LATIN and GREEK PREFIXES

A sixth-century BCE bronze statue of the Greek hero Heracles (National Museum, Athens)

And though thou hadst small Latine and less Greeke, From thence to honour thee, I would not seeke For names.

BEN JONSON (seventeenth-century English playwright and poet)

“To the Memory of My Beloved, the Author, Mr. William Shakespeare” (1623)

Prefixes formed from Latin and Greek prepositions are most often adverbial, that is, they qualify or modify some action that is described by the word to which the prefix is attached.

I. LATIN PREPOSITIONS

Latin Preposition	English Meaning	English Combining Form	Example
ab, a	from, away from	ab-, a-	abduct, avert
ad1	to, toward, for	ac-, ad-, af-, ag-, al-,	accept, admit, affirm,
		an-, ap-, ar-, as-, at-	aggression, allocate,
			announce, applaud,
			arrive, assume, attack
ante	before	ante-	antecedent
cum2	with, together	com-, col-, con-	compose, collect,
		cor-, co-3	convene, correct, cohere
circum	around	circum-	circumnavigate
contra4	against	contra-	contradict
de	down, from, about	de-	depose
ex, e	out of	ex-, e-, ef-	except, edict, effort
extra	outside	extra-	extraordinary
in	in, into, on	in-, il-, im-	incur, illusion, import
inter	between	inter-	interact
intra	within	intra-	intravenous
ob	to, against	ob-, oc-, of-, op-	object, occur, offer,
			oppose
per	through, by	per-, pel-	permit, perfect, pellucid
post	after	post-	postpone
prae	before	pre-	predict, prefer
pro	in front of,	pro-	propose, provide
	on behalf of
sine	without	se-	secure, secluded
sub	under,	sub-, suc-, suff-,	submit, success, suffer
	in addition to	sug-, sup-, sus-	suggest, suppose,
			suspend
super5	above	super-	supervise
trans	across	trans-, tra-	transmit, tradition
ultra6	beyond	ultra-	ultrasonic

Phoenix mosaic. The phoenix was a mythical bird that was said to live for 500 years, then consume itself in fire, only to be reborn out of the ashes. Third century CE (Urfa, Turkey)

II. GREEK PREPOSITIONS

Greek Preposition	English Meaning	English Combining Form	Example
amphi (άμφί)	around, on both sides;	amphi-	amphitheatre
	of both kinds		amphibious
ana (άνά)	up; backward; again	ana-	anagram, analogy
anti (άντί)	against	anti-	antidote, antipathy
apo (άπό)	from, away from	apo-, aph-*	apology, apostle,
			aphorism
cata (κατά)	down, away; concerning	cata-, cath-*	catalog, catastrophe,
			catholic, catheter
dia (διά)	through	dia-	diameter
en (ἐν)	in	en-, em-	endemic, empathy
ec (ἐκ)	out of	ec-, ex-	ecstasy, exodus
epi (ἐπί)	on, at, to; in addition to	epi-, eph-*	epistle, epidemic
			ephemeral
hyper7 (ύπέρ)	over, beyond; excessively	hyper-	hyperbole,
			hyperactive
hypo (ύπό)	under, below; slightly	hypo-, hyph-*	hypothesis, hyphen
meta (μετά)	with, after, beyond; change	meta-, meth-*	metabolism, method
para (παρά)	beside, beyond; contrary	para-	paradox, parallel,
	to; irregular		paranoia
peri (περί)	around, about, near	peri-	perimeter, periphery
pro (πρό)	before, in front of	pro-	problem, prophet
pros (πρός)	to, toward, in addition to	pros-	prosthesis
syn8 (σύν)	with, together	syn-, sym-, syl-,	synthesis, sympathy,
		sym-, sys-	syllable, symphony,
			system
* When placed before a word that begins with a rough breathing mark, the final vowel is dropped, and π changes to a ϕ, and a τ changes to a θ.

III. PREFIXES DERIVED FROM GREEK AND LATIN ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

Most English compound words formed from the following Greek and Latin adjectives and adverbs are learned borrowings.

Words of Measurement

Greek or Latin Word	English Meaning	English Combining Form	Example
acron (άκρον)	topmost	acro-	acropolis
aequum, aequi	equal	equi-	equilateral
auto (αύτό)	self	auto-	autograph
homeon (ὁμοι̑ον)	similar	homeo-	homeopathic
homon (όμόν)	same	homo-	homogenize
ison (ἴσον)	equal	iso-	isosceles
macron (μακρόν)	large, long, excessive	macro-	macrocosm
magnum, magni	large	magni-	magnify
mega (μέγα)	large, great	mega-	megaphone
megalon (μεγάλον)	large, great	megalo-	megalomania
micron (μικρόν)	small	micro-	microphone
multum, multi	much, many	multi-	multiply
omne, omnis	all	omni-	omnivore
pan (πα̑ν)	all	pan-, panto-	pantheon,
			pantomime
poly (πολύ)	much, many	poly-	polygamy
tele (τη̑λε)	at a distance, far	tele-	telephone

Words of Praise

Greek or Latin Word	English Meaning	English Combining Form	Example
bene	well	bene-	benefactor
eu (εὐ̑)	well	eu-	eulogy
orthon (ὀρθόν)	straight, right	ortho-	orthodox
philia (φιλία)	love	phil-, philo-	philanthropy,
			philosophy
rectum, recti	straight, right	recti-	rectify

Negatives

Greek or Latin Word	English Meaning	English Combining Form	Example
a-9 (ἀ-)	not, lack of, absence	a-	abyss
in-10	not	in-, il-, im-	innocuous
			illegal,
			immoral
non	not	non-	nonresistant
dis-	apart, away, reverse	dis-	disappear,
			dismiss
malum, mali	bad	mal-, male-	malefactor
cacon (κακόν)	bad	caco-	cacophony
dys- (δυσ-)	bad, difficult	dys-	dyslexia
miseo (μισέω)	hate	miso-	misogynist
heteron (ἕτερον)	other, different	hetero-	heterogeneous
retro	backwardy	retro-, re-	retrograde,
			regress

Odds and Ends

Greek or Latin Word	English Meaning	English Combining Form	Example
archeon (ἀρχαι̑ον)	old	archeo-	archeology
paleon (παλαι̑ον)	old	paleo-	paleolithic
neon (νέον)	new	neo-	neophyte
crypton (κρυπτόν)	hidden	crypto-	cryptogram
quasi	as if, resembling	quasi-	quasi-official

No Wonder I'm Confused

Mastering the orthography of English can be a difficult business because of the various influences on the language over time, and the existence of both homographs and homophones only add to the confusion.

Homographs are words that have the same written forms but different meanings (and sometimes different pronunciations). They may or may not have the same etymological root.

1.       orient is derived from orior-oriri = rise
morbid is derived from morbus, morbi = sickness
Check your dictionary for different meanings of these words and how these meanings developed.

2.       Host can mean either a very large army, or a person who greets and entertains you. The former is derived from hostis, hostis = enemy; the latter from hospes, hospitis = guest or host.
Here are a few others to confuse you:
You are not qualified, so I will give you only qualified approval.
I wind my watch as I stand in the wind.
I hope that my will will reflect my will.
I wound my watch although I had a terrible wound.

Homophones are words that sound alike but that are spelled differently (and have different meanings).

Examples

1.       I threw the ball through the window.

2.       Don't whine, he said, as he drank my glass of wine.

3.       She knows where her nose is.

Impress Your Friends

Some words are just fun to know. Here are a couple:
obfuscate = confuse or bewilder, especially in regard to the truth.

“The governor tends to obfuscate even when asked a direct question.”

obsequious = overly willing to follow the will or desire of another, especially one's superiors.

“His obsequious behavior toward his boss made everyone think he was her servant.”

NAME _______________________________________________________________________

A. In Exercises 1–29, fill in the blanks with the literal meaning of each italicized word or part of a word. Make sure that your sentences are grammatically correct. If you are not sure of the derivation, check your dictionary.

Example

A promotion moves you in front; a demotion moves you down.

1. At a colloquium, individuals __________ __________ one another.

2. An extraterrestrial being come from __________ the earth.

3. Circumstances are the events that __________ __________ an event.

4. Your supervisor is __________ __________ __________ your work.

5. An introvert is an individual who has __________ __________ himself.

6. A supposition is a statement that is __________ __________ an argument.

Can you figure out a Greek-based word that has exactly the same meaning? __________

7. In American history, “ante bellum” usually refers to the period __________ the Civil War.

8. To intervene in an argument is to __________ __________ the two sides.

9. If someone grabs you __________ the throat, you may suffocate.

10. An agenda is a list of things to be __________.

11. A person who interferes in your business __________ himself __________.

12. When the onus of responsibility is placed upon you, it becomes your __________.

13. A sinecure is a job __________ real responsibilities or duties.

14. An obstacle __________ __________ you.

15. An aqueduct __________ water from one place to another.

16. A person who lives in seclusion is closed __________ from the world.

17. A circumlocution is a polite way of __________ __________ an unpleasant topic.

18. Contrary individuals are inclined to go __________ whatever the majority says.

19. A postscript is __________ __________ the body of a letter.

20. A permeable substance allows other material to pass __________ it.

21. A permanent stain is one that will remain __________.

22. An advertisement __________ your attention __________ a product.

23. A deposition is a statement that has been __________ __________ about an event.

24. What does circa 1920 mean? ___________________

25. I came to work via public transportation. In other words I was __________ __________ town __________ city streets.

26. An aggressive person walks __________ you in a hostile manner.

27. I was given a bonus because I did __________ job.

28. He lived in squalor; his apartment was so __________ I couldn't stand it.

29. He claimed he was a pauper, but he certainly didn't live like a __________ man.

B. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with the literal meaning of the italicized word or part of a word. Make sure that the sentence is grammatically correct.

30. An amphitheatre has seats all __________.

31. An apostate is an individual who has __________ __________ his faith.

32. A peripatetic individual likes to walk __________all the time.

33. When you make a synthesis of various ideas, you __________ them __________.

34. An antidote is __________ __________ a poison.

35. A diagonal line is drawn __________ an angle.

36. An epitaph is written __________ a tombstone.

37. Metamorphosis indicates __________of shape or form.

38. A paramedic works __________ the doctor.

39. A hypercritical individual is __________ judgmental.

40. In a state of ecstasy, you may experience a psychological sensation of __________ __________ your body.

41. A disease that is endemic is widespread __________ the population.

42. A prophet speaks the true outcome of an event __________ it happens.

43. There was an exodus toward the doors as the audience looked for a way __________.

44. In a symphony, all the sounds blend __________.

C. As we have already seen, some Latin words changed their function when they entered into English. Here are some more Latin verb forms that have become English nouns. What are the current meanings of these Latin verbs?

Latin Verb Form	Literal Translation	Current Meaning
45. credo	I believe	______________
46. affidavit	he has sworn	______________
47. deficit	it is lacking	______________
48. ignoramus	we do not know	______________
49. caveat	let him beware	______________
50. caret	it is lacking	______________
51. fiat	let it be done	______________

D. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with the literal meaning of the italicized word or part of a word. Make sure that the sentence is grammatically correct.

52. An omnivorous animal _______ ______ kinds of food.

53. If you are a neophyte at tennis, you may make mistakes because you are ______ to the sport.

54. A creature that is macrocephalic has a __________ skull.

55. A misogamist _______ the very thought of marriage.

56. The population of New York City may be described as heterogeneous because it is made up of many __________ nationalities and ethnic groups.

57. A benevolent individual wishes you ___________.

58. A dyspeptic individual may be irritable because she has ________ digestion.

59. A polygynist has _______ wives at the same time.

60. The Pantheon was an ancient temple in Rome dedicated to _______ the _______.

61. To be magnanimous means that you are generous and therefore have a ________ spirit.

62. If you are abysmally ignorant, your lack of knowledge is _________ any measure or depth.

63. A retrospective exhibit looks _________ at the whole of an artist's work.

64. A musical composition that is euphonious _________ _________ to the ear.

65. A micrometer is an _________ _________ distances.

66. An Anglophile _________ all things English.

67. An autonomous state is one that is ____________ ____________.

68. A cryptogram is ________ whose meaning is __________.

69. An archaeologist _________ _________ cultures.

70. A rectilinear argument moves along a __________ line.

71. The speech of an incoherent individual does _________ hold together.

72. “Please do not desert me in the desert” provides an example of a _____________.

73. “He jumped into the air when he found out that he was heir to a fortune” provides an example of a ___________.

74. What is the difference between an immigrant and an emigrant? ______________________.

E. What's in a name? Onyma (ὄνυμα) is the Greek word for name. Give the current meaning of each of the following compounds of onyma and cite an example of each.

	Meaning	Example
75. acronym	_________	_________
76. homonym	_________	_________
77. antonym	_________	_________
78. synonym	_________	_________
79. anonymous	_________	_________
80. eponym	_________	_________

F. How many of these words can you use to construct a coherent essay or story? Whatever you write must make grammatical and logical sense. If you are unsure of a meaning, check your dictionary. In addition, give the etymology of each of the words that you use.

abhor	deviate	pervert
accost	emancipate	post mortem
adhere	exacerbate	prevaricate
antediluvian	extrovert	pro tempore
avert	internecine	seduce
collude	introspective	superstitious
compassion	oblivious	traitor

G. Construct sentences that contain one of the following words and that demonstrate you understand the meaning of the word. You need use only one word per sentence but extra credit for using two or more. Make sure that your sentences are grammatically correct.

anachronism	empirical	hypothesis
antithesis	ephemeral	paradigm
catastrophe	hyperbole	protagonist

Footnotes

1. Certain consonants (such as b, m, and n) often take on the sound of the following consonant: e.g., sub + pono (place) > suppono-supponere-suppositum (place under). This is called assimilation. Sometimes there is only a partial assimilation of sounds: e.g., n before p becomes m, as in compose.

2. Sometimes the Latin prefixes cum and per (as well as the Greek διά) serve merely to intensify the word to which they are affixed: e.g., per + facio > perficio-perficere-perfectum = do thoroughly, finish; or cum + cedo > concede-concedere-concessum = yield completely, give way.

3. The prefix co- is most often used as a learned borrowing, meaning “together” or “jointly”: e.g., coworker.

4. When the Latin word has first passed through French, contra most often becomes counter: e.g., contra + mando (order) > countermand.

5. When the Latin word has first passed through French, super most often becomes sur: e.g., super + vivo (live) > survive.

6. Ultra is never used as a prefix in Latin. It appears in English only as a learned borrowing.

7. Almost all uses of hyper- and hypo- in English compounds are learned borrowings.

8. In compounds, the n of syn- is often assimilated to the consonant that follows it.

9. When a- is added to a word that begins with a vowel, an n is placed between the prefix and the root of the word: e.g., a + arche > anarchy.

10. There is, unfortunately, no way to distinguish between the use of in- as a prefix meaning in or on, and its use as a negative.