The prefix il- most commonly means “not” or “without.In each case, the prefix reverses or negates the meaning of the base word: legal becomes not legal, logical becomes not logical, and literate becomes not literate. ” It is a negative prefix that appears at the beginning of words such as illegal, illogical, illiterate, and illegible. Understanding this small prefix can reach the meaning of many English words, but it also helps to know why it takes the form il- instead of in-, and when a word beginning with those letters is not using the prefix at all.
What Does the Prefix Il- Mean?
The prefix il- is a variant of the Latin negative prefix in-, which means “not” or “the opposite of.” Latin-based words often change the final letter of a prefix to match the first letter of the root word. This process is called assimilation. When in- is attached to a word beginning with l, the n changes to l, producing il-.
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For example:
- in- + legal → illegal — not legal
- in- + logical → illogical — not logical
- in- + literate → illiterate — not able to read or write
- in- + legible → illegible — not readable
- in- + legitimate → illegitimate — not legitimate or not lawful
- in- + licit → illicit — not allowed or unlawful
- in- + liquid → illiquid — not easily converted into cash
The meaning is consistently negative, but the exact shade of negation can vary. Sometimes il- means “not,” sometimes “without,” and sometimes “opposite of.On top of that, ” In illimitable, for instance, the sense is “without limits. ” In illogical, the sense is “not logical” or **“contrary to logic.
Counterintuitive, but true.
