What does affixation mean?
Affixation is the linguistic process by which new words and grammatical forms are created by attaching affixes — prefixes, suffixes, or infixes — to a base or root. When 'un-' is added to 'kind' to make 'unkind', or '-ness' is added to 'happy' to make 'happiness', affixation is at work. Linguists distinguish derivational affixation, which produces entirely new words with new meanings, from inflectional affixation, which adjusts a word's form to mark tense, number, or other grammatical categories. The term belongs chiefly to the vocabulary of linguistics, morphology, and language teaching rather than everyday speech, but it describes one of the most productive engines of word creation in English and many other languages. Its own name illustrates the process: the noun 'affixation' was formed by adding the suffix '-ation' to the verb 'affix'. Understanding affixation helps readers decode unfamiliar vocabulary, since recognizing a familiar root beneath an unfamiliar prefix or suffix often reveals a word's meaning at a glance.
nounThe linguistic process of forming new words by adding affixes—prefixes, suffixes, or infixes—to a base or root. It is a primary mechanism of word formation and inflection in English and many other languages.
- The morphological process of attaching prefixes, suffixes, or infixes to a base word to create new words or grammatical forms.
- The act or result of affixing; attachment of one thing to another (a broader, non-technical use).
"English relies heavily on affixation, attaching prefixes like 'un-' and suffixes like '-ness' to build new words from existing roots."
"In linguistics classes, students learn that affixation accounts for much of English's capacity to generate new words."
"The suffix '-tion' transformed the verb 'affix' itself into the noun 'affixation' — a neat example of the process it names."
The plural is rare and appears mainly in technical discussions comparing multiple instances or types of the process.
"The textbook compared the affixations found in English and Turkish morphology."
Every time you turn 'happy' into 'unhappiness', you're performing affixation — one of the most productive word-building machines in the English language.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of affixation
The word 'affixation' derives from the Latin 'affigere' ('to fasten to'), formed from 'ad-' ('to, toward') plus 'figere' ('to fix or fasten'), the same Latin verb that gave English 'fix' and its derivatives such as 'fixation'. The verb 'affix' entered English via Latin and French, and the noun 'affixation' was subsequently formed with the suffix '-ation', itself of Latin origin. Cognates sharing the 'figere' root include 'fixture', 'fixate', and 'transfix'.
Related word forms
How affixation is actually used
Affixation is primarily a technical term used in linguistics, morphology, and language education; it is rare in casual conversation. In scholarly contexts it is often subdivided into prefixation, suffixation, and infixation, and further classified as derivational (creating new words) versus inflectional (creating grammatical variants).
Easily confused with affixation
Fixation refers to the act of fastening something in place or an obsessive attachment to an object or idea, whereas affixation specifically denotes the addition of prefixes, suffixes, or infixes to a word root.