View source for Prefixes from Greek

A [[prefix]] is a small sub-unit of language: it is a letter or group of letters placed at the beginning of a word to form a new word with a different meaning from the original word.

Many [[prefix]]es in English derive from the [[Classical Languages]], i.e., from [[Greek]] and [[Latin]]. Many, though not all, of them were [[preposition]]s in [[Greek]] or [[Latin]], and many, though not all, also functioned as [[prefix]]es in those languages.

Here is a list of the more common [[prefix]]es which have a [[Greek]] origin. (For a list of the more common [[prefix]]es which have a [[Latin]] origin see [[Prefixes from Latin]].) The first column lists the basic form of the [[prefix]], while the last column lists some of the ways in which the [[prefix]] can be modified. For example, the English word 'sympathy' is a combination of the prefix 'syn-' (with, together) and the Greek word ''pathos'' {feeling}, but before words beginning with 'p' 'syn' is modified to 'sym-' because the combination 'mp' is much easier to pronounce than the combination 'np'. 


{|  border="1" cellpadding="2"
!Prefix  !!  Meaning  !!  Examples  !!  Other forms of the prefix
|-
|a-  ||  not, without  ||  apathetic, atheism ||  Often an- before a vowel, as in 'anodyne' and 'anonymous'
|-
|amphi-  ||  around, both  ||  amphitheatre, amphibian ||
|-
|ana-  ||  up, again, back  ||  anatomy, analysis, analogy ||
|-
|anti-  ||  against, opposite  ||  antifreeze, antipathy, antidote ||
|-
|apo-  ||  away from, off  ||  apology, apostate, apogee ||  aph- before a vowel where the original Greek word began with an 'h', as in 'aphorism' (pronounced '-f-') and 'aphelion' ('p'-'h' separately)
|-
|arch-  ||  chief, principal  ||  archangel, archbishop  ||  sometimes archi- as in 'architect'
|-
|auto-  ||  self, same  ||  autobiography, autodidact, autocrat, automobile ||
|-
|cata-  ||  down, downwards, badly  ||  [[cataract]], catastrophe  ||  cath- before a vowel where the original Greek word began with 'h', as in 'cathode'
|-
|di-  ||  two, double  ||  dilemma, dioxide ||
|-
|dia-  ||  through, across, apart  ||  dialogue, dialysis, diameter  ||  di- before a vowel, as in '[[diaeresis]]'
|-
|dys-  ||  bad, abnormal  ||  dysfunctional, dyspepsia, dystrophy ||
|-
|ec-  ||  from, out of  ||  eccentric, eclectic  ||  ex- before a vowel, as in 'exodus'
|-
|epi-  || upon, above  ||  [[epicentre]], epitaph, [[epithet]]  || eph- before a vowel where the original Greek word began with an 'h', as in 'ephemeral'
|-
|eu-  ||  well, good  ||  eulogy, euphoria, euthanasia, [[euphony]] ||
|-
|hyper-  ||  over, excessive  ||  hyperactive, hypersensitive, [[hyperbole]] ||
|-
|hypo-  ||  under, below normal  ||  hypotenuse, hypothermia  ||  hyph- before a vowel where the original Greek word began with an 'h', as in 'hyphen'
|-
|meta-  ||  behind, after, change  ||  metamorphosis, metabolism, [[metaphor]]  ||  meth- before a vowel where the original Greek word began with 'h', as in 'method'
|-
|mono-  ||  one, single  ||  monologue, [[monograph]], monolith  ||  mon- before a vowel, as in 'monocle' from 'ocul[ar]'
|-
|neo-  ||  new, recent  ||  neonate, neologism, neoclassical ||
|-
|para-  ||  beside, beyond  ||  paradox, paramilitary  ||  par- before a vowel, as in 'parallel'
|-
|palin-  ||  back, backwards, again  ||  palinode, [[palindrome]] ||  palim- before 'p', as in 'palimpsest'
|-
|peri-  ||  round, about  ||  periscope, perinatal, peripheral ||
|-
|poly-  ||  many, much  ||  polygamy, polymath, polychrome ||
|-
|pro-  ||  before, forward  ||  prologue, prophet, programme ||
|-
|syn-  ||  with, together  ||  synchronise, synthetic  || sym- before 'b' and 'p', as in 'symbol' and 'sympathy'; syl- before 'l', as in 'syllable'
|}

[[Category:Prefixes]][[Category:Greek]][[Category:Latin]]
[[category:Word formation]]
[[category:affixes]]