| prefix |
| Definition: A letter or letters put at the beginning of a word to create a new word. |
| Example: The be in before and the a in arise. |
| Etymology: The word derives from the Latin præfixus, fixed in front (from præ, before + figere, to fasten or to fix). |
| Oxford English Dictionary: Its first citation is from 1614: "Those adherents of words, which they call præfixa and suffixa." (Brerewood Lang. & Relig. ix. 63) |