Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A light slender finial of metal or terracotta, ornamenting the extremities or intersections of roof-ridges or forming the termination of a pointed roof or spire.
  • noun A prefix (before a vowel ep-, before the rough breathing eph-) of Greek origin, signifying primarily ‘upon, on,’ and variously implying position on, motion to or toward, addition to (a second or subordinate form). See the etymology.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • A prefix, meaning upon, beside, among, on the outside, above, over. It becomes ep-before a vowel, as in epoch, and eph-before a Greek aspirate, as in ephemeral.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • prefix no longer productive above, over, on, in addition to.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a self-report personality inventory based on Hans Eysenck's factor analysis of personality which assumes three basic factors (the two most important being extraversion to introversion and neuroticism)

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek ἐπί (epi, "on top of").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word epi-.

Examples

  • The prefix epi- most often means “on” or “over”; pen, not a prefix, is from the Latin pæne, “almost.”

    The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004

  • The geophysicist Joseph D. Sides adds, “Writers should be advised that epi- no more intensifies the meaning of center than does pen- intensify the meaning of ultimate.”

    The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004

  • The prefix epi- most often means “on” or “over”; pen, not a prefix, is from the Latin pæne, “almost.”

    The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004

  • The geophysicist Joseph D. Sides adds, “Writers should be advised that epi- no more intensifies the meaning of center than does pen- intensify the meaning of ultimate.”

    The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004

  • The location below the center of a nuclear detonation is, strictly speaking, the hypocenter, with the Greek hypo- meaning “under”; that word was soon overtaken by epicenter the Greek prefix epi- means “on, over”, the outbreaking point on the earth’s surface above the focus of an earthquake.

    The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004

  • The location below the center of a nuclear detonation is, strictly speaking, the hypocenter, with the Greek hypo- meaning “under”; that word was soon overtaken by epicenter the Greek prefix epi- means “on, over”, the outbreaking point on the earth’s surface above the focus of an earthquake.

    The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • (prefix): upon, beside, among, above, over, on the outside of.

    ep- when preceeding a vowel (epoch)

    eph- when preceeding a Greek aspirate (ephemeral)

    December 31, 2008