow the exact same pattern. For example, if you wanted to turn the verb ‘run‘ into the past tense, you would not add an ‘ed‘ suffix, as ‘runned‘ does not make grammatical sense. Instead, you would say ‘ran.’

2. To express plurality (more than one of something)

Take the singular root word ‘cup.’ If you want to make it plural, you would add the suffix ‘s‘ at the end, which changes it to ‘cups.’ This shows there is more than one cup.

The addition of ‘s/es‘ suffixes to create a plural does not always work… Take ‘sheep‘ as an example — the plural of ‘sheep‘ is still ‘sheep.’

3. To change the word class

Take the root word ‘agree’ (verb). To change this to an adjective, you would add the suffix ‘able,’ which changes it to ‘agreeable’ (adjective).

When ‘able‘ is used, sometimes letters from the root words get dropped. For example, adding ‘able‘ to the root ‘adore‘ does not make it ‘adoreable‘ — instead, it’s ‘adorable.’

Prefix Definition

A prefix refers to a letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a root word to create a new meaning. Prefixes can be used for a couple of reasons, including:

1. To negate a word (make the meaning negative)

Take the root word ‘legal.’ To make this negative, you would add the prefix ‘il’, changing it to ‘illegal.’

Fig. 1 — Illegal has negative connotations, whereas legal has positive connotations.

Other prefixes used to create a negative meaning are:

• in- (e.g., incorrect)

• im- (e.g., impossible)

• ir- (e.g., irresponsible)

• un- (e.g., unimpressed)

• dis- (e.g., disapprove)

2. To show repetition

Adding the ‘re‘ prefix to the root ‘do‘ creates the word ‘redo‘, which means to do something again/more than once.

Sometimes, prefixes can be hyphenated so as to not be misread or mispronounced. This is often the case if the last letter of the prefix and the first letter of the root word are the same. For example, the word ‘re-enter‘ is often written with a hyphen — otherwise, it may be pronounced as ‘reen-ter.’

Latin Roots, Suffixes, and Prefixes Example

Let’s look at some examples of roots, suffixes, and prefixes derived from Latin. Did you know these words came from Latin?

Latin Roots Examples

Latin Root	Meaning
Audire	To hear
Pac	Peace
Mens	Mind
Annus	Year/yearly
Cavus	Hollow
Densus	Thick
Frater	Brother
Lingua	Language
Solus	Alone/only

Latin Suffixes Examples

Latin Suffix	Meaning
able/ible	capable/worthy of (used to form adjectives)
ation	used to turn verbs into nouns
ty/ity	used to turn adjectives into nouns
fy/ify	to cause/make/become (used to form verbs)
ment	used to turn verbs into nouns
ic/tic	used to create adjectives
ion	used to turn verbs into nouns
arium	A place associated with a specified thing.

Latin Prefixes Examples

Did you know the ‘pre’ in the word ‘prefix’ is a Latin prefix itself? It derives from the Latin ‘prae‘, which means ‘before/prior to.’

Latin Prefix	Meaning
co-	together
inter-	between
dis-	not/not any
sub-	under
pre-	before
post-	after
re-	again
de-	away/off
non-	not

Latin Roots, Suffixes, and Prefixes Words

Now that you know some Latin roots, suffixes and prefixes, let’s take a look at some English words that use them!

We’ll begin with the Latin root words and the English words that use these roots:

Latin Roots and English Words

Latin Root	Used in English words
Audire (to hear)	audible, auditorium, auditory
Pac (peace)	pacifism, pacify
Mens (mind)	mental, mentality
Annus (year/yearly)	annual, anniversary
Cavus (hollow)	cave, cavity, excavation
Densus (thick)	dense, density, condense
Frater (brother)	fraternal, fraternity
Lingua (language)	linguistics, bilingual
Solus (alone/only)	solo, sole, desolate

Latin Suffixes and English Words

Latin suffix	English words
able/ible	predictable, accessible
ation	information, imagination
ty/ity	equality, loyalty
fy/ify	intensify, purify
ment	amazement, statement
ic/tic	romantic, academic
ion	collection, invention
arium	aquarium, planetarium

Latin Prefixes and English Words

Latin prefix	English words
co-	co-occur, co-operate
inter-	international, intertwine
dis-	discomfort, disbelief
sub-	subway, submarine
pre-	preconceive, preview
post-	post-war, post-natal
re-	rearrange, remake
de-	decompress, deactivate
non-	nonsense, non-verbal

The Influence of Latin on English

Why does English have so many Latin words? One important term to discuss is. ..

Loanwords

Loanwords are words that have been taken from one language and integrated into the vocabulary of another. This is often done when two countries/cultures come into close contact, usually due to migration, trade, and/or war between countries.

During the Roman Empire, Latin was the lingua franca in most of Europe — a lingua franca is a common language used between countries that have different native languages. This means it was widely spoken and other European countries were often exposed to Latin vocabulary. Many English words were either directly taken from Latin, or new words were created using Latin roots, suffixes, and prefixes.

Below is a pie chart of the languages with the most influence on English. This shows the percentage of words in the English language that derive from each of these languages:

Fig. 2 — Pie chart showing the percentage of words in English that derive from other languages

Latin Roots, Suffixes, and Prefixes Review

So, what do we now know about Latin roots, suffixes, and prefixes?

Here are a few key points:

• A root is the core form of a word. It makes sense on its own.

• A suffix is added to the end of a root word. This can be done to change the tense, express plurality, or change the word class.

• A prefix is added to the beginning of a root word. This can be done to negate a word or show repetition.

If you are familiar with Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes, you can use them to help determine the meanings of unfamiliar English words.

For example:

The word ‘indescribable‘ is made up of:

• prefix: in
• root: describe
• suffix: able

From this, we can tell that:

• The root word ‘describe’ means to give a detailed description or account of something.
• But the prefix ‘in’ is used to negate the word — in this case meaning ‘not able to be described.’
• The suffix ‘able’ means that the word is an adjective, so is used to modify a noun.

Latin Roots, Suffixes, and Prefixes — Key Takeaways

• A root refers to the base form of a word.
• Examples of Latin root words include ‘audire’, ‘mens’ and ‘lingua’
• A suffix is a letter/group of letters added to the end of a root word, whereas a prefix is a letter/group of letters added to the beginning of a root word.
• Examples of Latin suffixes include ‘able,’ ‘ify,’ and ‘ment’
• Examples of Latin prefixes include ‘co,’ ‘dis,’ and ‘re’

40 Prefix Examples and Their Meanings

• DESCRIPTION

  Prefix examples

• SOURCE

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  Owned by YourDictionary, copyright YourDictionary

How do you turn disappear into reappear? It’s not a magic trick — it’s just a matter of changing the prefix. Prefixes may only be a few letters long, but they have the power to completely shift the meaning of a word, and even create a new word altogether.

In this article

What Is a Prefix?

A prefix is a word, syllable, or letter added to the beginning of a root word to alter its meaning.

For example, in the word disappear, dis- means “do the opposite,” and the root word -appear means “to be visible.” Disappear means “opposite of being visible” — to no longer be seen. 

When you change the prefix of a word, you can change the word’s meaning — or even the meaning of the whole sentence.

• The magician made the rabbit disappear. (The rabbit vanished.)
• The magician made the rabbit reappear. (The rabbit became visible again.)
   
• I feel transformed after my trip to the spa. (The spa changed me.)
• I feel informed after my trip to the spa. (I learned something after going to the spa.)
   
• Paul reported the criminals to the police. (Paul told the police about the criminals.)
• Paul teleported the criminals to the police. (Paul used technology to instantly send the criminals to the police)

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Prefix vs. Suffix: Start to Finish

Both prefixes and suffixes are types of affixes — words that you add to a root word to change its meaning.

While prefixes come at the beginning of a word (like disappear), suffixes come at the end of a word (as in disappearance). Both types of affixes are important in creating the meaning of a word.

Common Prefix Examples

Most prefixes come from Latin or Greek roots, and they appear in more words (and numbers) than you think. 

Prefix	Prefix Meaning	Word Examples
ante-	before, prior to, front	antebellum, antechamber, anterior
auto-	self, one’s self, yourself	autobiography, autograph, autonomy
circum —	around, go around	circumnavigate, circumscribe, circumvent
co-	jointly, with, together	coexist, copilot, coworker
com-	together, with	commiserate, compartment, community
con-	with, together	confound, confluence, conversation
en-	put into, surround	encase, endow, envelope
exo-	out, outer	exhale, extend, exoskeleton
extra-	beyond, more	extracurricular, extraterrestrial, extravert
hetero-	different, not the same	heterogeneous, heterosexual, heterocyst
homo-	same, not different	homogenized, homophone, homosexual
hyper-	extreme, beyond	hyperactive, hyperspace, hypertension
inter-	between, in the midst of, among	intermittent, intersect, interstate
mega —	large, massive	megaphone, megadose, megabyte
micro-	small, tiny	microcosm, microphone, microscope
mid-	middle, midpoint	midnight, midseason, midterm
mis-	incorrect, bad, wrongful	misappropriate, misunderstand, misuse
mono-	one, singular	monogamous, monotone, monochrome
over-	too much, excessive	overcook, overdone, overwrought
post-	after	postdate, postscript, post-war
pre-	before, prior to	prefix, preliminary, preschool
re-	again, do over	reconsider, re-evaluate, rewrite
semi-	partial, somewhat, less than fully	semiconductor, semester, semi-retired
sub-	below, beneath	subjugate, submarine, sub-par
trans-	across, change	transfer, transgender, translate

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Prefixes That Mean “Not”

Several prefixes make the new word mean the opposite of the original meaning of the base word.  

Prefix	Prefix Meaning	Word Examples
a-	lacking, without, not	amoral, atheist, abiotic
ab-	away, removed, not	abnormal, abstract, absent
an-	without, not, lacking	anaerobic, anacoustic, anhydrous
anti-	against, opposing, contrary to	antibiotic, antifreeze, antisocial
contra-	contrary to, against, opposing	contraindicated, contralateral, contraflow
counter-	opposing, contrary to, against	counterproposal, counteroffer, counter-attack
de-	reverse, undo, remove	deactivate, de-ice, deplane
dis-	remove, separate, apart from	disagree, disapprove, disconnect
ex-	away from, former, lacking	ex-husband, ex-wife, ex-boss
il-	not, lacking, without	illegal, illegible, illogical
im-	without, not, lacking	impossible, improper, impermeable
in-	no, without, lacking	injustice, incomplete, invisible
ir-	not, non, opposite	irreversible, irreplaceable, irregular
non-	not, lacking, without	nonexistent, nonfiction, nonnegotiable
un-	opposite, not, lacking	unkind, unresponsive, unruly

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Wait, Do You Hyphenate Prefixes?

For the most part, you don’t need to hyphenate a prefix to its root word. However, there are a few times to use a hyphen when adding a prefix to a word.

• Always hyphenate the prefix self (as in self-esteem or self—confident).
• Hyphenate the prefix ex- when it means “former” (as in ex-wife or ex-boss).
• Hyphenate prefixes when the prefix ends with the same letter that the root word begins with (such as non-negotiable or re-establish).
• Hyphenate prefixes if they could be confused with compound words (such as re-cover to mean “cover again”).

Words with a prefix, root, suffix and ending

Dictionary of Russian morphemes with the ability to select words

Examples of words (adjectives, nouns, verbs, adverbs) that have all the main parts (morphmemes): prefix, root, suffix and ending.

Nouns:

1. start
2. early
3. control
4. attitude
5. development
6. absence
7. difference
8. task
9. control
10. effort
11. conduct
12. population
13. surprise
14. version
15. presence
16. opening
17. branch
18. devices
19. installation
20. room
21. start
22. appearance
23. device
24. change
25. study
26. explanation
27. return
28. news
29. performances
30. try
31. increase

32. violation
33. increase
34. exhibitions
35. error
36. surprise
37. holding
38. top
39. execution
40. similarity
41. reduction
42. connection
43. preparation
44. estimate
45. exhibition
46. difference
47. increase
48. defeat
49. job
50. surprise
51. excitation
52. training
53. discussion
54. surprise
55. release
56. habit
57. return
58. exhibition
59. force
60. installation
61. uprisings
62. introductions

63. entry
64. development
65. consideration
66. lane
67. improvements
68. association
69. establishing
70. save
71. force
72. reduction
73. introduction
74. charge
75. destruction
76. extension
77. consolation
78. delusion
79. equations
80. management
82. uses
83. adjustment
84. transmission
85. armament
86. outlines
87. acquisition
88. dissatisfaction
89. institution
90. support
91. embassy
92. uprising
93. violence

Adverbs:

1. possibly
2. went

3. double
4. internal

Verbs:

1. left
2. out
3. left
4. entered
5. left
6. calls
7. tells
8. entered
9. learned
10. died
11. recognized
12. helps
13. fell
14. speaks
15. lucky

16. brought
17. dies
18. I guess
19. remember
20. call
21. died
22. remembers
23. ask
25. rose
26. passed
27. advocate
28. help
29. rose
30. leave

31. enters
32. tell
33. believes
34. gone
35. fulfills
36. helped
37. supports
38. flows out
39. died
40. dropped
41. believe
42. die
43. sends
44. transferred

Short adjectives:

Adjectives:

1. internal
2. unhappy
3. dressed

4. scientific
5. past
6. open

7. separate

Prepositions:

1. like

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Suffix, Prefix.

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practice test

Question 1

Select a row in which all words have a suffix.

Answer options

• Snow, snowdrop, snowman, lack of snow
• Snowman, snowflake, snowy, snowball
• Snow, snow, snowy, snowball
• Snow, snowy, snowball, snowdrop

Question 2

Choose the correct answer from the list.

What is the morpheme -nik- in the word «sunflower»?

Answer options

• prefix
• root
• suffix
• ending

Question 3

Underline the words that have a prefix.

Answer options

• run
• running
• coastal
• example
• stile
• harmless
• abyss

Question 4

Select the words with the suffix

Answer options

• climb
• chase
• girlfriend
• payback
• manual
• runner
• river

Question 5

Underline the words that have

prefix, root, suffix and ending.

Answer options

• run away
• coastal
• quarter
• water
• beyond river
• cinema
• corner
• sunflowers
• door

Question 6

• will bring
• loader
• scribe
• transition
• run out
• school
• harmless
• voiceless

Question 7

Highlight words with base which includes

prefix and root

Answer options

• parquet
• will bring
• loader
• scribe
• transition
• run out
• school
• harmless
• voiceless

Question 8

Highlight words with base , which includes

prefix, root, suffix

Answer options

• parquet
• will bring
• loader
• scribe
• transition
• run out
• school
• harmless
• voiceless

Question 9

• silent
• one-size-fits-all
• harmless
• ugly

Question 10

Select a word that has three prefixes

Answer options

• go crazy
• exhaust
• lose one’s mind

Question 11

Select the word in which two letters C are written at the junction of the prefix and the root

Answer options

• in. .station
• ra..stay
• ra..pull off

Question 12

Select the words with stem equal to the root

Answer options

• last
• miracle
• leaflet
• birch forest
• shower
• blacken
• forest
• yellow

Question 13

Highlight words that end in null.

Answer options

• ripe
• scarves
• mouse
• repeated
• intersection
• bear
• cloud
• up

Question 14

Choose pairs of words that represent forms of the same word.

Answer options

• painter — artist
• coast — coast
• sleeping — sleeping
• white — whitish
• read — read
• rough — rough

Question 15

Complete the sentence: “The main significant part of the word, which contains the common lexical meaning of all cognate words, is .