prefixation

Adding before roots

Prefixation is the process of adding a prefix to the beginning of a word to modify its meaning: un- added to happy gives unhappy.

It's the standard linguistic term for this word-formation process, parallel to suffixation.

Most English speakers encounter the term only in grammar instruction.

morphology

affix

Word-part modifier

morphemeSmallest meaningful language unit
derivationalCreating words via affixes
inflectionalRelating to word-form changes

affixation · stem · base · root · infix · word formation · lexeme · productive · unproductive · agglutination

linguistics

morphology

Study of structural forms

etymologyWord origin study
phonologyScience of language sounds
semanticsStudy of linguistic meaning

syntax · lexical · compound · modification · construction · derivation · inflection · grammatical · structural · systematic

process

attachment

Connection or fondness

additionJoining quantities mathematically
formationCreation or arrangement
constructionProcess of building something

modification · combination · joining · affixing · appending · creating · building · compounding

Categories

Russian languageRussian, Cyrillic, Cyrillic alphabet, cases, declensions
morphologymorphemes, morpheme, affixes, affix, suffixes
word formationaffixes, affixation, roots, infix, morphemes
grammardeclension, pronouns, adjectives, conjugation, nouns
inflectioninflection, inflections, conjugation, declension, case
verb grammarconjugation, tense, verb form, infinitive, verb tense

Opposites

morphological position

prefixationsuffixation

Adding endings to words

word formation strategy

prefixationsubtraction

Removing quantities mathematically

deletion · back-formation · truncation · ablaut · umlaut

Family

fixation, prefix, suffix, prefixes, prefixed, prefixing

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Rated G