The Vocabulary Teacher's Book of Lists (J-B Ed: Book of Lists) by Fry Edward B

Author:Fry, Edward B. [Fry, Edward B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2009-10-18T16:00:00+00:00

List 182 The Most Common Prefix (un-)

The most common prefix in English is un- meaning “not.” We see it in hundreds of English words, or more correctly, it is used in over ten thousand English words. It is so common that just about anybody who speaks even a little English knows what it means and how to use it. Lewis Carroll did not have any trouble communicating the meaning of an unbirthday to children when Alice was in Wonderland.

The meaning of “not” is clear in adjectives like unfair; adverbs like unfairly; or nouns like unfairness.

However, in verbs, it sometimes takes on a slightly different meaning of “reversal,” as in such verbs as unbend or unfasten.

In general, knowing that un- means “not” will help you unlock the meaning in a lot of words. Watch out! The prefix uni- is different; it means “one” as in unilateral (uni-lateral) (one + sided) or unilingual (uni-lingual) (one + tongue).

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