-i-

interfix

A vowel inserted interconsonantally between morphemes of Latinate origin in order to ease pronunciation (an anaptyxis, a linking vowel).

“dutibound (duty + bound)”

OriginLatin -i- →
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Meanings

-i-1

interfix
  1. A vowel inserted interconsonantally between morphemes of Latinate origin in order to ease pronunciation (an anaptyxis, a linking vowel).

-i-2

interfix
  1. medicineA monoclonal antibody derived from a non-human primate source.

-i-3

suffix
  1. A spelling variant of a word-final -y vowel when followed by a suffix that does not begin with an i, for example -ied, -ier, -iest.

    happiness (happy + -ness)

    2 more examples

    penniless (penny + -less)

    beautiful (beauty + -ful)

  2. In compound words, a spelling variant of a final or suffixed -y vowel in the first word.

    dutibound (duty + bound)

    1 more example

    pantiliner (panty + liner)

Origin

-i- · interfix

  1. Latin-i-
  2. Latin-i-
  3. English-i-

Borrowed from Latin -i-.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

-i- · interfix

The initial vowel of primate.

Full word history & related roots →

-i- · suffix

A word-internal spelling variant of a word-final y.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

-i-. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-i-

MLA

“-i-.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-i-. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “-i-,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-i-.

Source: -i- on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.