Prefixes and Suffixes in Maths
@mathsmrgordon
bi-
bisect
“cut in two equal parts”
two equal
div-
divide
“Separate into parts”
separate
-gon
centi-
centimetre
“1 metre split into 100
equal parts”
𝟏
𝟏𝟎𝟎
d0decagrad-
“A shape with many angles”
A figure having (a
specified number of)
angles
hepta-
Heptagon
“A polygon (2d
shape) with 7
angles”
seven
circumference
“the distance around a
shape”
about/around
equi-
equilateral
dodecagon
“A polygon (2d shape) “A triangle with equal sides
and angles”
with twelve sides”
twelve
Polygon
circ-
gradient
“The
steepness of
a line”
step/steep
in-
Inequality
“Not equal
to”
not/without
co-ordinate decaco“distance of a point both
decagon
“A polygon (2d shape)
horizontally and vertically
with ten angles”
from the x and y-axis”
joint/jointly
fract-
fraction
“break into parts”
ten
funct-
“A relation or expression
involving one or more
variables”
equal
break
-hedron
hemi/semi- hexa-
decahedron
“A 3d object with 10 faces”
face
inter-
half
iso-
function
work/operate
hemi-sphere/
semi-circle
“half of a
sphere/circle”
six
hexagon
“A polygon (2d
shape) with 6
sides”
kilo-
kilometre
Inter-quartile range “A triangle with exactly two “One thousand metres”
“The difference between the
quartile values in the data set.”
between
Isosceles
equal sides and angles”
equal/identical thousand
Prefixes and Suffixes in Maths
@mathsmrgordon
lat
Equilateral
“The sides are equal”
trigonometry
milli-
millimetre
“One thousandth of a
metre”
“The measuring of relationships
of sides and angles in triangles”
𝟏
process of measuring 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎
side
para-
-metry
parallel
“Lines/planes
being an equal
distance from each
other to any given
point”
penta- pentagon peri“A polygon (2d shape)
with 5 angles”
five
along side
prim- primary data quad-
perimeter
“The measure
around a shape”
quart-
quartile
quadrilateral “divides the number of data
“data that is collected by a
researcher from first-hand “Any polygon (2d shape)
points into four”
𝟏
sources”
with 4 sides”
first
-tion
square
𝟒
tritranstransform the shape
triangle
fraction
“A polygon (2d shape)
“The process/result of “Move a shape in some way
with 3 sides and angles”
breaking up into parts” across the Cartesian plane”
process/result of across/beyond
three
octa-
nine
eight
nonagon
“A polygon (2d shape)
with 9 angles”
octagon
“A polygon (2d shape)
with 8 angles”
polygon pos/positpolyposition
“A 2d shape with many
angles”
quint-
quintile
“divides the number of
data points into five”
𝟏
𝟓
var3𝑥 + 4𝑦
change
“a particular way in which
someone or something is
placed or arranged”
place/put
many
around
Derived from
Latin: Quadruas
nona-
variable
“The value of
the unknown
can change.”
tangeretangent
“A straight line
that touches a
curve at a single
Latin:touch point”
vertturn
vertex
“A point of turn
(angle) on a 2d or
3d shape)”