English Prefixes

Level: C1

a- on, in: abed, aboard, ashore, ajar, asleep

a- out, from: arise, awake, alight

be- by, (sometimes an intensifier): beside, betimes, besmear, bedaub

for- thoroughly: forbear, forgive

fore- before: forecast, foresee, foretell

gain- against: gainsay

in- in, inside: income, inland, inlay

mis- wrong, wrongly: misdeed, mislead, misjudge

over- above, beyond: overflow, overcharge

to- this: today, tonight, tomorrow

un- not: untrue, unkind, unholy

un- to reverse an action: untie, undo, unfold

under- beneath, below: undersell, undercharge, undergo, underground

with- against, back: withdraw, withhold, withstand

Note: There are only two prefixes of English origin that are still applied freely to new words, mis- and un-, the former with the force of the adjective bad, and the latter with the force of a negative or reversal of an action.