An exit is the way out, and to export is to carry out of a country. ex- means “out.” Its opposite, in- (also im-, en-, em-), means “in” or “into”: to inhale is to breathe in, and to enclose is to shut in. A cousin, extra-, means “outside” or “beyond” (extraordinary).
Key idea
ex- = out (shortened to e- before many consonants and ef- before f). in-, im-, en-, em- = in, into. extra- = outside, beyond.
The pair expedite and impede shows the two at work on one root, ped (foot). To expedite is to free the feet (to get things moving faster); to impede is to catch the feet, as in a trap (to slow things down).
The parts and their words
Words taken apart
| Word and meaning | Parts, and what they say |
|---|---|
| exonerate to clear from blame | ex- out + oner burden + -ate → “take the burden off” |
| expedite to speed up | ex- out + ped foot + -ite → “free the feet” |
| eradicate to destroy completely | e- out + radic root + -ate → “pull out by the root” |
| elucidate to make clear; to explain | e- out + lucid bright + -ate → “bring out into the light” |
| evasive avoiding a direct answer | e- out + vas go + -ive → “going out of the way” |
| extraneous not relevant; coming from outside | extra outside + -neous → “from outside” |
| inundate to flood; to overwhelm | in- into + und wave + -ate → “send waves into” |
| innate present from birth; natural | in- in + nat born → “born in” |
| impede to delay or block | im- in + ped foot → “catch the feet” |
| envision to picture something in the mind, especially a future possibility | en- in + vis see + -ion → “see in the mind” |
Worked example: Use the parts
The town hoped to eradicate the weeds that had taken over the park. What does eradicate mean?
- Take it apart: e- (out) + radic (root, as in radish) + -ate (verb ending).
- Literally: “to pull out by the root.”
- Pulling weeds out by the root gets rid of them for good.
Answer: To destroy completely.
Meet the word
Common mistake
Missing ex- when it shrinks. It is e- in elicit, evasive, eminent and edict, and ef- in effrontery. And keep two different in-s apart: the one in this lesson means “into” (innate, inundate); the one that means “not” is a different prefix (inept, insatiable).