1.5 Prefixes and Suffixes
A. Prefixes
A prefix is a group of letters placed before the root of a word. For example, the word "unhappy" consists of the prefix "un-" [which means "not"] combined with the root (stem) word "happy"; the word "unhappy" means "not happy." A basic word to which affixes (prefixes and suffixes) are added is called a root word because it forms the basis of a new word. The root word is also a word in its own right. For example, the word happy consists of the word happy and the suffix -ly.
Some of the most common prefixes are listed below.