Reference > Usage > American Heritage® Book of English Usage > 8. Word Formation > § 38. omni-
  PREVIOUS NEXT  
CONTENTS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD · WORD INDEX · SUBJECT INDEX
The American Heritage® Book of English Usage.
A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English.  1996.

8. Word Formation: Plurals, Possessives, Affixes, and Compounds

§ 38. omni-


The prefix omni- means “all.” It comes from the Latin word omnis, also meaning “all.” Because the meaning of omni- is so clear and easily recognizable, the prefix has long been used in English to make new words. For example, the meanings of words such as omnipurpose (“all-purpose”) and omnitolerant (“tolerant of all things”) are easy to guess, even without a definition. Omni- can be compared to the prefix pan-, which also means “all.” Pan-, however, comes from Greek and is most commonly used in English in compounds with names of nationalities: Pan-American.    1


The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. Copyright © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
 
CONTENTS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD · WORD INDEX · SUBJECT INDEX

  PREVIOUS NEXT  
 
Google
Click here to shop the Bartleby Bookstore.
Welcome · Press · Advertising · Linking · Terms of Use · © 2008 Bartleby.com