CHAPTER 52

Using anti, ante, anto

These prefixes can be confusing, but they are good examples of how one small letter can make a

remarkable difference in the meaning of a word.

The Latin prefix ante means “before or in front of”:

(^) The Greek prefix anti means “against or opposed to.” There are hundreds of words that use this prefix
and new ones are created every day.
(^) But there is only one commonly used word that begins with anto—antonym, a word opposite in
meaning to another word.
There are numerous other words that begin with ante or anti but do not contain either of these prefixes:
(^) Probably the most commonly used example of ante is the A.M. abbreviation we use to indicate the time
before noon. It means ante meridian. This is the only time that the prefix is separated from the rest of the
word.