Verbōrum Compositiō · Latin Word Formation

Praefīxa

Prefixes

Prefixes attach to the front of a base verb and shift its direction, intensity, or meaning. They are the engine of Latin vocabulary growth. In the examples below, the prefix is highlighted in each word.

ab- "away from, off"

spatial

Assimilation: abs- before c, t (abstinēre); ā- before m, v, f (āvertere, āferre). The full ab- shows clearly before vowels and most consonants.

abesse to be away · absent, absence
abdūcere to lead away · abduct, abduction
abstinēre to hold oneself away from · abstain, abstinence
āvertere to turn away · avert, aversion
abicere to throw away · abject

See also: dūcere, esse, vertere in the verb dictionary.

ad- "to, toward, up to"

spatialassimilation

Assimilation: ad- matches the consonant that follows it — almost always. ac- (accēdere), af- (afferre), ag- (aggredi), al- (allāre), an- (annectere), ap- (appōnere), ar- (arripere), as- (ascendere), at- (attribuere). This is one of the most heavily assimilated prefixes in Latin.

advenīre to come to, to arrive · advent, adventure
accēdere to come close, to approach · accede, access, accessible
admittere to send toward, to let in · admit, admission
ascendere to climb toward/up · ascend, ascent
attribuere to assign to · attribute, attribution
afferre to bring to · afferent (med.)

See also: venīre, mittere, ferre, dūcere in the verb dictionary.

ante- "before, in front of"

timespace

antecēdere to go before · antecede, antecedent
antepōnere to place before, to prefer · antepose
antesignānus soldier in front of the standards (picked troops) · antesignani
antemūrāle outwork in front of a wall · antemurale

English ante- survives in anteroom, antechamber, antedate. Not to be confused with anti- (Greek, "against").

circum- "around, on all sides"

spatial

circumīre to go around · circuit (via circuitus)
circumscrībere to draw a line around · circumscribe
circumstāre to stand around · circumstance, circumstantial
circumdūcere to lead around · circumduct
circumvenīre to come around, to outmaneuver · circumvent

con- / com- / cum- "with, together; thoroughly"

cooperativeintensiveassimilation

⚠ con- has two distinct jobs. It can mean "with / together" (convenīre = come together) or serve as an intensifier meaning "thoroughly, completely" (conficere = make completely = finish). Both uses are very common — check which reading fits the base word.

Assimilation: com- before b, m, p (committere, componere); col- before l (colloquī); cor- before r (corrumpere); co- before vowels and h (coīre, cohors).

convenīre to come together · convene, convention, convent
compōnere to put together · compose, component, composition
committere to send together, to join, to entrust · commit, commission
colloquī to speak together · colloquy, colloquial
corrumpere to break thoroughly, to destroy · corrupt, corruption
conficere to make completely, to finish · confect, confection

See also: venīre, pōnere, mittere in the verb dictionary.

contrā- "against, opposite"

opposition

contrādīcere to speak against · contradict, contradiction
contrāhere to draw together against, to make a deal · contract, contractor
contrāvenīre to come against, to violate · contravene
contrāpōnere to place in opposition · contrapose, contrapositive

dē- "down from; away; thoroughly"

spatialintensive

Like con-, dē- can be spatial ("down from," "away") or intensifying ("completely, thoroughly"). Dēlēre doesn't mean "to lē down" — there is no base verb *lēre. The dē- here is purely intensive. When in doubt, look for a recognizable base.

dēscendere to climb down · descend, descent
dēpōnere to put down, to set aside · depose, deposit, depot
dēdūcere to lead down/away · deduce, deduction
dēmittere to send down · demit, demise
dēlēre to destroy completely · delete, deletion
dēferre to carry down/away, to report · defer, deference

See also: pōnere, dūcere, mittere, ferre in the verb dictionary.

dis- / dī- "apart, in different directions; not"

separationnegationassimilation

Assimilation: dif- before f (differre); dī- before most single consonants (dīvidere, dīcere in some compounds). The full dis- before vowels and voiced consonants.

discēdere to go apart, to leave · decease (via discēssus)
differre to carry apart, to be different · differ, difference, different
dīvidere to divide apart · divide, division, dividend
dissentīre to feel differently · dissent, dissension
dispōnere to place apart, to arrange · dispose, disposition

ex- / ē- "out of, from; thoroughly"

spatialintensiveassimilation

Assimilation: ē- before most consonants (ēdūcere, ēmittere); ef- before f (efferre, efficere); full ex- before vowels and before s, c, p, q, t.

exīre to go out · exit, exodus
excēdere to go beyond · exceed, excess, excessive
ēdūcere to lead out · educate, education
expōnere to put out, to explain · expose, expound, exponent
efficere to make out/through · effect, effective, efficient
ēmittere to send out · emit, emission

See also: dūcere, mittere, pōnere, ferre in the verb dictionary.

extrā- "outside, beyond the bounds of"

spatial

extrāōrdinārius beyond the normal order · extraordinary
extrāvagārī to wander beyond bounds · extravagant, extravaganza
extrāmittere to send outside · extramit (rare); compare: extraterrestrial

The English prefix extra- is used very freely in modern compounds: extraterrestrial, extracurricular, extrasensory.

in- ① "in, into, onto" (motion or direction)

spatialassimilation

This in- and the negative in- ② look identical. Context tells them apart: if you can attach the meaning "into/onto" to the base verb sensibly, it's this one.

Assimilation: im- before b, m, p (impōnere, immittere); il- before l (illūstrāre); ir- before r (irrigāre).

invenīre to come upon, to find · invent, invention
impōnere to place onto · impose, imposition
intrōdūcere to lead inward · introduce, introduction
invadere to go into, to attack · invade, invasion
illūstrāre to light up, to make clear · illustrate, illustrious

in- ② "not, un-" (negation)

negationassimilation

Assimilation: Same pattern as in- ①: im- before b, m, p; il- before l; ir- before r.

incrēdibilis not believable · incredible
immortālis not mortal · immortal, immortality
illicitus not permitted · illicit
irregulāris not regular · irregular
inimīcus not friendly · enemy (via Old French)

inter- "between, among"

relational

intervenīre to come between · intervene, intervention
intermittere to send between, to pause · intermit, intermission
interpōnere to place between · interpose, interpolate
interrogāre to ask (between parties) · interrogate, interrogation
interficere literally "to put between" — idiom for "to kill" · interfect (rare)

intrā- "within, inside"

spatial

intrāmūrānus within the walls · intramural
intrāvenōsus within the veins · intravenous (IV)
intrānet (modern compound) network within an organization · intranet

Pair with extrā- (outside) and contrast with inter- (between).

intrō- "inward, to the inside"

spatial

intrōdūcere to lead inward · introduce, introduction
intrōīre to go inward · intro (music term)
intrōspicere to look inward · introspect, introspection
intrōvertere to turn inward · introvert

nē- / nec- "not, no" (older negation)

negation

This is an older, less common negative prefix than in- ②, but it survives in some very common words. Often fused so tightly with the base that it no longer looks like a prefix.

nēfās not right, not lawful (divine law) · nefarious
nēsciō I do not know · nescient, nescience
negāre to say no, to deny · negate, negative, deny
necesse not yielding, unavoidable · necessary, necessity

ob- "toward, against, in the way of"

oppositionassimilation

Assimilation: oc- before c (occurrere); of- before f (offerre); op- before p (oppōnere, opportūnus); os- before s in some words.

obstāre to stand in the way · obstacle, obstinate
occurrere to run toward, to meet · occur, occurrence
oppōnere to place against · oppose, opponent, opposition
offerre to bring toward, to present · offer
obvenīre to come toward, to fall to (someone's lot) · obviate, obvious

per- "through; thoroughly, completely"

spatialintensive

per- can be spatial ("through") or intensifying ("all the way, completely"). Perficere — "to make all the way through" — gives us perfect. The idea is something completed without gaps.

pervenīre to come through, to arrive · parvenu (French borrowing)
permittere to send through, to allow · permit, permission, permissive
perficere to make completely · perfect, perfection
perlegere to read all the way through · perusal (via peruse)
perturbāre to disturb thoroughly · perturb, perturbation
perdūcere to lead all the way through · perdurant

See also: mittere, facere/ficere in the verb dictionary.

post- "after, behind"

timespace

postpōnere to place after, to delay · postpone
postscrībere to write after · postscript (P.S.)
posterus coming after, following · posterior, posterity
postmortem after death · post-mortem (medical, legal)

Pair with ante- (before). English uses post- very freely: postwar, post-game, postmodern.

prae- "before, in front, ahead"

timespace

In English, prae- became pre-. Nearly every pre- word in English has a Latin prae- behind it.

praepōnere to place before · preposition
praedīcere to say beforehand · predict, prediction
praemittere to send ahead · premise
praeferre to carry before, to favor · prefer, preference
praescrībere to write in advance · prescribe, prescription

prō- "forward, forth; on behalf of"

spatialrepresentative

prōcēdere to go forward · proceed, process, procession
prōdūcere to lead forward, to bring out · produce, product, production
prōmittere to send forward, to give one's word · promise, promissory
prōpōnere to place forward, to propose · propose, proposition, proponent
prōferre to carry forward · proffer

See also: mittere, dūcere, pōnere, ferre in the verb dictionary.

re- / red- "back, again"

reversalrepetition

Assimilation: red- before vowels (redīre = to go back; reddere = to give back). Otherwise re- does not change.

revenīre to come back, to return · revenue, revenant
remittere to send back · remit, remission, remittance
recēdere to go back, to withdraw · recede, recession, recess
repōnere to put back · repose, repository, reposit
reddere to give back · render (via French rendre)
referre to carry back, to report · refer, reference, relate

retrō- "backward, behind"

spatialtime

retrōvertere to turn backward · retrovert
retrōgradus stepping backward · retrograde
retrōspectus a looking back · retrospect, retrospective
retrōcēdere to go backward · retrocede, retrocession

sē- / sed- "apart, aside, without"

separation

Assimilation: sed- before vowels (seditio comes from sēd- + itiō).

sēcēdere to go apart · secede, secession
sēpōnere to put aside, to set apart · separate (related via sēparāre)
sēdūcere to lead aside, to lead astray · seduce, seduction
sēcernere to sift apart · secret, secrete, secretion
sēditiō a going apart (of factions) · sedition, seditious

sub- "under, from below; secretly; somewhat"

spatialdegreeassimilation

Assimilation: suc- before c (succēdere); suf- before f (sufferre, sufficit); sug- before g (suggerere); sup- before p (suppōnere); sur- before r (surrēctus, from surgere).

subvenīre to come to someone's aid (from below) · subvene, subvention
succēdere to go under/after, to follow · succeed, success, succession
suppōnere to place under · suppose, supposition, suppositorium
submittere to send under, to yield · submit, submission
sufferre to carry under, to bear up under · suffer, sufferance

super- "above, over, beyond"

spatialdegree

superesse to be above/left over, to survive · supersede (via supercēdere)
supervenīre to come over/upon suddenly · supervene
superāre to go above, to overcome · surmount (via French surmonter)
superpōnere to place above · superpose, superimpose
superlātīvus carried above all others · superlative

trāns- "across, through, beyond"

spatial

Assimilation: trā- before d, l, n, j in some words (trādere, trānsire often written trāire). The full trāns- before most consonants and vowels.

trānsīre to go across · transit, transition, transient
trānsmittere to send across · transmit, transmission
trānsferre to carry across · transfer, translate (via translātus)
trānsportāre to carry across · transport, transportation
trādere to hand over, to pass along · tradition, treason (via French)

See also: mittere, ferre, īre in the verb dictionary.

ultrā- "beyond, on the far side of"

spatialdegree

ultrāmontānus beyond the mountains · ultramontane
ultrā + adj. beyond the range of — · ultraviolet, ultrasound, ultra-marathon
ultrāque on both sides beyond (Hussite slogan) · Utraquist

English has extended ultra- into a general intensifier ("ultra-rare," "ultra-wide"). In Latin it was strictly spatial before it became hyperbolic.

Suffīxa

Suffixes

Suffixes attach to the end of a verb stem (usually the perfect stem) and transform it into a noun or adjective. Once you know what job each suffix does, you can predict the meaning of a word you've never seen before.

-tor / -trix "one who does ___" (agent noun)

verb → nounagent

Added to the perfect stem of a verb. -tor is masculine; -trix is feminine (same person, different grammatical gender). In English, these become -or or -er.

nārrātor one who tells (from nārrāre) · narrator
ōrātor one who speaks/pleads (from ōrāre) · orator, oratory
imperātor one who commands (from imperāre) · emperor, imperator
victor / victrix one who conquers (from vincere) · victor, victrix
scrīptor one who writes (from scrībere) · scriptor
dictātor one who dictates (from dictāre) · dictator

-tiō / -siō "the act of ___-ing; the result of ___-ing"

verb → nounaction

The most productive suffix in Latin-derived English. -tiō → English -tion; -siō → English -sion. If an English noun ends in -tion or -sion, there is almost always a Latin -tiō/-siō behind it.

nārrātiō act of telling · narration
missiō act of sending (from mittere) · mission, emission, permission
dictiō act of saying (from dīcere) · diction, dictionary
positiō act of placing (from pōnere) · position, composition, proposition
mōtiō act of moving (from movēre) · motion, emotion, promotion

See also: mittere, dīcere, pōnere, movēre in the verb dictionary.

-ium "place for ___; result of ___; collection of ___"

verb → nounplace / result

audītōrium place for hearing (from audīre) · auditorium
imperium result of commanding, power/empire (from imperāre) · empire, imperial
colloquium a speaking-together (from colloquī) · colloquy, colloquium
studium eagerness, pursuit (from studēre) · study, studio, student
praemium prize, reward (taken before) · premium

-mentum "the means or instrument of ___-ing"

verb → nouninstrument

English inherits these as -ment: the "thing by which" something is done. Document is literally "the thing by which you teach (doceō)."

documentum means of teaching (from docēre) · document, documentary
monumentum means of reminding (from monēre) · monument, monumental
argumentum means of proving (from arguere) · argument
ōrnāmentum means of decorating (from ōrnāre) · ornament
fundāmentum means of founding (from fundāre) · fundamental, foundation

-ūra "process of ___; result of ___; office of ___"

verb → nounprocess

English inherits these as -ure. The suffix names a process or its outcome — so scrīptūra is the act of writing, and also what was written.

scrīptūra writing, what is written (from scrībere) · scripture, script
nātūra birth, the process of being born (from nāscī) · nature, natural
cultūra cultivation (from colere) · culture, agriculture
pictūra painting (from pingere) · picture, pictorial
statūra standing height (from stāre) · stature

-bilis "able to be ___-ed; worthy of being ___-ed"

verb → adj.passive ability

This suffix almost always has a passive meaning: not "able to ___" but "able to be ___ed." English takes these in as -ble, -able, -ible. If a word ends in -ble in English, check for a Latin -bilis.

portābilis able to be carried (from portāre) · portable
audībilis able to be heard (from audīre) · audible
crēdibilis able to be believed (from crēdere) · credible, incredible
lēgibilis able to be read (from legere) · legible, illegible
amābilis able to be loved (from amāre) · amiable, amicable
visibilis able to be seen (from vidēre) · visible, invisible

-īlis / -ilis "capable of ___; having the nature of ___"

verb/noun → adj.capacity

Closely related to -bilis, but often attached to noun stems rather than verb stems. English inherits these as -ile, -il.

agilis able to act/move quickly (from agere) · agile, agility
facilis easy to do (from facere) · facile, facilitate, facility
fragilis easily broken (from frangere) · fragile, frail, fracture
humilis close to the ground (from humus) · humble, humility
virīlis of or belonging to a man (from vir) · virile, virility

-ōsus "full of ___; abounding in ___"

noun → adj.abundance

English takes these in as -ous, -ose. A reliable pattern: if you see an English adjective ending in -ous, the Latin original probably ended in -ōsus.

glōriōsus full of glory · glorious
pretiōsus full of price/value · precious
verbōsus full of words · verbose, verbosity
studiōsus full of eagerness · studious
animōsus full of spirit, courageous · animosity (shifted meaning!)
fābulōsus full of story/legend · fabulous

-īvus "tending to ___; having the quality of ___"

verb → adj.tendency

English takes these in as -ive. This is one of the most common adjective endings in English from Latin.

captīvus tending to be captured (from capere) · captive, captivity
nātīvus having to do with birth (from nāscī) · native, nativity
āctīvus tending to act (from agere) · active, activity
passīvus tending to suffer/receive (from patī) · passive, passivity
fugitīvus tending to flee (from fugere) · fugitive

-āx "strongly inclined to ___; excessively ___"

verb → adj.strong tendency

English inherits these as -acious, -acious (tenacious, audacious). The suffix has a slightly exaggerated, intensive flavor — not just "inclined to" but "very much inclined to."

tenāx holding fast (from tenēre) · tenacious, tenacity
audāx daring, bold (from audēre) · audacious, audacity
rapāx snatching, greedy (from rapere) · rapacious, rapacity
loquāx excessively talkative (from loquī) · loquacious, loquacity
fugāx inclined to flee (from fugere) · fugacious (fleeting)

-tās / -itās "the state or quality of being ___"

adj. → nounabstract quality

English takes these in as -ty, -ity. One of the great abstract-noun-making tools in Latin. Turn any adjective into an abstract noun: lībertās from līber, vēritās from vērus.

līberetās state of being free · liberty
grāvitās heaviness, seriousness · gravity, gravitas
vēritās state of being true · verity, verify
dignitās state of being worthy · dignity, dignitary
cīvitās state of being a citizen; the citizen body · city, civility, civilization
fēlīcitās state of being happy/fortunate · felicity

-tūdō / -itūdō "the condition or degree of being ___"

adj. → nouncondition

English inherits these as -tude. Where -tās names a quality in the abstract, -tūdō tends to name a condition or measurable degree. Compare: lībertās (freedom as a concept) vs. magnitūdō (greatness as a size).

fortitūdō strength of character (from fortis) · fortitude
multitūdō the condition of being many · multitude
altitūdō height, depth (from altus) · altitude
magnitūdō greatness (from magnus) · magnitude
similitūdō likeness (from similis) · similitude

-ulus / -ula / -ulum "little ___; a small ___" (diminutive)

noun → noundiminutive

Diminutives express smallness — sometimes affectionately, sometimes dismissively. English inherits them as -ule, -le, -el (globule, particle). The variant -ellus/-ella is also common: libellus (little book), tabella (little board → tablet).

globulus little ball (from globus) · globule
rivus → rīvulus little stream (from rīvus) · rivulet
opusculum little work (from opus) · opuscule
tabella little board (dim. of tabula) · table, tablet
libellus little book (dim. of liber) · libel (originally just a "little document")

-tāre / -itāre "to do ___ repeatedly; to keep ___-ing" (frequentative)

verb → verbfrequentative

Frequentative verbs are built from other verbs to add the sense of repetition or habit. They show up constantly in English because they were already common in classical Latin. Dictāre is built from dīcere: where dīcere means "to say," dictāre means "to keep saying aloud" — which is what you do when you dictate.

dictāre to say repeatedly (from dīcere) · dictate, dictation
cantāre to keep singing (from canere) · chant, canticle, cantata
habitāre to keep having (from habēre) → to live somewhere · habitation, inhabit
agitāre to keep driving (from agere) · agitate, agitation
iactāre to keep throwing (from iacere) · jactation; compare: jettison
clamitāre to keep shouting (from clāmāre) · exclaim, clamour (via clāmāre)

See also: dīcere, agere in the verb dictionary.