di-

See also: Appendix:Variations of "di"

Languages (29)

Ahtna • Catalan • Cornish • Danish • Dutch • Esperanto • Finnish • French • German • Indonesian • Italian • Javanese • Kongo • Latin • Malay • Mbukushu • Navajo • Northern Kurdish • Northern Sotho • Polish • Portuguese • Sotho • Spanish • Tagalog • Tswana • Wailaki • Welsh • West Makian

Page categories

English

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈdaɪ/, /ˌdaɪ/
Audio (Southern England): (file)

Etymology 1

PIE word
*dwóh₁

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁

Proto-Indo-European *dwi-

Proto-Hellenic *dwi-

Ancient Greek δῐ- (dĭ-)bor.

Latin di-bor.

English di-

Borrowed from Latin di-, from Ancient Greek δι- (di-, “two”).

Prefix

Greek number prefix
2	Previous:	mono-
2	Next:	tri-

di-

Two.
diacetate is any salt or ester having two acetate groups, dialkene is any alkene having two double bonds, diarchy is a state under the rule of two people; the form of government of such state, diactinal is having two rays
Double, twice the quantity.
diglossia is the presence of a cleft or doubled tongue, dicatalectic is doubly catalectic, at both the middle and the end of the verse, dichoree is a double choree
A pair.
diblock is of or pertaining to two blocks together, dimeson is a bound pair of mesons, dijet is a pair of jets
Both, possessing two distinct (possibly opposing) qualities.
dikinetic is having both metakinetic and mesokinetic joints, dialetheism is the theory that statements can be both true and false at the same time and in the same sense, dianalytic is describing a function that is analytic or antianalytic with regards to both the domain and codomain

Synonyms

Synonyms: duo-, bi-, bis-

Translations

two, twice, double

Catalan: di- (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 兩 / 两 (zh) (liǎng), 二 (zh) (èr), 雙 / 双 (zh) (shuāng)
Dutch: di- (nl)
Finnish: bi-, di- (fi), kaksois- (fi), tupla- (fi)
French: di- (fr)
Galician: di- (gl)
German: di- (de), zwei- (de), doppel-
Hindi: द्वि (hi) (dvi)
Italian: di-
Japanese: 二 (ja) (じ, ji), 両 (ja) (りょう, ryō), 双 (ja) (そう, sō)
Malay: dwi- (ms)
Polish: di- (pl), dy-
Portuguese: di- (pt)
Russian: двух- (dvux-), дву- (dvu-), двое- (dvoje-), ди- (ru) (di-)
Spanish: di- (es)
Swedish: di- (sv)

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁

▲

Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu.

Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is-

Proto-Italic *dis-

Latin dis-bor.

English di-

Borrowed from Latin dis-.

Prefix

di-

Alternative form of dis-: split, to split; shortened before l, m, n, r, s (followed by a consonant), and v; also often shortened before g, and sometimes before j.
divide is to split or separate (something) into two or more parts, diverge is to run apart; to separate; to tend into different directions

Etymology 3

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁

Proto-Indo-European *dwi-

Proto-Hellenic *dwi-

Ancient Greek δῐ- (dĭ-)bor.

English di-

Borrowed from Ancient Greek δῐ- (dĭ-).

Prefix

di-

Alternative form of dia-: across or through, before a vowel.
diactinic is capable of transmitting the chemical or actinic rays of light, dielectric is an electrically insulating or nonconducting material considered for its electric susceptibility, ie its property of polarization when exposed to an external electric field

Derived terms

English terms prefixed with di-

dichloronorlichexanthone

dichlorophosphate

dichlorothiophosphate

chlorodimethylphosphine

dicyclohexylcarbodiimide

dideoxyribonucleotide

dibromodifluoromethane

dichlorodifluorosilane

dichlorvos

terms derived from two

terms derived from pair

terms derived from double

terms derived from both

terms derived from across

terms derived from split

References

“di-”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
“di-”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Anagrams

Id, I'd, id., I-D, id, I.D., -id, ID

Ahtna

Etymology 1

Prefix

di-

in, into
with tsʼi-: out from an enclosure

Etymology 2

Prefix

di-

getting up

References

Kari, James (1990), Ahtna Athabaskan Dictionary, Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Language Center, →ISBN, page 641

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).

Prefix

di-

di-

Derived terms

Catalan terms prefixed with di-

Cornish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *dī- (“from, of”), from Proto-Indo-European *de. Cognate with Welsh di-.

Prefix

di- (triggers soft mutation)

un-, non-, -less, without
Synonyms: an-, heb, dis-, on-

‎di- + ‎hanow (“name”) → ‎dihanow (“anonymous”)

‎di- + ‎annedh (“abode”) → ‎diannedh (“homeless”)

‎di- + ‎penn (“end”) → ‎dibenn (“endless”)

Derived terms

Mutation

Mutation of *di-*
radical	soft	aspirate	hard	mixed
di-	dhi-	unchanged	ti-	ti-

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Cornish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Danish

Prefix

di-

two

Derived terms

Danish terms prefixed with di-

dibrom

dioxygen

Dutch

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /di/
Audio: (file)

Prefix

di-

meaning two, twice, or double
dioxide
dioxide

dipool
diople

Esperanto

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁

Proto-Indo-European *dwi-

Proto-Hellenic *dwi-

Ancient Greek δῐ- (dĭ-)bor.

Latin di-der.

Esperanto di-

Derived from Latin di-.

Prefix

di-

di-

Derived terms

Esperanto terms prefixed with di-

dimero

Finnish

Etymology

Internationalism (see English di-), ultimately from Ancient Greek δι- (di-).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈdi-/, [ˈdi-]

Prefix

di-

(chiefly in loanwords) di- (double, twin)
Synonyms: bi-, kaksois-

Derived terms

Finnish terms prefixed with di-

compounds

French

Prefix

di-

di-

Derived terms

German

Etymology

Ultimately from Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).

Pronunciation

Audio (Germany (Berlin)): (file)

Prefix

di-

di-

Derived terms

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay di-. See there for more.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /di/
Audio: (file)

Prefix

di-

used to form passive voice or "patient focus" (in some analyses) on a verb
dimakan ― to be eaten

Usage notes

In some cases, the meaning of this suffix can become active, as long as the so-called object is animate. For example, both the sentences Rizqi membaca buku itu and Buku itu dibaca (oleh) Rizqi can have the same meaning, "Rizqi reads that book" (although the latter sentence can be also translated as "That book is read by Rizqi"). See also symmetrical voice.

Derived terms

Indonesian terms prefixed with di-

Italian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /di/
Hyphenation: di-

Etymology 1

From Latin de- (“indicating removal or descent”).

Prefix

di-

de-

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).

Prefix

di-

di-

Derived terms

Javanese

Romanization

di-

romanization of ꦢꦶ-

Kongo

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *di-.

Prefix

di- (plural ma-)

class 5 prefix
class 5 subject prefix

Latin

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [diː]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [di]

Prefix

dī-

alternative form of dis-

Usage notes

Occurs before b, d, g, l, m, n, r, v, and occasionally before j (consonantal i).

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Ancient Greek δῐ- (dĭ-), from δῐ́ς (dĭ́s, “twice, doubly”).

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [dɪ]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [di]

Prefix

di-

two; double; di-

Derived terms

Latin terms prefixed with di-

digastricus

distigmus

Descendants

→ English: di-

Malay

Etymology

From Classical Malay di-, from Late Old Malay di-. There are a few theories surrounding its origin:^[1]^[2]

From the starting consonant of dia (“he/she/it”), in turn deriving from ia.
From the preposition di, from Proto-Malayic *di. In this sense, the Old Malay prefix ni- would have been displaced in favour of the preposition-derived prefix.
From the denasalisation of Late Old Malay ni-, from Early Old Malay ni-, from Proto-Malayic *ni-:
1. According to Adelaar (2005),^[1] from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *ni- / *-in-, from Proto-Austronesian *-in- (“verb perfective infix for object focus”). Doublet of -in-.
2. According to Mahdi (2005),^[3] this prefix, alongside mar-, appear to be loaned from the Batak languages to the north and were eventually displaced by "original" forms var- and di-. Doublet of -in-.

Adelaar (2005) prefers the second theory, considering the similar usages in the languages of West Kalimantan (e.g. Kendayan), which can freely occur with the nasal prefix N- and even the preceding agent.^[1] This is further strengthened by the writing errors by native speakers (this prefix could be separated by space rather than joined together as in the formal language).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /di/
- (with consonant-initial stem) IPA^(key): [di-]
- (with vowel-initial stem) IPA^(key): [di.ʔ-]

Prefix

di- (Jawi spelling before consonant-initial stems د-, Jawi spelling before vowel-initial stems دأ-)

(third person) Patient focus or passive voice marker of a verb.
‎di- + ‎buka (“to open”) → ‎dibuka (“to be opened”)

Pintu itu dibuka (oleh) ayah.
That door was opened by dad.

Usage notes

According to the DBP's prescriptive grammar, this prefix should only be used in the third person. In the first and second persons, patient focus sentences are formed by following the actor of the sentence with the bare form of the verb, demonstrated below with the verb telan (“to swallow”):
- Third person patient focus:
  Makanan itu ditelan (oleh) dia.
  That food was swallowed by him/her.
- First/Second person patient focus:
  Makanan itu aku/kamu telan.
  That food was swallowed by me/you.
In third person passive sentences, when the sentence agent appears right after the verb as in "The homework was completed by Adam in three minutes.", it can optionally be preceded by the preposition oleh, as so:
Kerja sekolah itu disiapkan (oleh) Adam dalam tiga minit.
That homework was completed by Adam in three minutes.
If the sentence agent does not appear right after the verb as in "The homework was completed in three minutes by Adam.", the oleh preposition is now compulsory, as in the sentence below:
Kerja sekolah itu disiapkan dalam tiga minit oleh Adam.
That homework was completed in three minutes by Adam.

Derived terms

Malay terms prefixed with di-

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Alexander Adelaar (2005), “Much ado about di-”, in Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, volume 161, number 1, →JSTOR
^ René van den Berg (2004), “Some notes on the origin of Malay di-”, in Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, volume 160, number 4, →JSTOR
^ Waruno Mahdi (2005), “Old Malay”, in The Austronesian languages of Asia and Madagascar‎^[1], pages 182-201

Mbukushu

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *dɪ́- (“Class 5 subject concord”).

Prefix

di-

Class 5 noun prefix.

References

R.C.Wynne (1980), English-Mbukushu Dictionary‎^[3], Avebury Publishing Company Limited, page xvii

Navajo

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /tɪ̀-/

Etymology 1

Represents multiple homophonous thematic and aspectual prefixes of position I and VI, whose exact meaning and etymology remain mostly speculative.

For most meanings, compare the qualifier prefixes Ahtna d- and Lower Tanana d-, both of which appear in verbs with a variety of meanings, including those related to fire and sound.

The inceptive prefix is from Proto-Athabaskan *t-, and is therefore cognate with Lower Tanana t- and Ahtna t-.

Prefix

di- (position I)

fire, near or into it
- diidiłjeeh ― to make a fire

di- (position VI)

Young and Morgan (1987) identify 14 or so thematic prefixes, among others:

fire, light
- diidiłjeeh ― to make a fire
arms and legs
- dilʼéés ― to step, to place one's foot
extension, elongated shape, reduction
noise, sound, oral, food, sensory
- dilwosh ― to shout
- disééh ― to belch
- yidiitsʼį́į́h ― to hear it
color (see also dini-)
- dinilgai ― whitish
relinquishment, relief
- yą́ą́ʼdíłgééd ― to uncover it by digging
- yiidizóóh ― to subtract it
sanctity
- diyin ― holy
Unclassified, often entering in the formation of other prefix compounds
- kʼiidilé ― to plant it
- yidiséí ― to crumble it
- hadii- ― from end to end
- díní- (prolongative)
- tádi- (diversative)
- bi badi- ― to exhaustion

Four modal-aspectual uses are also distinguished:

Forms a number of inceptive verbs, with a (∅/si) paradigm.
- dighááh ― to start to go
Forms a number of inchoative verbs, with prepounded dah and a transitional (yii/yii) paradigm.
- dah diighááh ― to start off, to set out, to leave
Forms the future mode of all active verbs along with the progressive yi-.
- doogááł ― he will go
- didoogááł ― he will start to go
- dah didoogááł ― he will start off
Forms a number of neuter adjectivals.
- dijool ― spherical, chubby

Etymology 2

Probably cognate with a prefix of similar shape occurring in other Athabascan languages as a reflexive possessive pronoun.

Probably cognate with classifier d- marking passive and reflexive verbs.

Prefix

di- (position IV)

Personal prefix used in combination with the prefix of position I á-, marking the reflexive verbs. It always triggers a classifier shift (∅ → d, ł → l).
yishchʼid ― I'm scratching it

nishchʼid ― I'm scratching you

ádíshchʼid ― I'm scratching myself

ánáádíshchʼid ― I'm scratching myself again

Northern Kurdish

Etymology

Cognate with Central Kurdish دەـ (de). Either a development of the locative Northern Kurdish di,^[1] or inherited from Proto-Iranian *aiwa-da, and hence related to Vafsi at-.^[2]

Prefix

di-

Verbal prefix marking the present indicative and imperfect.
ez di-kim ― I do

min di-kir ― I used to do

Alternative forms

References

^ Karim, Shuan Osman. The Synchrony and Diachrony of New Western Iranian Nominal Morphosyntax. 2021. The Ohio State University, PhD dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center. p. 219
^ Stilo, Donald. "Isfahan xxi. PROVINCIAL DIALECTS." Encyclopaedia Iranica. Published December 15, 2007. https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/isfahan-xxi-provincial-dialects/

Northern Sotho

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the pronominal and verbal concord, it displaced the older Bantu noun prefix *bì-. The tone was lowered by analogy with other noun prefixes.

Prefix

di-

Class 8 noun prefix.

Polish

Alternative forms

dy-

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁

Proto-Indo-European *dwi-

Proto-Hellenic *dwi-

Ancient Greek δῐ- (dĭ-)bor.

Latin di-der.

Polish di-

Derived from Latin dī-.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /di/
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -i
Syllabification: di-

Prefix

di-

di-
Synonyms: bi-, dwu-

‎di- + ‎chromatyczny → ‎dichromatyczny

Derived terms

Polish terms prefixed with di-

amfidiploid

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁

▲

Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu.

Proto-Indo-European *dwís

Ancient Greek δίς (dís)bor.

Portuguese di-

Borrowed from Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).

Prefix

di-

di- (two, twice or double)

Derived terms

Sotho

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the pronominal and verbal concord, it displaced the older Bantu noun prefix *bì-. The tone was lowered by analogy with other noun prefixes.

Prefix

di-

Class 8 noun prefix.

Spanish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /di/ [d̪i]
Syllabification: di-

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁

▲

Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu.

Proto-Indo-European *dwís

Ancient Greek δίς (dís)der.

Spanish di-

Derived from Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).

Prefix

di-

di-
Synonyms: bi-, duo-

Derived terms

Spanish terms prefixed with di-

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁

▲

Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu.

Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is-

Proto-Italic *dis-

Latin dis-der.

Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁

Proto-Indo-European *dwi-

Proto-Hellenic *dwi-

Ancient Greek δῐ- (dĭ-)bor.

Latin dī-der.

Spanish di-

Derived from Latin dis- or dī-.

Prefix

di-

dis-

Derived terms

Spanish terms prefixed with di-

Tagalog

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Philippine *diq

Tagalog di

Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *hədiq

Tagalog hindi

Tagalog di-

Prefix form of di or hindi.

Pronunciation

(Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈdiʔ/ [ˈd̪ɪʔ]
Rhymes: -iʔ
Syllabification: di-

Prefix

dî- (Baybayin spelling ᜇᜒ)

non-; un-; de-

Derived terms

Related terms

'di
hindi

Tswana

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the pronominal and verbal concord, it displaced the older Bantu noun prefix *bì-. The tone was lowered by analogy with other noun prefixes.

Prefix

di-

Class 8 noun prefix.

Wailaki

Etymology 1

Compare perhaps Navajo ii(d)-.

Prefix

di-

Marks a first person plural verbal subject

Related terms

Subject prefixes
	singular	plural
1st person	sh-, i-	di-
2nd person	n-	oh-
3rd person	∅-
3rd person obviate	yi-
Indefinite	chʼi-, ʼ-
Areal	ki-

References

Begay, Kayla Rae (2017), Wailaki Grammar, University of California, Berkeley, page 166

Etymology 2

Compare the various Navajo thematic prefixes with the shape Navajo di-.

Prefix

di-

A thematic prefix or set of homophonous prefixes with the following meanings:
1. Relates to noise
2. Relates to protrusion
3. Relates to strong perception

References

Begay, Kayla Rae (2017), Wailaki Grammar, University of California, Berkeley, pages 191-92

Welsh

Etymology

Proto-Celtic *dī- (“from, of”), from Proto-Indo-European *de. Cognate with Cornish di-.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˌdiː/, /dɪ/

Prefix

di-

intensifying prefix
‎di- + ‎goddef → ‎dioddef

‎di- + ‎golwch → ‎diolch
without, -less, de-, a-, negative prefix
Synonyms: af-, an-, dis-

‎di- + ‎enw (“name”) → ‎dienw (“anonymous”)

‎di- + ‎paid (“pause, respite”) → ‎di-baid (“ceaseless, incessant”)

‎di- + ‎swydd (“job, office”) + ‎-o → ‎diswyddo (“dismiss, discharge, sack, make redundant”)

Usage notes

The negative prefix di- indicates a lack of something and is most often attached to a noun in a similar manner to English -less, e.g. dienw (“anonymous, nameless”), di-waith (“unemployed (“workless”)”), diobaith (“hopeless”). In contrast, af- and an- simply denote the negative form of the following root rather than the lack of it.

Derived terms

Welsh terms prefixed with di-

Mutation

Mutated forms of *di-*
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
di-	ddi-	ni-	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “di-”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

West Makian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d̪i/

Pronoun

di-

third-person plural possessive prefix, their
di oma ― their children
(polite) third-person singular possessive prefix, his, her
mene de ti deto di musala ― this is my grandmother's mat

Etymology 2

Pronoun

di-

(inanimate) alternative form of da- (“its”) when preceded by a root-initial i

References

Clemens Voorhoeve (1982), The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[5], Pacific linguistics

[ref1-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Alexander Adelaar (2005), “Much ado about di-”, in Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, volume 161, number 1, →JSTOR

[ref2-2] René van den Berg (2004), “Some notes on the origin of Malay di-”, in Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, volume 160, number 4, →JSTOR

[3] Waruno Mahdi (2005), “Old Malay”, in The Austronesian languages of Asia and Madagascar‎^[1], pages 182-201

[4] Karim, Shuan Osman. The Synchrony and Diachrony of New Western Iranian Nominal Morphosyntax. 2021. The Ohio State University, PhD dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center. p. 219

[5] Stilo, Donald. "Isfahan xxi. PROVINCIAL DIALECTS." Encyclopaedia Iranica. Published December 15, 2007. https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/isfahan-xxi-provincial-dialects/

[1]

[2]

[3]

[1]

[2]

	singular	duoplural	plural
1st person	deesh-	dii(d)-	dadii(d)-
2nd person	díí-	doo(h)-	dadoo(h)-
3rd person	doo-		dadoo-
4th person	jidoo-		dazhdoo-
impersonal	ʼadoo-		—
areal/spatial	hodoo-		—

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Prefix

Synonyms

Translations

See also

Etymology 2

Prefix

Etymology 3

Prefix

Derived terms

See also

References

Anagrams

Ahtna

Etymology 1

Prefix

Etymology 2

Prefix

References

Catalan

Etymology

Prefix

Derived terms

Cornish

Etymology

Prefix

Derived terms

Mutation

Danish

Prefix

Derived terms

Dutch

Etymology

Pronunciation

Prefix

Esperanto

Etymology

Prefix

Derived terms

Further reading

Finnish

Etymology

Pronunciation

Prefix

Derived terms

French

Prefix

Derived terms

German

Etymology

Pronunciation

Prefix

Derived terms

Further reading

Indonesian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Prefix

Usage notes

Derived terms

Italian

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Prefix

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Prefix

Derived terms

Javanese

Romanization

Kongo

Etymology

Prefix

Latin

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Prefix

Usage notes