transfix
/tɹænsfˈɪks/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.44 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A discontinuous affix, typical of Afro-Asiatic languages, which occurs at more than one position in a word, i.e. a combination of prefixes, infixes and/or suffixes.
Example Sentences
- "He stood transfixed before the unaccustomed view of London at night time, a vast panorama which reminded him […] of some wood engravings far off and magical, in a printshop in his childhood. They dated from the previous century and were coarsely printed on tinted paper, with tinsel outlining the design."
- "But we may as well accept her story as true, for it is likely she would have been transfixed by the narcissism of the weight lifters."
- "The spear transfixed my arm that was uplifted In swift expostulation, and the blood Gushed round its point: I smiled, […]"
- "There was a little stream that ran not far away, in which he bathed, and down this on occasion would come a shoal of fish. Then the natives would assemble with spears, and with much shouting would transfix the great startled things as they hurried down to the sea."
- "The Arabic word مكتوب (maktūb, “written”) is built from the root [script needed] (k–t–b, “writing”) and the transfix [script needed] (ma––ū–, “passive participle”)."
Etymology
From Middle French transfixer, from Old French transfixer, from Latin transfigō (“to pierce through”), from trans- (“through”) + figō (“to pierce”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: transfixer, transfigō