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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out-

Surpassing; external; away from.

[English out.]

This prefix forms a great number of compounds—nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs—with a variety of senses. The most common one is that of surpassing or exceeding some norm—being more successful, enduring longer, and so on—frequently appearing in transitive verbs: outbid, outfight, outgrow, outlast, outperform, outshine, outstay. It forms nouns, adjectives, and adverbs describing a position or situation external to or separated from some place: outside, outdoors, outfield, outbuilding, outpost, outpatient, outcast. It can suggest movement away from some location or position: outwards, outbound; this can often be figurative in sense: outcry, outgoing, outgrowth, outpouring, output.

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