The World of Words: Vocabulary for College Success ... - eLibrary

150 Chapter 5 Word Elements: PrefixesPrefixesPart 2The following three prefixes are introduced in Part 2 of this chapter.auto- (self)This prefix comes from the Greek word for self. The wordautomobile comes from auto- and mobile, meaning “moving.”When the automobile was invented, it was named for theamazing sight of something moving all by itself.ex-, e-, ec- (out of; former)When ex- is combined with a base word, it usually means“former” or “in the past.” The words ex-wife (former wife)and ex-president (former president) show ex- used in thissense. The hyphens in these words give a hint that theformer meaning is being used. When ex- is used with acombining root, it usually means “out of,” as in exhale(to breathe out). The words introduced in this lesson joinex- to combining roots, so ex- means “out of” in all thesewords. However, remember that ex- can also mean “former.”Words to LearnPart 2im-, in- (not; in); il-, ir- (not)When spelled im- or in-, this prefix may have one of twomeanings. The most common meaning of im- and in- is“not,” as in the words impure (not pure) and indecent (notdecent). Im- and in- can also mean “in,” as in inhale (tobreathe in) and import (to carry into a country). The imspellingis used before the letters b, m, and p. This prefix isalso spelled ir- before roots that begin with r as in irregular.Finally, it is spelled il- before roots that begin with l, such asillegal. The il- and ir- spellings always mean “not.”auto-13. autobiography (noun) ôtō-b - -ŏgrə-fē (plural: autobiographies)From Greek: auto- (self) bio (life) graph (write)account of a person’s life written by that personAfrican-American athlete, singer, and actor Paul Robesonwrote an autobiography detailing his life as a performerand political activist.Copyright © Cengage Learning. All Right Reserved.