infix

C2+ Topic:Communication

US /ˈɪnfɪks/ UK /ˈɪnfɪks/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
an affix inserted within a word, or to fix something firmly inside

Some languages mark the past tense with an infix rather than a suffix.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an affix inserted within a... insert implant embed instill fix ingraft

Opposites

prefix suffix extract

Word family

Derived forms infixationinfixed

Related forms fix prefix suffix affix

Etymology

From Latin infixus, past participle of infigere ('to fasten in'), from in- ('in') + figere ('to fasten, fix').

infigere Latin figere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Communication Language & Linguistics

External links

# infix

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈɪnfɪks/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɪnfɪks/

## Meanings
1. an affix inserted within a word, or to fix something firmly inside

## Examples
- Some languages mark the past tense with an infix rather than a suffix.

## Synonyms
- insert
- implant
- embed
- instill
- fix
- ingraft

## Antonyms
- prefix
- suffix
- extract

## Derived Forms
- infixation
- infixed

## Related Forms
- fix
- prefix
- suffix
- affix

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: infigere
- Root: figere

## Etymology
From Latin infixus, past participle of infigere ('to fasten in'), from in- ('in') + figere ('to fasten, fix').

## AI Etymology
infix comes from Latin infixus, past participle of infigere ('to fasten in'), from in- ('in') + figere ('to fasten, fix'). Morphologically, the prefixed shape matters: the initial element belongs to the recorded formation and helps explain the modern form's surface analysis. In present English, the noun sense is "an affix inserted within a word, or to fix something firmly inside", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as fix, prefix, suffix, and affix, and in derivatives such as infixation and infixed. Its semantic neighborhood includes insert, implant, embed, and instill, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Latin infigere and Latin figere.

## Topics
- Communication
- Language & Linguistics

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