Standard Lemma guide

circumfix

noun · verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈsəːkəmfɪks/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˈsɚkəmfɪks/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /səːkəmˈfɪks/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsəːkəmfɪks/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /sɚkəmˈfɪks/

1

noun

Meaning 1

An affix containing both a prefixing and a suffixing element existing as a single morphological unit.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ambifix, confix

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

Affix a circumfix to (a word).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From circum- + -fix.

Across languages

Translations

35 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: циркумфикс (cirkumfiks) — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Catalan: circumfix — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Chinese Mandarin: 環綴 /环缀 (huánzhuì) — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Czech: cirkumfix — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Danish: cirkumfiks — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Dutch: circumfix — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Dutch: discontinu affix — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Dutch: omvoegsel — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Esperanto: cirkumfikso — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Esperanto: ĉirkaŭafikso — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Finnish: sirkumfiksi — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • French: circonfixe — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Georgian: ცირკუმფიქსი (cirḳumpiksi) — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • German: Zirkumfix — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Greek: υπέρθημα (ypérthima) — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Italian: circonfisso — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Japanese: 接周辞 (sesshūji) — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Malay: apitan — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sirkumfiks — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Norwegian Bokmål: cirkumfiks — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: sirkumfiks — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: cirkumfiks — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Polish: okołorostek — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Portuguese: circunfixo — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Romanian: confix — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Russian: циркумфи́кс (cirkumfíks) — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Spanish: circunfijo — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Swedish: cirkumfix — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Tagalog: kabilaang-lapi — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Welsh: cylchddodiad — affix with both a prefixing and suffixing element
  • Chinese Mandarin: 加上環綴 /加上环缀 (jiāshàng huánzhuì) — add a circumfix
  • Dutch: circumfigeren — add a circumfix
  • Finnish: liittää sirkumfiksi — add a circumfix
  • German: zirkumfigieren — add a circumfix
  • Spanish: circunfijar — add a circumfix