Affixing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of attaching a prefix, suffix, or other element to a root word to form a new word
2. The process of adding specific letters or syllables to a base word to modify its meaning or create a derivative
3. The action of combining affixes with a word stem to change its form or grammatical function

Etymology: "Affixing" is the present participle and gerund of "affix", a verb that English took directly from Latin. The Latin source was "affixus", the perfect passive participle of "affigere", which combined "ad-" ("to" or "toward") with "figere" ("to fasten" or "to fix"). So the original sense was literally fastening one thing onto another. The English verb kept that physical meaning of joining or attaching, and "affixing" carries it into the technical vocabulary of word formation, where it names the act of attaching a prefix, suffix, or other element to a root. The "af-" is a form of the Latin "ad-" that has been adjusted to sit comfortably before "f", a common pattern in Latin compounds, which is why "affix" begins with a sound that might otherwise look like a separate prefix. The word "fix" in "affix" comes from the same Latin "figere" that gives English "fix", so the two are close relatives.

Synonyms: attaching, fastening, joining, adding, securing

Antonyms: removing, detaching, disconnecting, severing, unfastening