This list includes 45 Prefixes that start with T, from “tacho-” to “typo-“. They are mostly Greek and Latin in origin and cover numeric, temporal, spatial, medical, and technical uses.
Prefixes that start with T are word elements placed before roots to modify or qualify meaning. Many trace to Greek or Latin; examples like “tele-” and “tachy-” show how technological and scientific terms popularized these prefixes.
Below you’ll find the table with Prefix, Origin, Meaning, Example words, and Notes.
Prefix: Shows the prefix itself so you can quickly spot forms to study or recognize in words.
Origin: Gives the root language and etymological note, helping you understand historical meaning and likely word relatives.
Meaning: Provides a concise three- to seven-word gloss so you grasp the basic sense at a glance.
Example words: Lists two to four clear examples so you see the prefix used in real vocabulary quickly.
Notes: Includes usage tips, register, and brief source pointers to help you evaluate relevance and form.
Prefixes that start with T
| Prefix | Origin | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| trans- | Latin | across, beyond, through | transport, transfer, transcend |
| tele- | Greek | far, at a distance | telephone, television, teleport |
| tri- | Latin/Greek numeral | three, threefold | triangle, tricycle, trinity |
| tetra- | Greek numeral | four, fourfold | tetrahedron, tetrapod, tetragram |
| tera- | SI (Greek) | trillion (1,000,000,000,000) | terabyte, terawatt, terahertz |
| tachy- | Greek | fast, rapid | tachycardia, tachypnea, tachyon |
| tacho- | Greek | fast, rapid | tachometer, tachograph |
| tauto- | Greek | same, identical | tautology, tautomer, tautonym |
| taxo- | Greek | order, arrangement | taxonomy, taxon, taxonomic |
| taxis- | Greek | arrangement, directed movement | chemotaxis, phototaxis, taxis |
| teno- | Latin | tendon, tendon-related | tenotomy, tenodesis, tenosynovitis |
| terra- | Latin | earth, land | terrain, terrarium, terrestrial |
| thio- | Greek | sulfur-containing | thiol, thioester, thiosulfate |
| thoraco- | Greek | chest, thorax | thoracotomy, thoracentesis, thoracic |
| thrombo- | Greek | blood clot, clotting | thrombosis, thromboembolism, thrombus |
| thyro- | Greek | thyroid gland, shield-shaped | thyroid, thyroxine, thyrotoxicosis |
| toxi- | Greek | poison, toxin | toxin, toxicology, toxic |
| toxico- | Greek | poison-related | toxicology, toxicomania |
| troph- | Greek | nourish, growth | atrophy, hypertrophy, autotroph |
| tropho- | Greek | feeding, nourishment | trophoblast, trophozoite, trophotaxis |
| trich(o)- | Greek | hair | trichology, trichome, trichotillomania |
| tracheo- | Greek | windpipe (trachea) | tracheotomy, tracheostomy, tracheal |
| tropo- | Greek | turn, change, relation | tropism, tropical, troposphere |
| trypano- | Greek | borer; parasite genus | trypanosome, trypanocide |
| typo- | Greek | type, printing/form | typography, typology, typo |
| typho- | Greek | fever, typhus-related | typhoid, typhus |
| tensi- | Latin | stretch, tension | tension, tensile, tensiometer |
| tecto- | Latin | cover, build | tectonic, tectum, architecture? (tecto- underlies ‘tectonic’) |
| turbo- | Latin | whirl, spin | turbocharger, turbine, turbulent |
| taph(o)- | Greek | burial, tomb | taphonomy, epitaph, taphophile |
| thanato- | Greek | death | thanatology, thanatophobia, thanatos |
| thalasso- | Greek | sea | thalassocracy, thalassotherapy, thalassophile |
| thalamo- | Greek | chamber (brain) | thalamus, thalamic, thalamotomy |
| teleo- | Greek | purpose, end, goal | teleology, teleonomic, teleost? (teleo- in teleost fishes is not the same) |
| telo- | Greek | end, completion | telomere, telencephalon, telomerase |
| terti- | Latin | third, third-level | tertiary, tertian, tertial |
| twi- | Old English | two, double (archaic) | twilight, twixt, twilit |
| tria-? | Greek/Latin numeral | three (variant form) | trialogue, triathlon, triage? (tri-) |
| trachy- | Greek | rough | trachyte, trachypnea (rare) |
| tensio- | Latin | stretch, tension | tensiometer, tensiography |
| tect- | Latin | cover, build | tectum, tectonic (tect-) |
| tri-s- | Latin numeral variant | three (chemical/compound form) | trisomy, trisphosphate, tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane |
| testo- | Latin | testis, male reproductive | testosterone, testotoxins (rare) |
| telo- (alternate entry) | Greek | end, completion | telomerase, telophase |
| typ- (typo variant) | Greek | type, model | typography, typology, typical |
Descriptions
trans-
Very common everyday and technical prefix meaning “across” or “through”; forms verbs and adjectives and often assimilates (e.g., trans- → tra- before some consonants).
tele-
Widely productive in technology, media, and science; denotes distance or remote action and appears in many common modern words.
tri-
Basic numeric prefix used in everyday and scientific vocabulary; many variants (tri-, ter-, tres-) exist in different contexts.
tetra-
Common in chemistry, geometry, and biology to denote groups or shapes of four.
tera-
Modern metric (SI) prefix used in computing and physics; denotes 10^12, widely seen in tech contexts.
tachy-
Medical and physics prefix indicating speed or rapidity; common in clinical terminology.
tacho-
Variant of tachy- often found in instrument names and engineering contexts.
tauto-
Used in logic, chemistry, and taxonomy to mean “same”; can be confused with auto- (self).
taxo-
Common in biology and classification; denotes ordering or systematic arrangement.
taxis-
Technical biology term for directed movement or arrangement; frequent in microbiology and ecology.
teno-
Medical combining form used in orthopedics and anatomy for tendon-related procedures and conditions.
terra-
Everyday and scientific prefix meaning “earth” or “land”; common in geology, geography, and place names.
thio-
Chemical prefix indicating sulfur substitution; frequent in organic and inorganic chemistry.
thoraco-
Medical/anatomical combining form used in surgery and anatomy for chest-related structures and procedures.
thrombo-
Clinical and medical prefix common in hematology and vascular medicine.
thyro-
Medical and endocrine combining form; refers to the thyroid gland or shield-shaped structures.
toxi-
Common in medicine and chemistry; appears as toxi- or tox- in words about poisons or toxins.
toxico-
Variant used in technical formations regarding poisons or toxic effects.
troph-
Biological root used for growth, nutrition, or development; appears in medical and ecological terms.
tropho-
Used in biology to indicate feeding stages or nourishment; technical but common in life sciences.
trich(o)-
Medical and botanical prefix referring to hair or hairlike structures; appears in dermatology and plant biology.
tracheo-
Surgical and anatomical prefix for trachea-related procedures and structures.
tropo-
Used in biology and meteorology; indicates turning, response, or relation (e.g., phototropism, troposphere).
trypano-
Specialized biomedical prefix (Trypanosoma) used in parasitology and tropical medicine.
typo-
Common in publishing, linguistics, and casual speech to mean “type” or “printing error.”
typho-
Historical/medical prefix appearing in disease names (typhus, typhoid); mostly diagnostic or historical register.
tensi-
Mechanical and physiological combining form for stretching or tension; appears in engineering and medicine.
tecto-
Found in geology and architecture; relates to covering or building (tectonic plates, tectum).
turbo-
Engineering and technical prefix meaning fast-spinning or high-performance; common in automotive and aeronautics vocabulary.
taph(o)-
Archaeology and funerary studies prefix meaning burial or tomb; appears in specialist fields.
thanato-
Used in psychology, philosophy, and medicine to denote death or study of death; technical but encountered in humanities.
thalasso-
Literary and scientific prefix relating to the sea; used in geography, therapy, and history contexts.
thalamo-
Neuroanatomical combining form used in brain anatomy and neurosurgery.
teleo-
Philosophical and biological prefix denoting purpose or end-state; less common than tele- and telo-.
telo-
Anatomical and molecular-biology prefix meaning “end” or “completion” (e.g., telomere at chromosome ends).
terti-
Ordinal/relational prefix used in classification, medicine, and geology (tertiary period); moderately common.
twi-
Archaic Old English combining form meaning “two” or “double”; visible in a few fossilized English words.
tria-?
Variant/truncation of tri- appearing before vowels in some formations; not distinct in meaning from tri-.
trachy-
Geological and descriptive prefix meaning “rough”; less common but attested in geology and descriptive terms.
tensio-
Technical variant of tensi- used in instrumentation names and scientific contexts.
tect-
Root/combining form seen in geology and anatomy; often appears with vowels (tecto-, tect-).
tri-s-
Variant of tri- used especially in chemistry and biological nomenclature to indicate threefold substituents.
testo-
Combining form centered on testis/testosterone; primarily medical and endocrinological usage.
telo- (alternate entry)
Often appears in biology and cell-cycle terminology to denote “end” or final stages.
typ- (typo variant)
Classical combining form meaning “type”; appears as typ- or typo- in many formations.