prefix
noun
- affix which is placed before the stem of a word
- beginning of string of characters
verb
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L332580 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈpɹiːfɪks/ / /pɹɛˈfɪks/ / /pɹiːˈfɪks/
noun
Etymology: Borrowed from Late Latin praefīxum, from Latin praefīxus, past participle of praefīgō (“to (fix, fasten, set up) in front”, “to fix on the (end, extremity)”) (from prae- (“before”) + fīgō (“to fix”, “to fasten”, “to affix”)), equivalent to pre- + -fix. Doublet of the archaic synonym prefixum.
- Something placed before another
“The chosen prefixes won the vote in part because they start with the only two letters left in the alphabet that are not already used in measurement. The b for “bronto” is already used for bytes and h for “hella” is used for hecto, the prefix for 100.”
- Something placed before another
“in the UK, a number with an 0800 prefix is a toll-free number.”
“Add the prefix +34 to dial a Spanish number from abroad”
- Something placed before another
- Something placed before another
“The string "abra" is both a prefix and a suffix of the string "abracadabra".”
verb
Etymology: From Middle English prefixen, from Middle French prefixer, from Latin praefīxus, past participle of praefīgō (“to (fix, fasten, set up) in front”, “to fix on the (end, extremity)”) (from prae- (“before”) + fīgō (“to fix”, “to fasten”, “to affix”)), equivalent to pre- + -fix.
- To determine beforehand; to set in advance.
“They duly arrived at the prefixed hour.”
“But the danger was, that a man can hardly prefix any certaine limits unto his desire[…].”
- To put or fix before, or at the beginning of something; to place at the start.
“His requests for money were usually prefixed by an apology.”
“You must prefix the number with the area code.”