Sunday, 12 July 2015

prefixes - What is a prefix that means near?


"semi: a Latin prefix to a verb, noun, or adjective meaning 'half'".




Even though it means half, it is often used in context to mean "almost", especially in cases when it is applied to non-measurable concepts. Some examples are "semi-automatic firearm", "semi-parasitic creature", or "semi-arid climate".



I think that "pseudo-" could work in the context of "near carnivorous". Pseudo means "false" or "mock", so it would not work in all cases as "near". But "pseudo-carnivorous" for some reason sounds more natural to me than "semi-carnivorous".

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