di-
English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdaɪ/, /ˌdaɪ/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Etymology 1
| PIE word |
|---|
| *dwóh₁ |
Borrowed from Latin di-, from Ancient Greek δι- (di-, “two”).
Prefix
| 2 | Previous: | mono- |
|---|---|---|
| Next: | tri- |
di-
- Two.
- Double, twice the quantity.
- diglossia is the presence of a cleft or doubled tongue, dicatalectic is doubly catalectic, at both the middle and the end of the verse, dichoree is a double choree
- A pair.
- Both, possessing two distinct (possibly opposing) qualities.
- dikinetic is having both metakinetic and mesokinetic joints, dialetheism is the theory that statements can be both true and false at the same time and in the same sense, dianalytic is describing a function that is analytic or antianalytic with regards to both the domain and codomain
Synonyms
Translations
|
See also
Etymology 2
Prefix
di-
- Alternative form of dis-: split, to split; shortened before l, m, n, r, s (followed by a consonant), and v; also often shortened before g, and sometimes before j.
Etymology 3
Borrowed from Ancient Greek δῐ- (dĭ-), from Ancient Greek δῐά (dĭá, “through”).
Prefix
di-
- Alternative form of dia-: across or through, before a vowel.
- diactinic is capable of transmitting the chemical or actinic rays of light, dielectric is an electrically insulating or nonconducting material considered for its electric susceptibility, ie its property of polarization when exposed to an external electric field
Derived terms
- diacetal
- diacetate
- diacetoxylation
- diacetyl
- diacridine
- diacrylate
- diactinal
- diactivated
- diadenosine
- diadenylate
- dialkene
- dialkoxide
- dialkylated
- dialkylation
- diallelic
- dialuminium
- diamide
- diamidine
- diamidino
- diamniotic
- diandry
- diangle
- dianhydride
- dianilido
- dianion
- diantimony
- diarch
- diarchy
- diarginate
- diarginine
- diaromatic
- diarsenic
- dibarium
- dibehenate
- diberyllium
- dibesylate
- dibutyryl
- dicadmium
- dicarbamate
- dicarbamoyl
- dicarboxaldehyde
- dicarboxamide
- dicerium
- dichlorine
- dichloro
- dicyano
- didecenoate
- didodecyl
- didysprosium
- diepoxide
- diepoxy
- dierbium
- diethoxy
- diethylene
- diethynyl
- dieuropium
- diferulate
- digadolinium
- digalactose
- digalactosyl
- digalacturonate
- digallium
- digeranyl
- digermanium
- diglycosyl
- diguanosine
- dihafnium
- dihalo
- dihelium
- diheptyl
- dihexyl
- diholmium
- dihydro
- dihydroxo
- diindium
- diiridium
- diiron
- diisobutyl
- diisodecyl
- diisononyl
- dilactate
- dilactone
- dilactyl
- dilanthanum
- dilaurate
- dilauroyl
- dilauryl
- dilead
- dilithium
- dilutetium
- dimagnesium
- dimanganese
- dimercury
- dimethacrylate
- dimethylene
- dimolybdenum
- dimycocerosate
- dimyristoyl
- dimyristyl
- dineodymium
- dineptunium
- diniobium
- dinonyl
See also
References
- “di-”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- “di-”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
Anagrams
Catalan
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).
Prefix
di-
Derived terms
Cornish
Etymology
From Proto-Celtic *dī- (“from, of”), from Proto-Indo-European *de. Cognate with Welsh di-.
Prefix
di- (triggers soft mutation)
Derived terms
Mutation
| radical | soft | aspirate | hard | mixed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| di- | dhi- | unchanged | ti- | ti- |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Cornish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
Danish
Prefix
di-
Derived terms
Dutch
Etymology
From Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /di/
Audio: (file)
Prefix
di-
Esperanto
Etymology
Prefix
di-
Derived terms
Finnish
Etymology
Internationalism (see English di-), ultimately from Ancient Greek δι- (di-).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdi-/, [ˈdi-]
Prefix
di-
Derived terms
French
Prefix
di-
Derived terms
German
Etymology
Ultimately from Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).
Pronunciation
Prefix
di-
Derived terms
Further reading
- “di-” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
Indonesian
Etymology
From Malay di-, from Classical Malay di-, from Late Old Malay di-. There are few theories surrounding its origin:
- From the starting consonant of Malay dia (“he/she/it”), in turn deriving from ia.
- From the preposition Malay di, from Proto-Malayic *di.
- From the denasalisation of Early Old Malay ni-, from Proto-Malayic *ni-. This prefix, alongside mar-, appear to be loaned from the Batak languages to the north, but eventually displaced by "original" forms var- and di-.
Alexander Adelaar prefers the second one, considering the similar usages in the languages of West Kalimantan (e.g. Kendayan), which can freely occur with the nasal prefix N- and even the preceding agent.[1] This is further strengthened by the writing errors by native speakers (this prefix could be separated by space rather than joined together as in the formal language).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /di/
Audio: (file)
Prefix
di-
- used to form passive voice or "patient focus" (in some analyses) on a verb
- dimakan ― to be eaten
Usage notes
In some cases, the meaning of this suffix can become active, as long as the so-called object is animate. For example, both the sentences Rizqi membaca buku itu and Buku itu dibaca (oleh) Rizqi can have the same meaning, "Rizqi reads that book" (although the latter sentence can be also translated as "That book is read by Rizqi"). See also symmetrical voice.
Derived terms
References
- ^ Adelaar, Alexander (2005), “Much ado about di-”, in Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, volumes 161-1, pages 127–142
Italian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /di/
- Hyphenation: di-
Etymology 1
From Latin de- (“indicating removal or descent”).
Prefix
di-
Derived terms
Etymology 2
From Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).
Prefix
di-
Derived terms
Javanese
Romanization
di-
- romanization of ꦢꦶ-
Kongo
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *di-.
Prefix
di- (plural ma-)
- class 5 prefix
- class 5 subject prefix
Latin
Etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [diː]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [di]
Prefix
dī-
- alternative form of dis-
Usage notes
Occurs before b, d, g, l, m, n, r, sc, sp, st, v, and occasionally before consonantal i.
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Ancient Greek δῐ- (dĭ-), from δίς (dís, “twice, doubly”).
Pronunciation
- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [dɪ]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [di]
Prefix
di-
Derived terms
Descendants
→ English: di-
Malay
Etymology
From Classical Malay di-, from Late Old Malay di-. There are a few theories surrounding its origin:[1][2]
- From the starting consonant of dia (“he/she/it”), in turn deriving from ia.
- From the preposition di, from Proto-Malayic *di. In this sense, the Old Malay prefix ni- would have been displaced in favour of the preposition-derived prefix.
- From the denasalisation of Late Old Malay ni-, from Early Old Malay ni-, from Proto-Malayic *ni-:
- According to Adelaar (2005),[1] from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *ni- / *-in-, from Proto-Austronesian *-in- (“verb perfective infix for object focus”). Doublet of -in-.
- According to Mahdi (2005),[3] this prefix, alongside mar-, appear to be loaned from the Batak languages to the north and were eventually displaced by "original" forms var- and di-. Doublet of -in-.
Adelaar (2005) prefers the second theory, considering the similar usages in the languages of West Kalimantan (e.g. Kendayan), which can freely occur with the nasal prefix N- and even the preceding agent.[1] This is further strengthened by the writing errors by native speakers (this prefix could be separated by space rather than joined together as in the formal language).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /di/
- (with consonant-initial stem) IPA(key): [di-]
- (with vowel-initial stem) IPA(key): [di.ʔ-]
Prefix
di- (Jawi spelling before consonant-initial stems د-, Jawi spelling before vowel-initial stems دأ-)
- (third person) Patient focus or passive voice marker of a verb.
Usage notes
- According to the DBP's prescriptive grammar, this prefix should only be used in the third person. In the first and second persons, patient focus sentences are formed by following the actor of the sentence with the bare form of the verb, demonstrated below with the verb telan (“to swallow”):
- Third person patient focus:
- Makanan itu ditelan (oleh) dia.
- That food was swallowed by him/her.
- First/Second person patient focus:
- Makanan itu aku/kamu telan.
- That food was swallowed by me/you.
- Third person patient focus:
- In third person passive sentences, when the sentence agent appears right after the verb as in "The homework was completed by Adam in three minutes.", it can optionally be preceded by the preposition oleh, as so:
- Kerja sekolah itu disiapkan (oleh) Adam dalam tiga minit.
- That homework was completed by Adam in three minutes.
- If the sentence agent does not appear right after the verb as in "The homework was completed in three minutes by Adam.", the oleh preposition is now compulsory, as in the sentence below:
- Kerja sekolah itu disiapkan dalam tiga minit oleh Adam.
- That homework was completed in three minutes by Adam.
Derived terms
See also
- di- -kan (3rd person passive causitive or locative)
- di- -i (3rd person passive causitive or benefactive)
- diper- (3rd person passive causitive)
- meng- (active)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Alexander Adelaar (2005), “Much ado about di-”, in Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, volume 161, number 1, →JSTOR
- ^ René van den Berg (2004), “Some notes on the origin of Malay di-”, in Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, volume 160, number 4, →JSTOR
- ^ Waruno Mahdi (2005), “Old Malay”, in The Austronesian languages of Asia and Madagascar[1], pages 182-201
Mbukushu
Etymology
Inherited from Proto-Bantu *dɪ́- (“Class 5 subject concord”).
Prefix
di-
- Class 5 noun prefix.
References
- R.C.Wynne (1980), English-Mbukushu Dictionary[2], Avebury Publishing Company Limited, page xvii
Navajo
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /tɪ̀-/
Etymology 1
Represents multiple homophonous thematic and aspectual prefixes of position I and VI, whose exact meaning and etymology remain mostly speculative.
Prefix
di- (position I)
- fire, near or into it
- diidiłjeeh ― to make a fire
di- (position VI)
Young and Morgan (1987) identify 14 or so thematic prefixes, among others:
- fire, light
- diidiłjeeh ― to make a fire
- arms and legs
- dilʼéés ― to step, to place one's foot
- extension, elongated shape, reduction
- relinquishment, relief
- yą́ą́ʼdíłgééd ― to uncover it by digging
- bidizóóh ― to subtract it
- sanctity
- diyin ― holy
Four modal-aspectual uses are also distinguished:
- Forms a number of inchoative verbs, with prepounded dah and a transitional (yii/yii) paradigm.
- Forms a number of neuter adjectivals.
- dijool ― spherical, chubby
See also
| singular | duoplural | plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | deesh- | dii(d)- | dadii(d)- | |
| 2nd person | díí- | doo(h)- | dadoo(h)- | |
| 3rd person | doo- | dadoo- | ||
| 4th person | jidoo- | dazhdoo- | ||
| impersonal | ʼadoo- | — | ||
| areal/spatial | hodoo- | — | ||
Etymology 2
Probably cognate with a prefix of similar shape occurring in other Athabascan languages as a reflexive possessive pronoun.
Probably cognate with classifier d- marking passive and reflexive verbs.
Prefix
di- (position IV)
- Personal prefix used in combination with the prefix of position I á-, marking the reflexive verbs. It always triggers a classifier shift (∅ → d, ł → l).
- yishchʼid ― I'm scratching it
- nishchʼid ― I'm scratching you
- ádíshchʼid ― I'm scratching myself
- ánáádíshchʼid ― I'm scratching myself again
Northern Sotho
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the pronominal and verbal concord, it displaced the older Bantu noun prefix *bì-. The tone was lowered by analogy with other noun prefixes.
Prefix
di-
- Class 8 noun prefix.
Polish
Alternative forms
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /di/
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -i
- Syllabification: di-
Prefix
di-
- di-
- Synonyms: bi-, dwu-
- di- + chromatyczny → dichromatyczny
Derived terms
Further reading
- di- in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Portuguese
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).
Prefix
di-
- di- (two, twice or double)
Derived terms
Further reading
- “di-”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
- “di-”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026
Sotho
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the pronominal and verbal concord, it displaced the older Bantu noun prefix *bì-. The tone was lowered by analogy with other noun prefixes.
Prefix
di-
- Class 8 noun prefix.
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /di/ [d̪i]
- Syllabification: di-
Etymology 1
From Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).
Prefix
di-
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Prefix
di-
Derived terms
Further reading
- “di-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
Tagalog
Etymology
From Proto-Philippine *di.
Pronunciation
- (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ˈdiʔ/ [ˈd̪ɪʔ]
- Rhymes: -iʔ
- Syllabification: di-
Prefix
dî- (Baybayin spelling ᜇᜒ)
Derived terms
- di-maaari
- di-maabot
- di-maalam
- di-mabasa
- di-mabata
- di-makaugaga
- di-makauwi
- di-makaya
- di-makilala
- di-nabubulok
- di-pagkakaunawaan
- di-pangkaraniwan
- diigkasin
- disaluyan
Related terms
Tswana
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the pronominal and verbal concord, it displaced the older Bantu noun prefix *bì-. The tone was lowered by analogy with other noun prefixes.
Prefix
di-
- Class 8 noun prefix.
Wailaki
Etymology 1
Compare perhaps Navajo ii(d)-.
Prefix
di-
- Marks a first person plural verbal subject
Related terms
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person | sh-, i- | di- |
| 2nd person | n- | oh- |
| 3rd person | ∅- | |
| 3rd person obviate | yi- | |
| Indefinite | chʼi-, ʼ- | |
| Areal | ki- | |
References
- Begay, Kayla Rae (2017), Wailaki Grammar, University of California, Berkeley, page 166
Etymology 2
Compare the various Navajo thematic prefixes with the shape Navajo di-.
Prefix
di-
- A thematic prefix or set of homophonous prefixes with the following meanings:
- Relates to noise
- Relates to protrusion
- Relates to strong perception
References
- Begay, Kayla Rae (2017), Wailaki Grammar, University of California, Berkeley, pages 191-92
Welsh
Etymology
Proto-Celtic *dī- (“from, of”), from Proto-Indo-European *de. Cognate with Cornish di-.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˌdiː/, /dɪ/
Prefix
di-
Usage notes
The negative prefix di- indicates a lack of something and is most often attached to a noun in a similar manner to English -less, e.g. dienw (“anonymous, nameless”), di-waith (“unemployed (“workless”)”), diobaith (“hopeless”). In contrast, af- and an- simply denote the negative form of the following root rather than the lack of it.
Derived terms
Mutation
| radical | soft | nasal | aspirate |
|---|---|---|---|
| di- | ddi- | ni- | unchanged |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
References
- R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “di-”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
West Makian
Etymology 1
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /d̪i/
Pronoun
di-
- third-person plural possessive prefix, their
- di oma ― their children
- (polite) third-person singular possessive prefix, his, her
- mene de ti deto di musala ― this is my grandmother's mat
Etymology 2
Pronoun
di-
- (inanimate) alternative form of da- (“its”) when preceded by a root-initial i
See also
| independent | possessive prefix | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | de | ti | |
| 2nd person singular | ni | ni | |
| 3rd person singular | me | mVan., dVinan. | |
| 1st person plural | inclusive | ene | nV |
| exclusive | imi | mi | |
| 2nd person plural | ini | fi | |
| 3rd person plural | eme | di | |
V indicates the expected assimilated vowel of the following noun,
following standard West Makian vowel harmony.
References
- Clemens Voorhoeve (1982), The Makian languages and their neighbours[3], Pacific linguistics