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Adding a prefix to the beginning of an English word changes it to a different word. For example, when the prefix un-is added to the word happy, it creates the word unhappy. The word prefix is itself made up of the stem fix (meaning "attach", in this case), and the prefix pre-(meaning "before"), both of which are derived from Latin roots.
The following is an alphabetical list of Greek and Latin roots, stems, and prefixes commonly used in the English language from P to Z. See also the lists from A to G and from H to O . Some of those used in medicine and medical technology are not listed here but instead in the entry for List of medical roots, suffixes and prefixes .
Unlike derivational suffixes, English derivational prefixes typically do not change the lexical category of the base (and are so called class-maintaining prefixes). Thus, the word do, consisting of a single morpheme, is a verb, as is the word redo, which consists of the prefix re-and the base root do.
In meanings 2, 3, and 4, the spelling remains ped-in Commonwealth English words that begin with these letters. Not all derived words do; e.g., petard (a small bomb) is from meaning 4, and entered English from Middle French pétard for the same thing (originally literally meaning 'fart', it remains an uncommon Modern French word for 'firecracker').
The English language uses many Greek and Latin roots, stems, and prefixes. These roots are listed alphabetically on three pages: Greek and Latin roots from A to G; Greek and Latin roots from H to O; Greek and Latin roots from P to Z. Some of those used in medicine and medical technology are listed in the List of medical roots, suffixes and ...
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Similarly, some are only derived from words for numbers inasmuch as they are word play. (Peta-is word play on penta-, for example. See its etymology for details.) The root language of a numerical prefix need not be related to the root language of the word that it prefixes. Some words comprising numerical prefixes are hybrid words.
Meaning: a prefix used to make words with a sense opposite to that of the root word; in this case, meaning "without" or "-less". This is usually used to describe organisms without a certain characteristic, as well as organisms in which that characteristic may not be immediately obvious.