‘Dis’ and ‘de’ are both Latin prefixes

‘Dis’ means ‘apart’

If you dismiss employees, you send them apart.

If you dissect a frog, you cut it apart.

‘Dis’ means ‘not’ too. Examples are dislike and distrust.

To be different is to be dissimilar.

‘De’ means ‘down’, as in descend.

If you degrade something, you grade it down.

‘De’ means ‘off’ (or ‘away’) too, as in deduct.

If you decide, you cut off deliberations.

To postpone a decision is to defer it.

To defend yourself, you would ward off blows.

When the prefix ‘de’ starts a word, it means ‘remove’

To deforest is to remove the trees from the forest.

To dethrone is to remove from the throne.

‘De’ means ‘undo’

To decode is to undo the code

‘pre’ means ‘before’

To precede is to go before

To prefer is to set above, or before, in favour

‘pro’ means ‘forward or forth’

To place an idea forward is to propose it

A procession is a movement of people going forward

To proclaim is to cry forth

‘per’ means ‘through’

A performer is one who carries an act through

To see all the way through is to perceive

To permeate is to soak through

To sweat through the pores of the skin is to perspire

The state of being perplexed is to be literally “entwined” all the way through.

‘re’ means ‘again’

When the prefix ‘re’ starts a word, it means ‘again’

To reenter is to enter again

To request is to seek again

If we recommend, we commend again

‘re’ means ‘back’ too

To recall some information is to call it back. If we recollect, we collect back.

When the prefix ‘mis’ starts a word, it means ‘wrong’ or ‘bad’

Spell wrongly = misspell

Treat someone badly = mistreat

When the prefix ‘un’ starts a word, it means ‘not’ or ‘opposite’

Not safe = unsafe

Not sold = unsold

‘Ad’ means ‘toward’ or ‘near to’

If you apply glue to a piece of paper, it sticks toward or adheres.

Acclaim is composed of ad (to) clamare (to shout), meaning “applaud, praise”. Note that the d is silent. Assimilation has taken place. Other examples are affirm and aggression

Apply means to fold together

Allure means to lure

Aggregate means to herd

Assimilation occurs also in words derived from the Latin prefixes com (with, together), dis (not), in (into, in) and sub (under, beneath)

Correlation, difference, irrational, succumb, immediate

If two people work together, they collaborate

One who literally “lies under” has succumbed to great pressure

A modern English word is derived from ‘ad’ and pallir (to grow pale). If we see a situation and “grow pale”, we are appalled.

‘Ac’ is a variant of ‘ad’. Examples are acquaint, acquire, accessory, accuracy, accountant, accustom

‘Ap’ is a variant of ‘ad’. Examples are appointment, appropriate, appraisal and appellate

‘Ob’ means “to, toward, on, over, against”

To build against is to obstruct

Toward being worn out is to be obsolete

To be slanting or indirect is to be oblique

Three Greek prefixes are auto (self, same), micro (small), and tele (distant)

Automatic means “self motion”

Autonomy is the right of self-government

The transmission of information over great distances is telecommunication