What is affix? How to use in English

Discover the meaning of affix in English, its pronunciation, and how to use it correctly in real-life situations. See examples and easy memorization tips.

Definition & pronunciation of affix

affixverb
đóng dấu
/əˈfɪks//əˈfɪks/

Where does the word affix come from?

In the 15th century, the Latin "affixare" was borrowed into Middle English as "affixen", which initially meant "to fix or attach something firmly". Over time, the meaning expanded to include the sense of adding or attaching a prefix or suffix to a word, such as in terms like "unfixable" or "prefixation". Today, "affix" is used in various contexts, including linguistics, computing, and even music, referring to the process of adding, attaching, or connecting elements to a core or central thing.

Vocabulary summary affix

type noun

meaning addition; addition

meaning (linguistics) patriarch

example to affix a seal

example to affix stamp

example to affix one's signature to a documents

type transitive verb

meaning affix to, on, upon) fasten, attach, attach

meaning seal; affix (stamp); sign (name...)

example to affix a seal

example to affix stamp

example to affix one's signature to a documents

Example of vocabulary affixnamespace

The verb "edit" has the affix "-ate" added to it to form the noun "editor" (editorialize and editorium are other words with the same affix).
The suffix "-ness" is added to the word "happy" to create the word "happiness" (darkness and whiteness are other examples).
The prefix "re-" is added to the word "duplicate" to make "redplicate" (restart, restarted, and restarting are other words using this prefix).
The suffix "-ly" is added to the word "good" to form "gently" (quickly, quietly, and sadly are other examples).
The prefix "un-" is joined to "happy" to result in "unhappy" (undo, upon, and unjust are other examples).