PREFIX

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does prefix mean? 

• PREFIX (noun)
  The noun PREFIX has 1 sense:

1. an affix that is added in front of the word

  Familiarity information: PREFIX used as a noun is very rare.

• PREFIX (verb)
  The verb PREFIX has 1 sense:

1. attach a prefix to

  Familiarity information: PREFIX used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PREFIX (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An affix that is added in front of the word

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("prefix" is a kind of...):

affix (a linguistic element added to a word to produce an inflected or derived form)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "prefix"):

alpha privative (the negative prefix a- or un-)

Derivation:

prefix (attach a prefix to)

• PREFIX (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they prefix    ... he / she / it prefixes   
Past simple: prefixed   
Past participle: prefixed   
-ing form: prefixing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Attach a prefix to

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

prefixed words

Hypernyms (to "prefix" is one way to...):

affix (attach or become attached to a stem word)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Antonym:

suffix (attach a suffix to)

Derivation:

prefix (an affix that is added in front of the word)

prefixation (formation of a word by means of a prefix)

 Context examples 

A prefix indicating a quantity of one quintillion, 10E18.

(Exa, NCI Thesaurus)

A prefix indicating a quantity of a quadrillionth, 10E-15.

(Femto, NCI Thesaurus)

A prefix meaning very small in scale or scope.

(Micro, NCI Thesaurus)

A prefix indicating a quantity of a tenth, 10E-1.

(Deci, NCI Thesaurus)

The DOI consists of two parts: a prefix assigned to each publisher by the administrative DOI agency and a suffix assigned by the publisher that may be any code the publisher chooses.

(Digital Object Identifier, NCI Thesaurus)

A prefix indicating a quantity of a quintillionth, 10E-18.

(Atto, NCI Thesaurus)

A prefix indicating a quantity of one quadrillion, 10E15.

(Peta, NCI Thesaurus)

A prefix indicating a quantity of a trillionth, 10E-12.

(Pico, NCI Thesaurus)

It is the only basic unit still defined in terms of a material object, and also the only one with a prefix [kilo] already in place.

(Kilogram, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

A prefix indicating a quantity of one million, 10E6.

(Mega, NCI Thesaurus)