To attach or fasten something physically; in grammar, a prefix, suffix, or infix added to a word to change its meaning.
From Latin affixus, past participle of affigere ('to attach to'), from ad- ('to') + figere ('to fix'). Originally meant physically nailing something on; extended to grammar.
The prefix 'un-' and suffix '-ness' are affixes—they're like linguistic building blocks that stick to words, and we invented this term using the exact metaphor of nailing things together.
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