Here you’ll find 15 Prefixes that start with Q that begin with Q, organized from “quad-” to “quint-“. They include numeric, comparative, and negational affixes used in science, medicine, writing, and everyday vocabulary.

Prefixes that start with Q are short morphemes placed before roots to change meaning, quantity, or relation. Notably, several come from Latin—’quad-‘ and ‘quint-‘ reflect classical number prefixes still common today.

Below you’ll find the table with Prefix, Origin, Meaning, Example words, and Notes.

Prefix: Shows the affix itself so you can quickly identify forms, hyphenation, and spelling variations.

Origin: Gives the historical source (Latin, Greek, etc.) so you know a prefix’s linguistic background.

Meaning: Provides a concise definition you can use to infer the combined word’s basic sense at a glance.

Example words: Lists 2–4 clear words that illustrate typical uses so you can see the prefix in context.

Notes: Adds usage tips, variant spellings, and common collocations to help you choose the right prefix.

Prefixes that start with Q

PrefixOriginMeaningExample words
quasi-Latinas if; resemblingquasi-experiment, quasiparticle, quasi-judicial
quant-Latinamount; quantityquantum, quantify, quantitative, quantile
quadri-Latinfourquadrilateral, quadriceps, quadriplegia, quadrillion
quadru-Latinfourfoldquadruple, quadruplet, quadruplex
quadr-Latinfourquadrant, quadrangle, quadrate
quad-Modern/Latinfour (clipped)quad-core, quadbike, quadrennial
quart-Latinfourth; quarterquarter, quartet, quartile, quartic
quatern-Latinfour each; fourfoldquaternary, quaternion, quaternate
quint-Latinfive; fifthquintet, quintuple, quintillion
quinqu-Latinfive; fivefoldquinquefoliate, quinquennial, quinquelobed
quino-Quechua/Spanishrelating to quinine/quinolinequinoline, quinone, quinidine, quinoid
quinon-French/Latinquinone group (chemistry)benzoquinone, p-quinone, quinonoid
querc-Latinoak; oak-derivedquercetin, quercitron, quercine
quassi-Eponym (Dutch)from Quassia (plant)quassin, quassia, quassinoid
quer-Latincomplain; seekquerulous, querimonious, querist

Descriptions

quasi-
Very common Latin adverbial combining form used to mean “apparently” or “partly” — frequent in legal, scientific, and everyday compounds.
quant-
Common scientific and financial combining form for quantity, measurement, or value (used in physics, economics, statistics).
quadri-
Classical combining form for “four,” common in anatomy, geometry, and formal numerical terms.
quadru-
Variant combining form meaning “fourfold”; appears before vowels or in modern coinages.
quadr-
Classical form often appearing before consonants in technical and everyday words for “four.”
quad-
Informal/clipped form widely used in modern English compounds and brand names for “four.”
quart-
Combining form relating to fourths, quarters, or fourth-degree measures (common in music, math, and units).
quatern-
Technical/formal combining form used in chemistry, mathematics, and biology for fourfold arrangements.
quint-
Classical combining form for “five,” common in music, numbers, and literary uses.
quinqu-
Variant classical form meaning “five,” typically used before vowels or in scholarly terms.
quino-
Chemical/biochemical combining form relating to quinine-derived or quinoline structures (common in organic chemistry).
quinon-
Specialized chemical combining form denoting quinone functional groups and derivatives.
querc-
Botanical/chemical combining form from Latin Quercus (“oak”), used in plant names and derived compounds.
quassi-
Eponymous combining form from the genus Quassia (named for Graman Quassi), used in botany and natural-product chemistry.
quer-
Bound Latin root seen as a combining form in words meaning “to complain” or “to seek,” found in literary and formal vocabulary.
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