Here you’ll find 25 Prefixes that start with M, organized from “macro-” to “myx(o)-“. These prefixes are mostly Latin or Greek, covering size, number, negation, medical, and spatial uses.
Prefixes that start with M are word parts placed at the beginning of words to change meaning. Historically, many come from Latin and Greek, and “micro-” became a staple in modern scientific naming.
Below you’ll find the table with Prefix, Origin, Meaning, Examples, and Notes.
Prefix: The actual prefix string in quotes so you can quickly spot and compare forms across words.
Origin: Short linguistic source (Latin, Greek, Old English) so you know where the meaning comes from.
Meaning: A concise three-to-seven-word gloss that gives the core sense you use when building words.
Examples: Two to four common words showing the prefix in use so you can see real patterns.
Notes: Brief usage notes, variants, or common fields (medical, scientific, archaic) to guide your choice.
Prefixes that start with M
| Prefix | Origin | Meaning | Example words |
|---|---|---|---|
| multi- | Latin (multus) | many, much, more than one | multiply, multicultural, multilingual |
| mis- | Old English | badly, wrongly, incorrectly | misunderstand, misinform, misdeed |
| mega- | Greek (megas) | large, great; one million | megaphone, megabyte, megalopolis |
| micro- | Greek (mikros) | small; one-millionth | microscope, microchip, microorganism |
| mono- | Greek (monos) | one, single, alone | monologue, monopoly, monotonous |
| mal- | Latin (malus) | bad, evil, wrongful | malfunction, malicious, malnutrition |
| macro- | Greek (makros) | large, long, large-scale | macroeconomics, macroscopic, macronutrient |
| meta- | Greek | after, beyond, change | metaphysics, metamorphosis, metadata |
| milli- | Latin (mille) | one-thousandth | millimeter, millisecond, millipede |
| magni- | Latin (magnus) | great, large | magnify, magnificent, magnitude |
| maxi- | Latin (maximus) | greatest, largest | maximize, maximum, maxi-skirt |
| medi- | Latin (medius) | middle | median, medieval, mediate |
| meso- | Greek (mesos) | middle, intermediate | mesosphere, Mesopotamia, mesoderm |
| melano- | Greek (melas) | black, dark | melanin, melanoma, melancholy |
| morpho- | Greek (morphe) | form, shape, structure | morphology, amorphous, metamorphosis |
| myo- | Greek (mys) | muscle | myocardium, myopathy, myalgia |
| myco- | Greek (mykes) | fungus, mushroom | mycology, mycelium, mycotoxin |
| mytho- | Greek (mythos) | story, myth, fable | mythology, mythographer, mythopoetic |
| myel(o)- | Greek (myelos) | marrow, spinal cord | myeloma, myelin, myelitis |
| mast(o)- | Greek (mastos) | breast | mastectomy, mastodon, mastoid |
| metr- | Greek (metron) | measure | metric, geometry, symmetry |
| metro- | Greek (meter) | mother; uterus | metropolis, metritis |
| mio- | Greek (meion) | less, smaller | miocene, miosis |
| myria- | Greek (myrias) | ten thousand, countless | myriad, myriapod |
| myx(o)- | Greek (myxa) | mucus, slime | myxoma, myxedema |
Descriptions
multi-
A very common prefix from Latin, used to indicate a quantity of more than one or a great number. It’s found in everyday language and technical terms alike, a true workhorse of a prefix.
mis-
A native English prefix from Germanic roots, unlike many Latin or Greek counterparts. It’s used to add a negative or erroneous sense to a word, indicating something was done badly.
mega-
Originally meaning “great,” this Greek prefix gained a technical sense for “one million” (e.g., megawatt). In informal use, it’s a popular intensifier for anything impressively large.
micro-
The opposite of mega-, this prefix denotes something extremely small. Like mega-, it also has a precise scientific meaning for one-millionth of a unit (e.g., microsecond).
mono-
From the Greek for “alone,” this prefix is used to describe things that are singular or consist of a single element, from chemistry (monomer) to entertainment (monologue).
mal-
A Latin prefix that adds a sense of “badness” or “wrongness.” It’s often used to describe faulty processes, negative qualities, or harmful conditions.
macro-
Often paired with `micro-`, this prefix refers to things on a large scale. It’s common in scientific and academic fields to distinguish from the small-scale (micro) view.
meta-
A versatile prefix indicating change, transcendence, or a higher level of abstraction. “Metadata,” for example, is data about data, showing its “beyond” sense.
milli-
From the Latin for “thousand,” this prefix is now used almost exclusively in the metric system to mean one-thousandth of a unit. The word “millipede” misleadingly means “thousand-foot.”
magni-
A Latin prefix conveying greatness in size, scale, or importance. While related to `mega-` and `macro-`, it often carries a connotation of splendor or importance.
maxi-
Derived from the Latin superlative for “greatest,” this is often used as a modern contrast to `mini-`. It denotes the largest possible size, amount, or degree.
medi-
This prefix places something in the middle, whether in time (medieval), position (median nerve), or as an intermediary (mediate).
meso-
The Greek equivalent of the Latin `medi-`. It’s primarily used in scientific contexts to denote an intermediate layer, region, or type. Mesopotamia means “between the rivers.”
melano-
This prefix refers to the color black or darkness. It’s most common in scientific terms, such as melanin (dark pigment) and melanoma (a dark-pigmented skin cancer).
morpho-
Used to discuss form and structure, especially in biology (morphology) and linguistics. It’s a key component in words related to changing or having a specific shape.
myo-
A staple in medical terminology, this prefix is derived from the Greek word for muscle. Any word beginning with `myo-` is almost certainly related to the muscular system.
myco-
This scientific prefix is all about fungi. Mycology is the study of fungi, and a mycotoxin is a poison produced by a fungus.
mytho-
Pertaining to myths and traditional stories. This prefix is central to the study of folklore, religion, and literature, describing the creation and analysis of myths.
myel(o)-
Another important medical prefix from Greek, `myelo-` refers specifically to bone marrow or the spinal cord. It is used to name various diseases and structures in that area.
mast(o)-
This prefix relates to the breast. While common in medicine (mastectomy), its most famous use is `mastodon`, an extinct animal named for its nipple-shaped tooth cusps.
metr-
Derived from the Greek for “measure,” this prefix is fundamental to concepts of measurement, distance, and standardized units. `Geometry` literally means “earth-measure.”
metro-
From the Greek for “mother.” A `metropolis` is a “mother city.” In medicine, it can also refer to the uterus (metritis), from the same root word.
mio-
A less common prefix used in scientific terms to mean “less” or “smaller.” The Miocene epoch, for example, means “less recent,” as it has fewer modern invertebrates than the Pliocene.
myria-
Originally meaning a specific number (10,000), this prefix is now used more generally to mean an immense, uncountable number, as in “a myriad of stars.”
myx(o)-
A medical and biological prefix for things related to mucus or slime. It’s used to describe certain types of tumors (myxoma) and diseases involving mucous secretions.