What is Prefix and Suffix?

Prefix and Suffix are morphemes that join words to form new words. Both are actually affixes.

The prefix or suffix name is given depending on the place in the word. That is, if you are before the radical is prefix, but if it is after the radical is suffix.

Examples:

• antipathy (anti = prefix)
• retrogive in (retro = prefix)
• toleratebefore (ante = suffix)
• realism (ism = suffix)

Prefixes

Prefixes are affixes that form words from a morpheme that precedesOradical. Thus, they modify their meaning but generally keep the grammatical class to which they belong.

Most prefixes in the Portuguese language are from Latin or Greek origin. Check the lists with their meanings and examples:

List of Latin Prefixes

Prefixes	Meanings	Examples
ab-	removal	abdicate
ambi-	duplication	ambidextrous
before-	anteriority	prepend
good-, good-	good	blessed, beneficent
bi-, bis-	two	biennium, great grandson
against-	opposition	contradict
in-, i-	denial	ungrateful, illegal
post-	position	later
semi-	a half	semicircle
tri-	three	triangle

Greek Prefix List

Prefixes	Meanings	Examples
anti-	opposition	antipathy
arch-	superiority	archbishop
pick-up	downward movement	cataclysm
dis-	difficulty	dyspnea
en-	inner position	brain
epi-	posteriority	epilogue
me-	well good	euphony
hyper-	excessive	hypertension
for-	proximity	parallel
pro-	anteriority	prologue

Suffixes

Suffixes are affixes that form words from a morpheme that succeedsOradical. Thus, they modify its meaning and, mainly, alter the grammatical class to which they belong.

Suffixes can be nominal, verbal and adverbial.

Nominal Suffixes

Nominal suffixes join the stem to form nouns and adjectives.

Nominal Suffixes	Suffixes	Examples
Augmentative Suffixes	-to the -steel -alloon -areu -go -(z) scratch -eirão -uh	seawall rich big guy villagers big mouth big man big mouth toothy
Diminutive Suffixes	little -little -think -icho (a) -echo -Is it over there -ote -bait	Peter grandfather stream goatee nap alley geezer drizzle

Check the table below for other examples of nominal suffixes:

Suffixes	Examples	Meaning
-ache -tor -ser -eiro -ist before -River	causative a translator teacher Baker dentist student librarian	agent, profession, instrument
-ity -ence -ez -hey -ice -ice -ism -or -ude -one and -ura	credibility patience good sense beauty sweetness filth patriotism freshness amplitude sourness beauty	quality, condition
-adored -act -aria -douro -thorium -terium	principality orphanage bakery slaughterhouse dorm cemetery	place, line of business
-was going -ism -stay -look	geometry christianity physics politics	science, technique, doctrine
-al -act -ada -love -love -ary -aria -It's from -hey -threshing floor -and on	coffee plantation hardware herd money container furniture shouting grove anthill smoke ten	collective
-az -then -slow -into -eh -dream -bone -all	shrewd jealous sleepy hungry fierce ghastly handsome paunchy	quality in abundance, intensity
-it's the -steel -iaco -steel -aico -year -to the -eh -eno -ensemble -are you -me -ino -hey	bone demonic heavenly Polish Hebrew paraibano Catalan Panamanian Chilean Ceará French European Argentine paulista	nature, origin, which has the quality of
-able -level -mobile -useful -hoist -ivo	kind audible mobile soluble unstable lucrative	possibility, trend
-ada -act -hip -aria -was -ok -dog -ura -Is it over there -disease -ence -ment -or	butt learning hope piracy savagery march correction Graduation look resemblance continence oath fear	action, result of action

Read too:

nouns

Adjectives

Verbal Suffixes

Verb suffixes join the stem to form verbs.

Suffixes	Examples	Meaning
-ear -ejar	flip through, kick drip, stone	repeating action
-stay -itate -bait	sip skip to snack	diminutive action that repeats
-ecer -to descend	dawn, dusk bloom, rejuvenate	initiating action

Adverbal Suffixes

Adverbial suffixes join the stem to form adverbs. There is only one adverbial suffix in Portuguese: -mind.

Examples:

• carefully
• firmly
• quite frankly
• just
• quickly

To know more:

• Adverb
• morphemes
• Endings
• Parasynthetic Derivation

Solved Exercises

1. Form two words with the prefixes below:

The) before-

See Answer

forearm

B) against-

See Answer

counter, counter-attack

ç) in-

See Answer

insolent, unfaithful

2. Indicate suffixes and form two words with them:

a) that indicate profession

See Answer

-eiro: engineer, joiner

b) that indicate action or result of action

See Answer

-ada: bite, gore

c) that indicate origin

See Answer

-ense: Athenian, Roraima