Here you’ll find 7 Prefixes that start with Y that begin with Y, organized from “y-” to “yttrio-“. Many are technical or rare, useful in scientific and historical word formation.
Prefixes that start with Y are word beginnings that modify or clarify meaning. One notable example, “yttrio-“, links to yttrium and the Swedish village Ytterby, famous in chemistry.
Below you’ll find the table with Prefix, Origin, Meaning, and Examples.
Prefix: Shows the prefix form you can scan quickly to identify and match word-building patterns and pronunciation hints.
Origin: Explains linguistic source so you know historical roots and typical fields where the prefix appears.
Meaning: Gives a concise sense of the element so you can infer or build related words quickly.
Examples: Provides 2–4 clear example words so you see real usage and form new words yourself.
Prefixes that start with Y
| Prefix | Origin | Meaning | Example words |
|---|---|---|---|
| yotta- | SI coinage; from Greek | denotes factor of 10^24 (one septillion) | yottabyte; yottagram; yottawatt |
| yocto- | SI coinage; from Greek | denotes factor of 10^-24 (one septillionth) | yoctogram; yoctosecond; yoctoliter |
| yod- | Hebrew letter name | refers to the palatal approximant /j/ sound | yod-dropping; yod-coalescence; yod-rising |
| y– | Middle English; from Old English | marks past participle; ‘thoroughly’ (archaic) | yclept; y-wrought; y-sprung |
| yester- | Old English; from ge- | ‘previous’ (of the day/time before) | yesteryear; yesternight; yesterday |
| yttrio- | Modern Latin; from Ytterby | denotes presence of yttrium in a compound | yttrioaluminate; yttriofluoride |
| ypsilo- | Greek; letter ypsilon | ‘Y-shaped’ or relating to the letter Y | ypsiliform; ypsiloid |