circumfix

[ sur-kuhm-fiks ]

noun

1. a prefix and a suffix attached to a root or stem, as the a and -ing in a-going.

verb (used with object)

1. to add a circumfix to.

Other Words From

• circum·fix·ation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of circumfix¹

First recorded in 1970–75; circum- ( def ) + -fix, abstracted from affix ( def ), suffix ( def )