Looking to add a lot more words your personal lexicon or just want to better understand the English language? If you learn the common roots, prefixes, and suffixes that so many of our words are based on, you’ll have the tools to recognize familiar words or decode unfamiliar words. That’s the Roots2Words way!
Your Roots2Words Affix of the Week is ANTE-:
ANTE- is a prefix meaning before.
(Prefixes appear at the beginning of words)
**EXAMPLES**
ante (noun) – gaming stake put in by players before the deal in poker
antebellum (adj) – before the war, particularly the Civil War
BREAKDOWN: ANTE- (before) + BELL- (war)
antecedent (noun) – preceding circumstance or event; ancestors; the noun that a pronoun replaces or describes
BREAKDOWN: ANTE- (before) + CEDE- (come) + -ENT (that which does)
antediluvian (adj) – belonging to the age before the Biblical Flood (deluge); old-fashioned
anterior (adj) – situated in front of or before; earlier in time
anteroom (noun) – room that opens to a larger room; can also be called an antechamber
** INTERESTING VARIATIONS**
ANTI– typically means against or opposite but is the root for before in certain words:
antipasto (noun) – a course of appetizers consisting of an assortment of Italian foods
anticipate (verb) – to realize beforehand; to expect or look forward to
BREAKDOWN: ANT- (before) + CIP- (take) + -ATE (act of)
antiquated (adj) – old, obsolete
**CONGRUENT CONNECTIONS**
When telling time, A.M. is an abbreviation for ante meridian, which means occurring before noon.
BREAKDOWN: ANTE- (before) + MED- (middle) + DI- (day) + -IAN (of or pertaining to)
*****
If you love learning new words every week, imagine how much fun you’ll find learning new roots and words every day for FREE. Subscribe to the Roots2Words Essentials program!
Mike Bergin