Go to 'thermo-' entry Go to 'dino-' entry Go to 'chondro-' entry Go to 'aero-' entry Go to '-logy' entry Go to 'thaumato-' entry Go to 'nano-' entry Go to '-sophy' entry Go to 'bucco-' entry Go to '-ism' entry Go to '-lysis' entry Go to 'galacto-' entry Go to '-anthropy' entry Go to 'pneumo-' entry Go to '-ploitation' entry Go to '-lithic' entry Go to '-sepalous' entry Go to 'onco-' entry Go to '-parous' entry Go to 'dermato-' entry Go to 'multi-' entry Go to 'dodeca-' entry Go to '-zoon' entry Go to 'vermi-' entry Go to 'crystallo-' entry Go to 'biblio-' entry Go to 'eco-' entry Go to 'juxta-' entry Go to 'facio-' entry
Affixes: the building blocks of English
Affixes: the building blocks of English
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-free

Free of or from something indicated by the first element.

[English free.]

This suffix is active in the language, frequently forming adjectives: duty-free, gluten-free, cruelty-free, fat-free, lead-free, nuclear-free, sugar-free, and GM-free (not containing ingredients derived from genetically modified crops). More oblique examples are post-free, carried by post or mail free of charge to the customer, and hands-free, not needing to be held to operate, as of a mobile phone. Most such forms are hyphenated; those that are not mainly derive from first elements that end in a vowel: carefree, smokefree, wirefree (using infra-red or radio communication instead of wires).

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