Kovalenko_lexicology

3.2 Affixation Definition and affix types / Suffixation / Semi-suffixes / Prefixation / Semi-prefixes

Affixation is creating new words by adding affixes to the base morpheme (a root or a stem). Affixes can either be derivational, i.e. used to produce new words, like –able, -ful or pre-; or inflectional, i.e. used to build grammatical forms, like the plural ending –s or the past participle ending –ed.

Affixes can be productive (e.g. -ness) and unproductive (e.g. the Old English noun-forming suffix –th, as in length, strength, depth, width). Some affixes possess absolute productivity, which means that they are able to produce an almost unlimited number of derivatives from various stems. “There is a line to be drawn between ‘actual Enlgish words’ (e.g. sandstone, unwise) and ‘potential English words’ (e.g. lemonstone, unexcellent), both of these being distinct from ‘non-English’ words like selfishless which, because it shows suffix –less added to an adjective rather than to a noun, does not even obey the rules of word-formation.

Affixes possess relative meanings, i.e. their meanings become actualized within the word. The meanings of the affixes are generalized. For example, words with the suffix -er, may have the general meaning ‘doer of the action’, like driver; or the prefix pre- has the general meaning of ’before’, like prenuptual (before marriage).

The main types of affixes in the English language are suffixes and prefixes. Derivation types using affixes are called, respectively, suffixation and prefixation.

Suffixation is adding a word-forming morpheme (a suffix) to the end of the base morpheme to coin a new word. Unlike prefixes, suffixes commonly alter the word-class of the base. For example, the adjective soft is changed into an abstract noun softness by the addition of the suffix –ness.

Table 1 contains the list of the commonest derivational suffixes

Abstract-noun-makers
> age	frontage, mileage, marriage, cleavage, acreage, peerage, rootage, herbage, harbourage, hermitage, parsonage
> dom	officialdom, stardom, martyrdom, freedom, dukedom, computerdom, fandom, rascaldom
>ery	drudgery, slavery, robbery, tomfoolery, adultery, apery, jewellery, greenery, crockery, pottery, cutlery, monkery, jobbery, mastery, misery; tannery, brewery, nunnery, vinery, bindery
> ful	capful, cupful, bucketful, spoonful
> hood	brotherhood, girlhood, statehood, sainthood, selfhood, priesthood, womanhood
> ing	farming, panelling, cabling, carrying, law-making, deafening, gearing, glazing, landscape-gardening, calling, daring, leading
> ism	idealism, racism, voluntarism, vulgarism, sizeism, sexism, gangsterism, meteorism, Darwinism
> ocracy	aristocracy, democracy
> ship	airmanship, draftsmanship, horsemanship, fellowship, friendship, acquaintanceship, authorship, censorship, citizenship, readership, listenership, membership, (your) Worship, (your) ladyship
Concrete-noun-makers
>eer		engineer, racketeer, pioneer, volunteer
> er		teenager, cooker, plumber, financier, right-winger, courtier, villager, prisoner, New-Yorker, cottager
> ess		actress, waitress, lioness, largess, duress
> ette		kitchenette, dinette, leaderette, luncheonette, pianette, storiette, anchorette, brunette, suffragette, majorette, usherette, leatherette
> let		booklet, piglet, annulet, chainlet, eaglet, frontlet, necklet
> ling		fledgeling, firstling, fondling, groundling, overling, dapperling, underling, frogling, gosling, duckling
> ster		gangster, gamester, oldster, punster, rhymester
Adverb-makers
> ly		quickly, happily, harshly, outwardly, naturally, daily, hourly, namely
> ward(s)		northwards, onwards, south-westward, skyward(s), eastward, shoreward, seaward
> wise		clockwise, lengthwise, otherwise, chequerwise, archwise, anticlockwise, percentagewise, budgetwise, trade-wise, bank-wise, tonnage-wise
Verb-makers
> ate		orchestrate, chlorinate, activate, capacitate, sanitate
> en		deafen, ripen, shorten, strengthen, brighten, lighten, quicken
> ify		beautify, certify, aerify, acetify
>ize/>ise		modernize, advertise, extemporize, Americanize, oxidize
Adjective-/noun-makers
> ese		Chinese, Portuguese, Vietnamese, cablese, commercialese, fashionese, journalese, Johnsonese
> (i)an		republican, agrarian, Parisian, Arabian, Georgian, Mohammedian
> ist		socialist, loyalist, moralist, technologist, palaeontologist, pacifist, monogamist
> ite		socialite, Luddite, Adamite, Benthamite, Carmelite, Trotskyite, urbanite, Yemenite
Nouns from verbs
> age		breakage, wastage, usage, leakage, linkage
> al		refusal, revival, accrual, appraisal
> ant		informant, lubricant, celebrant, occupant, accountant, expectorant, inhalant
> ation		exploration, education, abirritation, activation, amelioration, cancellation, avocation, canalization, coloration
> ee		payee, absentee, appointee, mortgagee, selectee, abandonee, amputee, callee
> er		writer, driver, mocker, sinner, rider, leader, peacemaker, boarder, beginner, winner, , eraser, conditioner, container, extinguisher, sprayer
> ing		building, clothing, absorbing, kidnapping, camping
> ment		amazement, equipment, measurement, movement, embankment
> or		actor, supervisor, visitor, inventor, objector, decorator, transistor, ventilator
Nouns from adjectives
> ity		rapidity, falsity jocosity, jollity, lability, magnanimity
> ness		happiness, kindness, abruptness, absoluteness, callousness, dampness, absent-mindedness, blessedness, all-at-once-ness, donothingness, thingness
Adjectives from nouns
> ed		pointed, blue-eyed, talented, bearded, diseased, dungereed, kind-hearted, three-cornered, wounded, escaped
> esque		Kafkaesque, Romanesque, arabesque, Byzantinesque, Japanesque, statuesque, picturesque
> ful		useful, successful, blushful, beautiful, hopeful, blissful
> ic		atomic, Celtic, Gothic, angelic
> (c)al		editorial, accidental, additional, anginal, accidental, comical, theatrical, hysterical, aboriginal, canonical, categorical
> ish		Swedish, Polish, Lettish, British, Danish, liquorish, mawkish, modish, monkeyish, dilettantish, foolish
> less		careless, childless, healthless, roomless, sinewless, showerless, successless, changeless, countless
> ly		friendly, cowardly, womanly, motherly, manly, fatherly, hourly, daily, weekly, fortnightly, yearly
> ous		ambitious, desirous, dangerous, hazardous, abdominous, acetous, anonymous, bicephalous, righteous, dubious, spacious, capricious, heterophyllous
> y		sandy, hairy, healthy, dirty, horsy, nervy, newsy, pacificatory, panicky, witty
Adjectives from verbs
> able		drinkable, washable, acceptable, passable, drinkable, adaptable, lovable
> ive		attractive, explosive, apprehensive, pensive, meditative

Table 1. The Commonest English Derivational Suffixes

At the end of the 20^th and the beginning of the 21^st centuries such suffixes as -er; -ee; -ese; -ist have been particularly popular.

Words formed by means of the suffix -er have a generalized meaning of:

Doer of the action: writer, bypasser, singer, swimmer, dancer, jogger, fighter, diner, diver, hiker, dieter, acquirer, affirmer, authorizer, avower, babbler, bystander, cardholder, caregiver, caretaker;
An instrument: zipper, dish-washer, scraper, tighter, stinger, lighter, flipper, eraser, buffer, chiller, chopper, eyeliner;
Personal identification (way of life, belonging to a place, a group or a philosophy), profession: astronomer, philosopher, hacker, hipster, designer, photographer, prisoner, sniper, quitter, New Yorker, Londoner, northerner, villager, sixth-former, first-grader, bagpiper, bungler, latenighter, homesitter, dolittler.
An object possessing something denoted by the formative word (a metonymic model): three-wheeler, double-decker, locker.

The suffix –ee has a general meaning of ‘the patient of an action’, the one over whom the action is performed:

Nouns derived from verbs denoting ‘a person affected by an action’: employee, payee, trustee, trainee, tutee, referee, addressee, examinee, abductee, acceptee, adoptee, advisee, amputee, arrestee, awardee, communicate, conominee, dedicatee, deportee, designee, detainee, devotee, dischargee, done, draftee, electee, evictee, expellee, hackee, internee, interrogate, interrogee, interviewee, invitee, kidnappee, murderee, nominee, nonemployee, relocate, rejectee, selectee, transportee;
Nouns derived from adjectives, verbs or nouns denoting ‘a person described as or concerned with’: absentee, refugee, escapee, mortgagee, alienee, allottee, appellee, appointee, appraisee, assignee, attendee, bailee, bargee, biographee, bribee, conferee, consignee, contactee, cotrustee, debauchee, delegatee, departee, devisee, distributee, divorcee, drawee, endorsee, enlistee, enrollee, entrée, evacuee, franchisee, grantee, indictee, indorsee, inductee, legatee, lessee, libelee, licensee, listee, obligee, parolee, patentee, pawnee, payee, permittee, persecutee, pledgee, pollee, presentee, promise, retiree, returnee, signee, standee, transferee, warrantee.

Though, already in the year 1920 D.H. Lawrence uses this suffix to denote a victim of murder in his novel “Women in love”. Observe how, using various suffixes, the author explains his ideas:

It takes two people to make a murder: a murderer and a murderee. And a murderee is a man who is murderable. And a man who is murderable is a man who in a profound if hidden lust desires to be murdered^⁶.

Another popular noun-forming suffix is –ist, which is used to derive words with the meaning ‘a person involved in or interested in’, such as dramatist, publicist, atheist, socialist, physicist, motorist, violinist, Buddhist, evolutionist, creationist, secularist, militarist, horticulturist, feminist, sexist, ageist, animalliberationist, healthist, particularist, pugilist.

Among adjective-forming suffixes the suffix –ese must be mentioned (which has the general meaning of ‘the language of’ or ‘the quality of’). By analogy with such words as Chinese and Japanese such words as Americanese, Washingtonese, jourmnalese, newspaperese, headlinese, golphese, telegraphese, computerese, legalese, motherese, fashionese, officialese have been coined.

By analogy with the suffixation model, parts of compounds are sometimes used to coin new words. In cases when many words are coined with help of the same element, the meaning of this element becomes generalized and its nature becomes close to that of a suffix. For example, in words sportswear, menswear, footwear, nightwear, swimwear the element –wear has a generalized meaning ‘a group of clothes used for a particular purpose’. Such words could also be called ‘pseudo-compounds’(Зацний, 1998, с.6), as the meaning of the second element is generalized.

At the end of the 20^th – the beginning of the 21^st centuries the process of conversion of lexemes into affixes (or, rather, semi-affixes) has been particularly active. Y.A. Zatsny names the following among the most productive semi-suffixes (Зацний, 1998, с.6): -abuse, -friendly, -line, -person, -something, -speak, -ware,-watch. Table 2 represents some derivatives with the most productive English semi-suffixes.

>abuse	childabuse, internetabuse, drug-abuse, alcohol-abuse, substance-abuse, animal-abuse, police-abuse, peer-abuse
>friendly	user-friendly, investor-friendly, market-friendly, earth-friendly, eco-friendly, life-friendly, environment-friendly, vegetation-friendly, reader-friendly, kid-friendly, child-friendly, family-friendly, bandwidth-friendly, human-friendly
>line	hotline, helpline, topline, aidline, carline, dateline, hardline, hemline, hipline, jawline, lifeline, mainline, midline, multiline, neckline, plotline, roofline, sideline, silkaline, skyline, streamline, timeline, touchline, trotline, truckline, waistline
>person	chairperson, spokesperson, salesperson, businessperson, layperson, anchorperson, cameraperson, congressperson, craftsperson, draftsperson, handyperson, houseperson, layperson, newsperson, waitperson, weatherperson
>something	to denote age, more than: twenty-something, thirty-something, fourty-something, fifty-something;
>speak	fashionspeak, ecospeak, technospeak, doublespeak (by analogy with Newspeak in G. Orwell’s ‘1984’)
>ware	software, hardware, cheapware, wetware, barware, caneware, chinaware, earthenware, freeware, giftware, kitchenware, lusterware, metalware, silverware, tableware, teaware, tinware, vapourware, willowware, woodenware, yellowware
>watch	deathwatch, dogwatch, midwatch, outwatch, stopwatch, nightwatch, daywatch.

Table 2. The Most Productive English Semi-suffixes

Table 3 shows other semi-suffixes that have been productive at the end of the 20^th – the beginning of the 21^st centuries as well:

>addicted	alcohol-addicted, cocaine-addicted, chocolate-addicted, carbon-addicted, food-addicted, game-addicted, online-addicted, internet-addicted, net-addicted, comfort-addicted;
>babble	ecobabble, psychobabble, technobabble, eurobabble, conspiracy-babble, officebabble, babybabble, mediababble, Internetbabble, blonde-babble, sideshow-babble, actor-babble, fashionbabble, abortion-babble, science-babble;
>fold	in combination with numeral stems, Latin stems denoting quantity and English pronouns of quantity: threefold, fifteenfold, bifold, hundredfold, manyfold, millionfold, multifold, severalfold, thousandfold, trifold
>head	meaning ‘crazy about, addicted to’: cyberhead, digithead, nethead, sleepyhead, dopehead;
>odd	used with numerals, meaning ‘a bit more than’ thirty-odd, twenty-odd, fourty-odd, fifty-odd;
>aid	medicaid, relief-aid, food-aid, cash-aid, health-aid, grant-aid, net-aid;
>aware	eco-aware, ecologically-aware, politically-aware.
>phobia	technophobia, homophobia, computerphobia, photophobia
>ville	cyberville, Pleasantville, Farmville, wordville,
> polis	ideopolis, cosmopolis, megalopolis
>land	badland, benchland, blackland, downland, dreamland, fantasyland, filmland, parkland, screenland, tableland
>sphere	blogosphere, bathysphere, photosphere

Table 3. Productive English Semi-suffixes

Sometimes slang becomes the source of wordbuilding components. Thus, slangy nouns junkie (a drug-addict) and savvy (knowledge, expertise) have started to function as semi-suffixes:

>junkie (synonymic to –head): data-junkie, java-junkie, sports-junkie, adrenaline-junkie, vinyl-junkie, magazine-junkie, information-junkie, knowledge-junkie, TV-junkie, science-junkie, fastfood-junkie, thrill-junkie, LSD-junkie, download-junkie, shoe-junkie, weather-junkie;

>savvy: business-savvy, techno-savvy, techsavvy, market-savvy, media-savvy, computer-savvy, startup-savvy, Cosmo-savvy, theatre-savvy, stock-savvy, crime-savvy, web-savvy, street-savvy,industry-savvy, production-savvy, money-savvy, career-savvy, fitness-savvy, design-savvy, Eurosavvy.

Sometimes semi-suffixes are produced using shortened stems (rear or initial parts of stems). For example, the element –tex in such names of cloth types as lastex, goretex, Playtex is the initial part of the word textile.

The same way, the rear part of the word sputnik (-nik) has served to coin a number of new lexemes with the general meaning ‘liking sth or doing sth denoted by the stem’ (dognik, popcornik, latenik, fashionnik, US-nik, sweetnik) or ‘often saying sth denoted by the stem’ (no-goodnik, enoughnik, so-whatnik, allrightnik). Words coined by means of semi-affixes of this sort have a telescopic nature.

The word hamburger, which originates from the name of a city in Germany (Hamburg), has as a result of false etymology been interpreted as stemming from two words: ham and burger. The part burger was later lexicalised and now denotes almost any type of sandwich. Besides, it is used as a semi-affix to form such words as chickenburger, fishburger, sausageburger, vegeburger.

The other examples of semi-suffixes originated from rear parts of word stems are:

>mail: goldmail, breakmail, greymail, greenmail (the words have been coined by analogy with blackmail and denote different types of blackmailing).

>gate: donorgate, Irangate, filegate, travelgate, Monicagate, Camillagate, tapegate, Raegangate (the words coied by analogy with Watergate to denote different kinds of scandals, especially political scandals).

>cade: autocade, camelcade, motorcade, tractorcade have been coined by analogy with cavalcade, as if the element >cade were to mean ‘a line of’, ‘procession’, although in fact this elemet is the result of the development of a Latin ending (Зацний, 1998, с.6).

>holic: in the 80^s-90^s of the 20^th century multiple words have been coined to denote a person with any sort of addiction by analogy with alcoholic: chocoholic, milkaholic, phonaholic, spendaholic. The element >(а)holic, taken from the word alcoholic, has turned thus into a semi-suffix, although etymologically the suffix in this word is >іс (Зацний, 1998, с.6). Some other examples of the word with this semi-suffix are: foodoholic, golphoholic, shopoholic, shoeholic, clothesholic, webaholic, cookoholic.

>erati: the word glitterati derived from glitter+literati in the middle of the XXth century, and in the 90^s it became a mold for some new coinages to denote people famous in certain spheres: culturati, cyberati, digerati, glamorati, journarati, creating a new semi-suffix, >erati (people famous in a particular sphere).

>zine: ‘a magazine’, ‘a regular issue’: letterzine, E-zine, catazine, skazine, thriftzine, Webzine.

>tel: airtel, boatel, condotel (from hotel).

>nomics: burgernomics, cуbernomics, mediconomics, Reiganomics, Clintonomics (from economics).

>plex: movieplex, megaplex, twelveplex (from multiplex).

>tainment: docutainment, casinotainment, edutainment, infotainment, transportainment (from entertainment).

>cize: (from exercise): jazzercise, aquacise, aerobicise;

>thon: (from marathon): dancethon, telethon;

>ocracy: (from aristocracy): do-ocracy, acre-ocracy, cheer-ocracy, Wiki-ocracy, she-ocracy, hip-ocracy, dumb-ocracy^⁷;

>stan (from Afganistan, Pakistan): nerdistan;

>wood (from Hollywood): Bollywood.

Prefixation is adding a word-forming morpheme (a prefix) to the beginning of the base morpheme (the root or stem) to coin a new word. Prefixes do not normally alter the word-class of the base. Productive prefixes normally have a light stress on their first (or only) syllable, the main stress of the word coming on the base: ,pre’fabricated.

Table 4 shows the common English prefixes.

With the meaning of negation
a>	atheist, amoral, asexual, asymmetric
dis>	disagree, disadvantage, disaffected, disallow, disapprove, disarm, disband, disbelieve, disobey, disconsolate, discontent, discourtesy, dishonest, disinterested, dislike, disorder, disorganized, disuse
in>	indecisive, infinite, inaccurate, inadmissible, inadequate, inappropriate, inattentive, inauthentic, incivility, incomparable, incompatible, incompetent, incomprehensive, indecipherable, independent, indescribable, indestructible, insoluble, intransitive
non>	nonaligned, noncitizen, noncombatant, noncommittal, noncompliance, nonconformist, noncontroversial, non-flammable, nonlinear, nonpartisan, nonprofit, nonproliferattion, nonsmoker, nonslip, non-stick, non-stop, non-violent, non-white
un>	unadorned, unaffected, unaffiliated, unacquainted, unapologetic, unassisted, unbearable, unbecoming, unblemished, unblinking, uncensored, unconcealed, undemanding, undeniable, unhelpful, unsustainable, untamed, unvoiced, unwaged, unwary, unwise
With the meaning of reversal
de>	debunk, decode, decommission, decompose, decompress, decrease, deflate, defraud, defrost, degenerate, dehumanize, dehumidifier, deselect
dis>	disarm, disable, disappear, discharge, disclose, discolour, disconnect, discontinue, discourage, discover, disengage, disentangle, disfigure, disgrace, disinfect, dismember, disunite
un>	unbalance, unban, unbend, unbutton, uncork, undo, undress, unfriend, unmask, untangle, untie, unveil, unwind
With disparaging meaning
ab>	abnormal, abuse
mal>	maladministration, malcontent, malformation, malfunction, malnourished, malnutrition, malodorous, malpractice, maltreat
mis>	misapply, misbehave, miscalculate, miscarriage, miscast, misconceive, misconduct, misconstrue, misdiagnose, misinterpret, mishear, misjudge, mislead, misname, misplace, misprint, misquote, misshapen, mistreat, mistrust
pseudo>	pseudoclassic, pseudointellectual, pseudopregnancy, pseudorandom, pseudoscientific, pseudosophisticated, pseudotuberculosis
With the meaning of size or degree
arch>	archangel, archbishop, archdeacon, archdiocese, archduchess, archduke, archenemy, archrival
co>	cohabit, co-pilot, co-produce, cooperative, co-author, coexist
hyper>	hyperactive, hypercritical, hypermarket, hypercard, hypersensitive, hypertension, hyperventilate
mega>	megabucks, megahertz, megabyte, megaloan, megamerger, megaphone, megastar, megaton, megawatt
mini>	minibar, minicab, miniskirt, minibus, minidisc, minivan
out>	outbid, outclass, outdo, outbid, outgrow, outlast, outmanoeuvre, outnumber, outrun, outsell, outshine, outsmart, outvote, outweigh, outwit
over>	overbook, overcompensate, overcook, overcrowded, overdeveloped, overdressed, overdue, overeat, overgrowth, overheat, overload, overplay, overpopulated, overpriced, overqualified, overreact, oversell, oversized, oversleep, overstay
sub>	subcontract, subconscious, subculture, subeditor, subnormal, subplot, subsonic,subset, substructure, subtitle, subtotal
super>	superabundant, supercharged, supercomputer, superglue, superhero, superhighway, superhuman, supermarket, superman, supermodel, superpower, supersonic, superstar, superstate, superwoman
sur>	surtax, surcharge, surbase, surcoat, surpass, surplus, surprint, surrealism
ultra>	ultramodern, ultracasual, ultracool, ultrahot, ultracompetent, ultraconservatism, ultracontemporary, ultradense, ultrafeminine, ultralight, ultrarapid, ultraroyalist, ultrasensitive, ultraslick, ultrasmart
under>	underachieve, underage, undercharge, underclass, undercut, underdone, underemployed, underestimate, underexpose, underfed, underfunded, undernourished, underrate, undersell, undersized, understaffed, underused, undervalue, underweight
vice>	vice-captain, vice-chair, vice-president, viceregal, viceroy
With the meaning of orientation
anti>	anti-aircraft, antibody, anti-choice, anticlockwise, anticoagulant, anticyclone, antidepressant, antidote, antifreeze antigen, antilock, antihero, antipersonnel, antiperspirant, antisocial, antithesis
auto>	autobiography, autocracy, autograph, autoimmune, autopilot, autosuggestion
contra>	contraindicate, contraflow, contradistinction, contradistinguish,contraindicate, contralateral, contraposition
counter>	counterclockwise, counteract, counteradvertising, counterassault, counterbalance, countercultural, countereffort, countermeasure, counterplay, counterproductive, countertendencies, countertrade, countertradition, counterweight, counterworld
pro>	proabortion, proactive, procreate, prolabor, pro-socialist, proconsul, provirus
With the meaning of location and distance
extra>	extracellular, extracorporeal, extraembryonic, extragalactic, extrajudicial, extralinguistic, extralogical, extramarital, extramundane, extramural, extranuclear, extraordinary, extraterrestrial, extraterritorial, extratextual, extravascular
fore>	foreshore, foreleg, forearm, forebody, forebrain, forecourt, foredeck, foreface, forefeet, forefinger, foreground, forehand, forelady, forelock, forequarter, foreshorten, foreside, foreyard
inter>	intermarry, interplay, interannual, intercaste, intercede, interchange, interdepend, interdisciplinary, interdistrict, interdivisional, interinstitutional, interinvolve, intermeddle, interrelation, interreligious, intersubjective, intertie, intervillage
intra>	intravenous, intranational, intracardiac, intracerebral, intradermal, intragalactic, intragenic, intramolecular, intramural, intrapersonal, intraplate, intrapopulation, intraspecies, intrastate, intravascular, intrazonal
pan>	pan-African, pan-American, pandemic
super>	supercontinent, supercorporation, superscript, superstructure
tele>	telescope, telephone, telecast, telecommunication, telecourse, telegragh, teleplay, teleport, teleprinter, teleview, television
trans>	transplant, transatlantic, transact, transcend, transfiguration, transformation, transliteration, transmigration, transplant, transsexualism, transhipping
under>	underarm, underbelly, undercarriage, underclothes, undercoat, undercover, undercurrent, underfloor, underfoot, undergarment, underground, underpass, underwater
With the meaning of time and order
after>	after-birth, after-care, after-effect, after-glow, after-life, after-math, after-shave, after-shock, after-taste, after-thought
ante>	antechamber, antedate, antenatal, anteroom
ex>	ex-husband, ex-wife, ex-president
fore>	forewarn, foreshadow, forecast, forecheck, foreclose, foredate, foredoom, forefather, forefeeling, forejudge, foregather, foreknow, orenoon, foreplay, forerun, foresee, foreshock, foreshow, foresight, forespeak, foretaste, foreteller, forethought
neo>	neo-Gothic, neoclassical, neo-colonial, neoconservatism, neoliberal, neonatal, neoorthodox, neorealism
paleo>	paleolithic, paleobotany, paleoanthropology, paleobiology, paleoclimatology, paleoecology, paleogeography, palaeographic, paleopathology, paleozoology
post>	postwar, postmodern, postaccident, postadolescent, postapocalyptic, postarrest, postatomic, postattack, postbiblical, postbourgeois, postclassical, postconvention, postfire, posttraumatic, postvaccinal, postworkshop
pre>	preassign, preboil, precensored, predefine, predestination, predetermine, predigest, preelect, pre-exist, prefreeze, prehistorical, preluncheon, premature, premodernism, prepay, prepuberty, preregistration, prewrap, preschool, premarital
proto>	protogalaxy, protohistorian, protohuman, protolanguage, protoplanet, protoplasm, protostar, prototype, protozoology, prototype, proto-European
re>	recycle, renew, re-join, reinvent, remarry, remodel, relocate, reenter, restart, retry, rewrite
With the meaning of number
bi>	bicycle, bifocal, biceps, bilingual, billion, binary, bivalve, bimonthly, bigamy, biathlete, bicarbonate, bisexual, biped, binomial, bisect, biannual, bicameral, bicentennial, bicephalous, biaxial, bicuspid, bilateral
demi>	demigod, demitasse, demijohns, demilune, demimonde, demirep, demisemiquaver, demivolt, demiworld
di>	dioxide, digraph, dilemma, diode, disyllable, diatomic, dichotomy, dihedral, dimorphism, dioxide, diphthong, dipolar, disaccharide
mono>	monorail, monodrama, monogram, monohybrid, monolayer, monolingual, monomania, monomolecular, mononuclear
multi>	multiracial, multiaxial, multicampus, multidisciplinary, multiethnic, multihandicapped, multilingual, multinuclear, multipower, multiservice, multistoried, multitasking, multivariable, multivitamin, multiwavelength
poly>	polytechnic, polygamy, polycentrism, polychromatic, polyclinic, polycyclic, polycystic, polydactyl, polyembryonic, polyglot, polygon, polygraph, polymer, polymorph, polynomial, polynuclear, polyrhythmic, polysyllable, polyvinyl
semi>	semicircle, semidetached, semiautobiographical, semiautomatic, semiconductor, semiconscious, semiconserative, semidarkness, semideaf, semidocumentaries, semidwarf, semifitted, semiflexible, semifluid, semitransparent, semiyearly
tri>	trimaran, tripod, trialogue, triarchy, trichromatic, trident, trifocal, trifold, trigram, trigraph, trilinear, trilingual, trimester, Trinitarian, trinocular, trioxide, triphase, triplet, trisyllable, tritheism, triumvirate, triunity, trivalent, triweekly
uni>	unisex, unicycle, uniaxial, unicameral, unicellular, unicolor, unicorn, unidimensional, unidiomatic,unidirectional, unification, unilateral, unilinear, uniparental, unipod, unipolar, univalent, univocal

Table 4. Common English Prefixes

Some prefixes take part in grammatical conversion: the words derived with their help belong to a word class different from the original word.

The prefix a> turns verbs into adjectives: astride, aboard, adrift, ajar, amiss, asleep, awake, awash.

Prefixes be> and en> participate in the process of deriving verbs from nouns and adjectives:

be>: befriend, belittle, bejewel, bespatter, bewitch;

en/em>: encase, enflame, endanger,empower, enlarge.

Prefixes in the English language have different origin. Such prefixes as over- and under- are former English adverbs.

There are a number of prefixes in the English language that are of Latin and Greek origin. Among them super> (superhero, supermodel), anti> (antispam, antiallergic), ultra> (ultrafashion, ultraheat), hyper> (hypertension, hypersensitivity); micro> (microbiology, mocrogroup); mono> (monotonous, monokini); bi> (bilateral, bifunctional); mini> (minivan, miniskirt); maxi> (maxidress, maxicoat).

A case of false etymology has lead to deriving new words by means of prefixation (the names of swimming suits for women bikini, trikini and monokini). The word bikini was derived from the name of the island Bikini in the Pacific. Later its initial part started to be perceived as a prefix with dual semantics (denoting two of something), therefore bikini is understood as a swimming suit consisting of two pieces, trikini – the one consisting of three pieces, and monokini is a one-piece swimming suit.

At the end of the 20^th century the prefix über- was borrowed into English from German to denote the highest degree of a quality in semantic superlatives instead of such prefixes as super- or ultra- (compare supermodel – übermodel; ultrafashion - überfashion).

There are a number of semi-prefixes in the English language that are by origin are similar to semi-suffixes. Among them are:

Docu>: docuhistory, docufantasy, documusical, docuopera, docurecreation, docudrama;
Near-: nearaccident, neardeath, nearmonopoly;
Petro>: (from petrol): petrocurrency, petroeconomy, petropower, petrosheik;
Woman>: woman-doctor, woman-officer, womanpower.

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