affix

[ verb uh-fiks; noun af-iks ]

/ verb əˈfɪks; noun ˈæf ɪks /

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See synonyms for: affix / affixed on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to fasten, join, or attach (usually followed by to): to affix stamps to a letter.

to put or add on; append: to affix a signature to a contract.

to impress (a seal or stamp).

to attach (blame, reproach, ridicule, etc.).

noun

something that is joined or attached.

Grammar. a bound inflectional or derivational element, as a prefix, infix, or suffix, added to a base or stem to form a fresh stem or a word, as -ed added to want to form wanted, or im- added to possible to form impossible.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of affix

1525–35; <Latin affīxus fastened to (past participle of affīgere), equivalent to af-af- + fīg- fasten + -sus, variant of -tus past participle suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM affix

af·fix·a·ble, adjectiveaf·fix·al

[a-fik-suhl], /æˈfɪk səl/, af·fix·i·al

[a-fik-see-uhl], /æˈfɪk si əl/, adjectiveaf·fix·er, nounaf·fix·ment, noun

re·af·fix, verb (used with object)un·af·fixed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use affix in a sentence

Note: The egg wash both affixes the pastry to the dish and makes a lovely browned crust.
Make These Barefoot Contessa Chicken Pot Pies|Ina Garten|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The chemical affixes itself to dead skin cells and produces a brownish tone.
My Great Fake Bake Experiment|Daniel Nester|January 6, 2009|DAILY BEAST
A druggist, therefore, who affixes a wrong label to a bottle of medicine and thereby injures a person who uses it is responsible.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
When applied to compacts between sovereign States, the term constitutional affixes to the word compact no definite idea.
Select Speeches of Daniel Webster|Daniel Webster

In Nootka we have an unusually large number of derivational affixes (expressing concepts of group II).
Language|Edward Sapir
The affixes -ous and sub- refer to the compounds containing more of the positive element, -ic and per- to those containing less.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1|Various
Thus there are verbal affixes which cannot be considered to designate either persons, modes or tenses.
The Philosophic Grammar of American Languages, as Set Forth by Wilhelm von Humboldt|Daniel G. Brinton

British Dictionary definitions for affix

affix

verb (əˈfɪks) (tr; usually foll by to or on)

to attach, fasten, join, or stickto affix a poster to the wall

to add or appendto affix a signature to a document

to attach or attribute (guilt, blame, etc)

noun (ˈæfɪks)

a linguistic element added to a word or root to produce a derived or inflected form: -ment in establishment is a derivational affix; -s in drowns is an inflectional affixSee also prefix, suffix, infix

something fastened or attached; appendage

Derived forms of affix

affixation (ˌæfɪkˈseɪʃən) or affixture (əˈfɪkstʃə), noun

Word Origin for affix

C15: from Medieval Latin affixāre, from ad- to + fixāre to fix

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

affix

Origin of affix

OTHER WORDS FROM affix

Words related to affix

How to use affix in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for affix

Derived forms of affix

Word Origin for affix