postfixation
|post-fix-a-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌpoʊstfɪkˈseɪʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌpəʊstfɪkˈseɪʃən/
adding an affix after the stem
Etymology
'postfixation' originates from English, specifically the word 'postfix' plus the noun-forming suffix '-ation', where 'post-' (from Latin 'post') meant 'after' and 'fix' (from Latin 'figere' via Old French/Latin-derived English) meant 'to fix' or 'attach'.
'postfix' (post- + fix) was formed in English by combining the element 'post-' (Latin 'post' meaning 'after') with the verb 'fix' (from Latin 'figere' 'to fix'). Adding the productive English suffix '-ation' created the noun 'postfixation' to denote the act or result of postfixing.
Initially it named the specific operation of attaching a postfix; over time it has been used more broadly in linguistic description to refer to suffixation or any instance of postposed morphological elements.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process or practice of adding a postfix (an affix attached after the stem); essentially suffixation in which the affix follows the base form.
In some morphological analyses, postfixation is treated as the opposite of prefixation when an affix is attached after the root.
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Noun 2
the state or instance of being postfixed; a particular affix or element that occurs after the stem (a postfix).
The language exhibits postfixation: markers indicating tense consistently follow the verb stem.
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Last updated: 2025/10/05 18:24