A prefix or suffix is a part of a word that often cannot stand on its own, but which alters the meaning of the noun or adjective to which it is added. A prefix is attached to the front of the stem, and the suffix to the end. An example in English is the suffix ‘-ly’ which, when added to the adjective ‘quick’, converts it into the adverb ‘quickly’; another suffix is ‘-ment’ which, when added to the verb ‘enjoy’, produces the noun ‘enjoyment’. ‘Dis-‘ is an example of a prefix and alters nouns and verbs, sometimes dramatically, e.g. disfigure, disinterest, dislike; another is ‘un-’ giving us words such as unhappy, uncluttered and unclean.

Botanical Latin, similarly, uses prefixes and suffixes, of both Latin and Greek origin, although a Greek prefix or suffix should be added only to a Greek stem, and a Latin prefix or suffix only to a Latin stem. Some prefixes can exist on their own and can be used separately, such as the prepositions circum, around ( circum sessilis), super, above ( super ficies), and trans, across ( trans ectio), whereas others, such as eu- (eu carpic) and re- (re flexus), cannot.