• (noun) IPA: /ˈpɹiːfɪks/
• (verb) IPA: /ˈpɹiːfɪks/, /pɹiːˈfɪks/, /pɹɛˈfɪks/

prefix (plural prefixes)

1. Something placed before another
   1. (grammar, linguistic morphology) A morpheme added to the beginning of a word to modify its meaning, for example as, pre- in prefix, con- in conjure, re- in reheat, etc.

      Synonyms: foresyllable, prefixum

      Antonyms: suffix

      Hypernyms: affix

   2. (telecommunications) A set of digits placed before a telephone number, to indicate where the number is based, what type of phone number it is (landline, mobile, toll-free, premium rate etc.)

      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

   3. A title added to a person's name, such as Mr. or Dr.
   4. (computing) An initial segment of a string of characters.

      The string "abra" is both a prefix and a suffix of the string "abracadabra".

• forefix (rare)

• French: préfixe
• German: Präfix, Vorsilbe
• Italian: prefisso
• Portuguese: prefixo
• Russian: приста́вка
• Spanish: prefijo

• French: titre

• French: préfixe

prefix (prefixes, present participle prefixing; past and past participle prefixed)

1. (transitive) To determine beforehand; to set in advance. [from 15^thc.]
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, [http://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/MaloryWks2/1:23.1?rgn=div2;view=fulltext chapter j], in Le Morte Darthur, book XXI:

     he took the Quene Gueneuer and sayd playnly that he wolde wedde hyr / whyche was his vnkyls wyf and his faders wyf / And soo he made redy for the feest / And a day prefyxt that they shold be wedded / wherfore quene Gweneuer was passyng huey / But she durst not dyscouer hyr herte

   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 40, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes, […], book I, printed at London: By Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821 ↗:

     But the danger was, that a man can hardly prefix any certaine limits unto his desire […].

2. (transitive) To put or fix before, or at the beginning of something; to place at the start. [from 16^thc.]

• French: préfixer
• German: präfigieren (linguistics), mit einem Präfix versehen
• Italian: prefissare
• Portuguese: prefixar

• French: préfixer
• Italian: prefissare