Here you’ll find 48 Prefixes that start with D, organized from “dacry- (dacryo-)” to “dysphag-“. Many come from Latin and Greek and appear in medicine, science, and everyday English. The list prioritizes well-attested Latin, Greek, Old English, numeric, medical, and spatial prefixes.
Prefixes that start with D are word beginnings that change or refine meaning, like negation, number, or place. Historically, many come from Latin or Greek; for example, “de-” means “down” and “di-” indicates two.
Below you’ll find the table with Prefix, Origin, Meaning, Example words, and Notes.
Prefix: You find the actual prefix form here, so you can scan entries quickly and compare variants.
Origin: You see each prefix’s linguistic source, which helps you understand historical meaning and word family connections.
Meaning: You get a concise, two- to seven-word definition that explains how the prefix alters a word’s sense.
Example words: You find two to four clear example words that show the prefix in common or technical contexts.
Notes: Notes highlight variant forms, pronunciation tips, and common collocations to help you apply the prefix accurately.
Prefixes that start with D
| Prefix | Origin | Meaning | Example words |
|---|---|---|---|
| de- | Latin | remove, reverse, reduce | degrade, deforest, dehydrate |
| dis- | Latin | not, apart, away | disagree, disconnect, displace |
| di- | Greek | two, twice, double | dioxide, diploid, dilemma |
| dia- | Greek | through, across, between | diameter, dialogue, diagonal |
| dys- | Greek | bad, difficult, impaired | dyslexia, dyspepsia, dysfunction |
| demi- | French | half, partial, small | demigod, demi‑sandwich, demitasse |
| demo- | Greek | people, population | democracy, demographics, demography |
| deca- | Greek | ten, tenfold | decathlon, decagon, decadal |
| deci- | Latin | one tenth, tenth part | decibel, decimeter, deciliter |
| dodeca- | Greek | twelve, twelvefold | dodecagon, dodecahedron, dodecimal |
| duo- | Latin | two, pair | duopoly, duologue, duotone |
| dual- | Latin | twofold, double | duality, dual‑purpose, dualism |
| dupli- | Latin | double, twofold | duplicate, duplicity, duplicable |
| duplex- | Latin | double, twofold | duplex, duplexity, duplex‑unit |
| dyna- | Greek | power, force, energy | dynamic, dynasty, dynamo |
| dextro- | Latin | right (direction), dextral | dextrocardia, dextrose, dextromethorphan |
| disc- | Latin | disk, rounded plate | discography, discal, discoid |
| disco- | Latin/Modern English | disk; music/style (colloq.) | discoid, discotheque, discography |
| dict- | Latin | say, speak, declare | dictate, dictionary, dictum |
| derm- | Greek | skin, integument | dermatology, epidermis, dermatitis |
| dermato- | Greek | skin-related, skin tissue | dermatology, dermatopathology, dermatosis |
| dendr- | Greek | tree, branching | dendrite, dendrology, dendrogram |
| dent- | Latin | tooth, toothlike | dentist, dentate, dental |
| denti- | Latin | tooth-related | dentition, dentiform, dentigerous |
| dorso- | Latin | back, posterior | dorsoventral, dorsum, dorsolateral |
| dactyl- | Greek | finger, toe, digit | pterodactyl, dactylology, dactylus |
| dacryo- | Greek | tear (eye) related | dacryocystitis, dacryoadenitis, dacryolith |
| deutero- | Greek | second, secondary | deuteragonist, deuterium, deuteroscopy |
| diarch- | Greek | rule by two, dual rulers | diarchy, diarchic |
| dich(o)- | Greek | in two parts, divided | dichotomy, dichotic, dichotomous |
| dichro- | Greek | two‑colored, color variance | dichromatic, dichroism, dichroic |
| diazo- | Greek | two nitrogens (chem.) | diazo, diazotize, diazonium |
| dino- | Greek | terrible, fearsome | dinosaur, dinoflagellate, dinosauria |
| doct-/doc- | Latin | teach, form opinion | doctor, doctrine, docile |
| dolicho- | Greek | long, elongated | dolichocephalic, dolichomorphic, dolichos |
| dox- | Greek | opinion, belief, praise | orthodox, heterodox, doxology |
| delto- | Greek | triangular (delta) shape | deltoid, deltopectoral, deltate |
| dacry- (dacryo-) | Greek | tear, tear sac | dacryorrhea, dacryocystitis, dacryoadenitis |
| duo- (alternative) | Latin | two, pair | duologue, duopoly, duotone |
| dur(o)- | Latin | hard, lasting, durable | durable, durometer, indurate |
| dromo- | Greek | running, course | hippodrome, velodrome, aerodrome |
| dyschro- (rare) | Greek | bad color or abnormal hue | dyschromia, dyschromatopsia |
| decem- | Latin | ten (classical) form | decemvir, decemlinear (rare) |
| diaphan- | Greek | transparent, showing through | diaphanous, diaphaneity |
| diameter- | Greek | across measure (root) | diameter, diametric, diametrical |
| diachron- | Greek | through time, temporal | diachronic, diachrony |
| dysphag- | Greek | difficulty swallowing | dysphagia, dysphagic |
| duo‑duo- (compound use) | Latin | twofold pairing | duopoly, duodrama, duopsony |
Descriptions
de-
A very productive Latin prefix meaning removal, reversal, or reduction; common in formal and everyday vocabulary, forming verbs and nouns.
dis-
Latin privative or separative prefix; creates negatives and verbs of separation; widely used across registers.
di-
Greek numeric combining form meaning “two” or “double”; common in scientific and everyday terms.
dia-
Greek prefix indicating passage, separation, or relation across; frequent in geometry and discourse terms.
dys-
Greek prefix signaling abnormality or difficulty; common in medical and psychological vocabulary.
demi-
From French (Latin roots) meaning “half” or partial; used in fashion, cooking, mythology, and informal compounds.
demo-
Greek combining form meaning “people”; common in political, social, and academic contexts.
deca-
Greek numeric prefix for ten; used in mathematics, measurements, and naming sets of ten.
deci-
Latin-derived decimal prefix meaning one-tenth; standard in measurement and scientific notation.
dodeca-
Greek prefix for twelve; mainly used in geometry and technical naming.
duo-
Latin prefix meaning two or a pair; used in modern compounds to denote a pair or partnership.
dual-
From Latin dualis; denotes two aspects or capacity for two functions, used in formal contexts.
dupli-
Latin combining form meaning double; common in legal, technical, and everyday words about replication.
duplex-
Latin term/combining form meaning “double”; used in architecture, telecommunications, and descriptive compounds.
dyna-
From Greek dunamis (power); common in physics, social contexts, and names indicating force or activity.
dextro-
Latin-based combining form meaning “right” (side); used in chemistry, anatomy, and pharmacology.
disc-
From Latin discus; combining form for disk-shaped objects or records; also overlaps with disco- in some words.
disco-
Originally from Latin/Greek for “disk”; modern senses include the music genre “disco”; in compounds denotes disc-shaped or record-related.
dict-
From Latin dicere “to say”; a combining form for speech-related concepts and words about saying, law, or commands.
derm-
Greek combining form for skin; ubiquitous in medical and biological vocabulary.
dermato-
A variant combining form of derm- used in medical terminology to indicate skin conditions or studies.
dendr-
Greek combining form meaning “tree”; used figuratively for branching structures in biology and data visualization.
dent-
Latin combining form for tooth; common in medical, biological, and descriptive terms.
denti-
Variant combining form used in zoology and dentistry; denotes tooth-related features.
dorso-
Latin combining form meaning “back”; common in anatomy and zoological descriptions.
dactyl-
Greek combining form for “finger” or “digit”; appears in biological names and metrical terminology.
dacryo-
Greek medical combining form for the lacrimal (tear) system; used in ophthalmology.
deutero-
Greek combining form meaning “second”; used in chemistry, literature, and technical naming.
diarch-
Combining form for shared or dual rule; used in political science and history.
dich(o)-
Greek combining form meaning “in two” or split; common in philosophy, science, and description.
dichro-
Greek combining form used in optics and color science to indicate two colors.
diazo-
Chemical combining form indicating a particular nitrogen arrangement; technical but well-established in chemistry.
dino-
From Greek deinos “terrible”; common in paleontology and biological taxonomy.
doct-/doc-
Latin root used in many educational and doctrinal words; functions as a formative combining element.
dolicho-
Greek combining form meaning “long”; used in anatomy and morphology.
dox-
Greek combining form relating to belief or praise; common in religious and philosophical terms.
delto-
From the Greek letter delta; denotes triangular shapes in anatomy and geometry.
dacry- (dacryo-)
Variant of dacryo- used in medical terms for lacrimal system conditions; interchangeable in many compounds.
duo- (alternative)
Alternative form for duo-/duo- indicating two; occasionally preferred in modern coined terms.
dur(o)-
From Latin durus “hard”; used in technical contexts (materials, instruments) and adjectives indicating hardness or endurance.
dromo-
Greek combining form relating to running or courses; common in place names for arenas and tracks.
dyschro- (rare)
Combination of dys- with chromo-; used in medical descriptions of abnormal coloration.
decem-
Classical Latin form for ten; survives in a few formal or historical compounds.
diaphan-
Greek combining form meaning “showing through”; literary or descriptive register.
diameter-
From Greek ‘dia’ + ‘meter’; appears in geometry; included as established combining form.
diachron-
Greek combining form used in linguistics and history to mean “through time” as opposed to synchronic.
dysphag-
Medical combining form from dys- + phag-; specific to clinical contexts.
duo‑duo- (compound use)
Compound use emphasizing pairings or dual actors; productive in economics and the arts.