Standard Lemma guide

dis-

prefix · 4 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.

  • dĭs′-
  • Australian, Canada, General-American, India, Received-Pronunciation, Scotland: /ˌdɪs-/
  • Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • New-Zealand: /ˌdəs-/
  • rhymes with -ɪs
  • homophone: dis
  • homophone: diss
  • homophone: dys-

1

prefix

Meaning 1

Not, the reverse of. (Especially forming words with a negative connotation)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: morpheme

Examples

  • dis- + agree → disagree
  • dis- + connect → disconnect
  • dis- + satisfied → dissatisfied
  • dis- + interested → disinterested
  • dis- + honour → dishonour

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: un-, non-, de-, in-, an-, a-

Antonyms: none provided

2

prefix

Meaning 2

Expressing separation or removal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: morpheme

Examples

  • dis- + card → discard (“to throw out a card”)
  • dis- + bar → disbar (“to expel from the bar”)
  • dis- + franchise → disfranchise (“to remove one's franchise, to prevent from voting”)

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

prefix

Meaning 3

Used as an intensifier.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: morpheme

Examples

  • dis- + embowel → disembowel
  • dis- + annul → disannul (“to annul”)

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

prefix

Meaning 4

Alternative form of dys- (“incorrect”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative, morpheme

Examples

  • dis- + function → disfunction

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English dis-, borrowed from Latin dis-, from Proto-Indo-European *dwís. Piecewise doublet of bis-; further related to bi-, di-, and twi-. Often confused with the separately inherited prefix dys-.

Across languages

Translations

43 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: ապ- (ap-) — reversal or removal
  • Catalan: des- — reversal or removal
  • French: dé- — reversal or removal
  • Galician: des- — reversal or removal
  • German: ent- — reversal or removal
  • Greek: απο- (apo-) — reversal or removal
  • Hungarian: el- — reversal or removal
  • Hungarian: le- — reversal or removal
  • Hungarian: ki- — reversal or removal
  • Ido: des- — reversal or removal
  • Indonesian: dis- — reversal or removal
  • Latin: dis- — reversal or removal
  • Malay: nyah- — reversal or removal
  • Middle English: dis- — reversal or removal
  • Middle English: de- — reversal or removal
  • Polish: de- — reversal or removal
  • Polish: dez- — reversal or removal
  • Polish: roz- — reversal or removal
  • Polish: od- — reversal or removal
  • Portuguese: des- — reversal or removal
  • Portuguese: dis- — reversal or removal
  • Russian: без(ъ)- — reversal or removal
  • Russian: бес(ъ)- — reversal or removal
  • Russian: не- (ne-) — reversal or removal
  • Russian: дис- (dis-) — reversal or removal
  • Russian: де- (de-) — reversal or removal
  • Scottish Gaelic: di- — reversal or removal
  • Scottish Gaelic: eas- — reversal or removal
  • Spanish: des- — reversal or removal
  • Spanish: dis- — reversal or removal
  • Dutch: ont- — apart
  • French: dé- — apart
  • German: ent- — apart
  • Greek: απο- (apo-) — apart
  • Hungarian: szét- — apart
  • Ido: dis- — apart
  • Indonesian: dis- — apart
  • Polish: de- — apart
  • Polish: dez- — apart
  • Polish: roz- — apart
  • Polish: od- — apart
  • Russian: от(ъ)- — apart
  • Russian: с(ъ)- — apart