circumfix

A circumfix is a type of affix in grammar. It is composed of a prefix and a suffix that work together to create a derived or inflected form of a word. For example, in the English word "enlighten," "en-" is the prefix and "-en" is the suffix, and together they form the circumfix. This grammatical element is combined with a word, stem, or phrase to produce new forms. Unlike prefixes that attach to the beginning of a word or suffixes that attach to the end, circumfixes involve elements at both the beginning and the end simultaneously.1