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Origin and history of prefix

prefix(n.)

in grammar, "word or syllable or two syllables (rarely more) affixed to the beginning of a word to qualify its meaning or direct its application," 1640s, from Latin praefixum, noun use of neuter past participle of praefigere "fix in front, fasten on before," from prae "before" (see pre-) + root of figere "to fasten, fix" (from PIE root *dheigw- "to stick, fix"). Related: Prefixal.

prefix(v.)

early 15c., prefixen, "appoint beforehand," from Old French prefixer, from pre- "before" (see pre-) + *fixer (see fix (v.)). Also compare Latin praefixus, past participle of praefigere. Meaning "to place at the beginning" is from 1530s; of words or parts of words from c. 1600. Related: Prefixed; prefixing.

also from early 15c.

Entries linking to prefix

fix(v.)

late 14c., "set (one's eyes or mind) on something" (a figurative use), probably from Old French verb *fixer, from fixe "fixed," from Latin fixus "fixed, fast, immovable; established, settled," past-participle adjective from figere "to fix, fasten, drive, thrust in; pierce through, transfix," also figurative, from PIE root *dheigw- "to pierce, stick in;" hence "to fix, fasten."

Sense of "fasten, attach" is c. 1400; that of "to make (colors, etc.) fast or permanent" is from 1660s. The meaning "settle, assign" evolved into "adjust, arrange" (1660s), then "to repair" (1737), but this sometimes was objected to (see below). Sense of "tamper with" (a fight, a jury, etc.) is from 1790. As euphemism for "castrate a pet" it dates from 1930. Related: Fixed; fixing.

To fix is to make fast, or permanent; to set immoveably, &c.: hence, to fix a watch, is to stop it, or prevent it from 'going;' which, it must be admitted, is a very unsatisfactory mode of repairing that article. [Seth T. Hurd, "A Grammatical Corrector; or, Vocabulary of the Common Errors of Speech," 1847]
*dheigw-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to stick, fix." 

It might form all or part of: affix; crucifix; crucify; dig; dike; ditch; fibula; fiche; fichu; fix; fixate; fixation; fixity; fixture; infibulate; infibulation; microfiche; prefix; suffix; transfix.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit dehi- "wall;" Old Persian dida "wall, stronghold, fortress," Persian diz; Latin figere "to fix, fasten, drive, thrust in; pierce through, transfix;" Lithuanian dygstu, dygti "germinate;" Old Irish dingid "presses, thrusts down;" Old English dic "trench, ditch," Dutch dijk "dam." 

pre-

word-forming element meaning "before," from Old French pre- and Medieval Latin pre-, both from Latin prae (adverb and preposition) "before in time or place," from PIE *peri- (source also of Oscan prai, Umbrian pre, Sanskrit pare "thereupon," Greek parai "at," Gaulish are- "at, before," Lithuanian prie "at," Old Church Slavonic pri "at," Gothic faura, Old English fore "before"), extended form of root *per- (1) "forward," hence "beyond, in front of, before."

The Latin word was active in forming verbs. Also see prae-. Sometimes in Middle English muddled with words in pro- or per-.

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    suffix
    "terminal formative, word-forming element attached to the end of a word or stem to make a derivative or a new word;" 1778, from Modern Latin suffixum, noun use of neuter of Latin suffixus "fastened," past participle of suffigere "fasten, fix on, fasten below," from assimilated fo
    belong
    mid-14c., "to go along with, properly relate to," from be- intensive prefix, + longen "to go," from Old English langian "...It displaced earlier Old English gelang, with completive prefix ge-....
    arch
    1540s, "chief, principal," from separate use of the prefix arch-, which is attested from late Old English (in archangel,...The prefix figured in so many derogatory uses (arch-rogue, arch-knave, etc.) that by mid-17c. it had acquired a meaning of...
    eddy
    Old Norse iða "whirlpool," from Proto-Germanic *ith- "a second time, again," which is related to the common Old English prefix...The prefix is from PIE root *eti "above, beyond" (Cognates: Latin et, Old High German et-, Gothic iþ "and, but, however")...
    dismiss
    The prefix was altered by analogy with many dis- verbs....Middle English also had dismit, in the same sense (late 14c.), with altered prefix but directly from the Latin verb, and...
    kind
    other," from Proto-Germanic *kundi- "natural, native," from *kunjam "family" (see kin), with collective or generalizing prefix...The word rarely appeared in Old English without the prefix, but Old English also had it as a word-forming element -cund "...
    mid
    By late Middle English probably felt as a prefix only, and now surviving in English only as a prefix (mid-air, midstream,...
    affix
    "fasten, join, attach," 1530s, from Medieval Latin affixare, frequentative of Latin affigere (past participle affixus) "fasten to, attach," from ad "to" (see ad-) + figere "to fasten" (from PIE root *dheigw- "to stick, fix"). According to OED first used by Scottish writers and th
    pivot
    "pin on which a wheel or other object turns," 1610s, from French pivot, from Old French pivot "hinge pin, pivot" (12c.), also "penis," a word of uncertain origin. Pevetsheres, evidently some kind of shears, is mentioned in a will registered in York in 1398. Figurative sense of "t
    booze
    "alcoholic drink," by 1570s, also bouze (in poetry rhyming with carouse), also as a verb, probably a variant of Middle English bous "intoxicating drink," (mid-14c.), which is from Middle Dutch buse "drinking vessel" (also as a verb, busen "to drink heavily"), which is related to

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