A prefix is a letter or a group of letters
attached to the beginning of a word that partly indicates its meaning. For
example, the word prefix itself begins with a prefix--pre-, which
generally means "before."
Understanding the meanings of the
common prefixes can help us deduce the meanings of new words that we encounter.
But be careful: some prefixes (such as in-) have more than one meaning
(in this example, "not" and "into").
The table below defines and
illustrates 35 common prefixes.
