κατα-

Alternative forms

• κατ- (kat-) – before a vowel with smooth breathing
• καθ- (kath-) – before a vowel with rough breathing

Etymology

See κατά (katá).

Prefix

κᾰτᾰ́ • (katá)

1. back
2. downwards
3. against
4. fully, completely

Further reading

• κατά in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Alternative forms

• κατά- (katá-)
• κατ- (kat-) (used before morphemes that begin with a vowel)
• κάτ- (kát-) (used before morphemes that begin with a vowel)
• καθ- (kath-) (used before morphemes that historically began with a vowel with a δασεία or rough breathing)
• κάθ- (káth-) (used before morphemes that historically began with a vowel with a δασεία or rough breathing)

Etymology

From Ancient Greek κατα- (kata-), from Ancient Greek κατά (katá, “down, into, against”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kata/

Prefix

κατα- • (kata-)

1. added before a noun, adjective or verb to create words that indicates something that is down in a downward direction:

   κατα- (kata-) + ‎βάση (vási, “basis, base”) → ‎κατάβαση (katávasi, “descent”)

   κατα- (kata-) + ‎βρόχθος (vróchthos, “throat (Ancient Greek)”) → ‎καταβροχθίζω (katavrochthízo, “to gobble, to devour, to wolf down”)

2. added before a noun, adjective or verb to create words that indicates something to a great degree or intensity:

   κατα- (kata-) + ‎μαύρος (mávros, “black”) → ‎κατάμαυρος (katámavros, “jet-black”)

   κατα- (kata-) + ‎άσπρος (áspros, “white”) → ‎κάτασπρος (kátaspros, “snow white, completely white”)

   κατα- (kata-) + ‎φως (fos, “light”) → ‎κατάφωτος (katáfotos, “ablaze”)

   κατα- (kata-) + ‎ορίζω (orízo, “to set, to define”) → ‎καθορίζω (kathorízo, “to determine, to decide”)

   κατα- (kata-) + ‎πτύω (ptýo, “to spit (Ancient Greek)”) → ‎κατάπτυστος (katáptystos, “foul, villainous, worthy of spitting on”)

   κατα- (kata-) + ‎κλέβω (klévo, “to steal, to rob”) → ‎κατακλέβω (kataklévo, “to rob blind”)

3. added before a noun, adjective or verb to create words that indicates something is against a person to a great degree:

   κατα- (kata-) + ‎γελώ (geló, “to laugh”) → ‎καταγελώ (katageló, “to laugh at, to mock”)

   κατα- (kata-) + ‎δικάζω (dikázo, “to judge”) → ‎καταδικάζω (katadikázo, “to condemn, to convict”)

   κατα- (kata-) + ‎αναγκάζω (anagkázo, “to compel, to necessitate”) → ‎καταναγκάζω (katanagkázo, “to force someone”)

4. (geology)added before a noun, adjective or verb to create words that indicates something that is under or before:

   κατα- (kata-) + ‎αρχαιοζωικός (archaiozoikós, “Archaean”) → ‎καταρχαιοζωικός (katarchaiozoikós, “Hadean, pre-Archaean”)