Here you’ll find 21 Prefixes that start with H, organized from “hagio-” to “hypo-“. They include common, medical, numeric, negational, and spatial roots used in English.
Prefixes that start with H are short word elements added before roots to change meaning. Many come from Greek and Latin, and “hagio-” appears in “hagiography”, meaning writings about saints.
Below you’ll find the table with Prefix, Origin, Meaning, Example words, and Notes.
Prefix: The prefix itself as you see it, so you can match roots and form new words.
Origin: Language or root source, helping you trace historical meaning and compare related prefixes.
Meaning: A concise, user-friendly gloss that gives the core sense in a few words.
Example words: Two to four clear examples that show typical usage and form in modern English.
Notes: Short usage notes, fields of use, or links to related prefixes for deeper exploration.
Prefixes that start with H
| Prefix | Origin | Meaning | Example words |
|---|---|---|---|
| hemi- | Greek (hēmi-) | Half, partial, one-sided. | hemisphere, semicircle, hemiplegia |
| hyper- | Greek (huper) | Over, above, beyond, excessive. | hyperactive, hyperlink, hyperbole |
| hypo- | Greek (hupo) | Under, beneath, less than normal. | hypothermia, hypothesis, hypocrite |
| hetero- | Greek (heteros) | Other, different, various. | heterosexual, heterogeneous, heterodox |
| homo- | Greek (homos) | Same, alike, similar. | homogeneous, homophone, homosexual |
| holo- | Greek (holos) | Whole, entire, complete. | hologram, holistic, holocaust |
| hydro- | Greek (hudōr) | Relating to water or hydrogen. | hydroelectric, hydrate, hydrogen |
| hecto- | Greek (hekaton) | Hundred; a factor of 100. | hectogram, hectare, hectoliter |
| hepta- | Greek (hepta) | Seven. | heptagon, heptathlon, heptarchy |
| hexa- | Greek (hex) | Six. | hexagon, hexadecimal, hexapod |
| half- | Old English (healf) | One of two equal parts; partial. | half-baked, halfway, half-life |
| hemo- | Greek (haima) | Relating to blood. | hemoglobin, hemorrhage, hemophilia |
| helio- | Greek (hēlios) | Relating to the sun. | heliocentric, heliotherapy, heliotrope |
| hepato- | Greek (hēpar) | Relating to the liver. | hepatitis, hepatology, hepatocyte |
| histo- | Greek (histos) | Relating to organic tissue. | histology, histogram, histamine |
| hiero- | Greek (hieros) | Sacred, holy, priestly. | hieroglyph, hierarchy, hieratic |
| hippo- | Greek (hippos) | Relating to horses. | hippodrome, hippopotamus, hippogriff |
| hagio- | Greek (hagios) | Holy; relating to saints. | hagiography, hagiology |
| haplo- | Greek (haploos) | Single, simple. | haploid, haplology, haplogroup |
| hygro- | Greek (hugros) | Moist, wet, humidity. | hygrometer, hygroscopic |
| horo- | Greek (hōra) | Hour, time. | horology, horoscope |
Descriptions
hemi-
Very common in geometry, medicine, and general language. Not to be confused with the native English prefix ‘half-‘.
hyper-
An extremely productive prefix used to indicate excess or a higher level. Its opposite is ‘hypo-‘.
hypo-
Common in science and medicine to denote a deficiency or lower state. Its opposite is ‘hyper-‘.
hetero-
Used to describe things composed of different or unlike elements. It is the direct opposite of ‘homo-‘.
homo-
Indicates sameness or uniformity. Do not confuse with the Latin word ‘homo’ meaning ‘man’ (as in Homo sapiens).
holo-
Emphasizes completeness or entirety. Found in scientific terms like ‘holocene’ and concepts like ‘holistic medicine’.
hydro-
A very common prefix in science, referring to water (hydrodynamics) or the element hydrogen (hydrocarbon).
hecto-
One of the standard metric system prefixes, denoting a multiple of one hundred. Less common in everyday use than ‘kilo-‘ or ‘milli-‘.
hepta-
A numerical prefix for the number seven, primarily used in geometry and other technical terms.
hexa-
The numerical prefix for six. Widely used in math, chemistry, and computing (e.g., hexadecimal numbers).
half-
The native English equivalent of the Greek ‘hemi-‘. It is extremely productive and used in everyday, informal language.
hemo-
A medical and biological prefix (also spelled haemo-) used in terms related to blood and its components.
helio-
Used in astronomy and other sciences to form words related to the sun, like the heliocentric model of the solar system.
hepato-
A strictly medical prefix used in words concerning the liver, its functions, and its diseases.
histo-
Primarily used in biology and medicine to denote a relationship to the body’s tissues.
hiero-
Refers to sacred or religious matters. ‘Hierarchy’ originally meant ‘rule by a high priest’ but now has a broader meaning.
hippo-
This prefix means ‘horse’. A hippopotamus is literally a “river horse.” Less common in forming new words today.
hagio-
A specialized prefix used in religious studies for terms about saints, such as hagiography (the writing of the lives of saints).
haplo-
A scientific prefix, mainly in genetics and linguistics, to denote singleness, as in a haploid cell having a single set of chromosomes.
hygro-
A scientific prefix for words related to moisture or humidity. A hygrometer is an instrument used to measure humidity.
horo-
Used in words related to time or hours. Horology is the study and measurement of time or the art of making clocks.