prefix (n.)

A term used in MORPHOLOGY referring to an AFFIX which is added initially to a ROOT or STEM. The process of prefixation (or prefixing) is common in English, for forming new LEXICAL items (e.g. para-, mini-, un-), but English does not INFLECT words using prefixes. Languages which do inflect in this way include German (e.g. the ge- of PERFECTIVE forms), Greek, and many American Indian languages (e.g. the Athapaskan family).