Definition

The act of adding a sound or syllable at the beginning of a word, or a table used for preparing bread and wine in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Example

In linguistics, prothesis refers to the addition of a phoneme at the start of a word.

Conversation

I heard you got a new prothesis last week.

Yeah, it feels so much better than the old one.

That's great! Does it make moving around easier for you?

Definitely! I can walk much more comfortably now.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Prothesis is formed from "pro-" (meaning before) and "thesis" (from Greek "thesis", meaning placing or position). The word refers to the act of placing something before or in front, often used in a medical context to describe an artificial device that is placed to replace a missing body part.

Memory Tip

Think of 'pro-' meaning 'before' and 'thesis' meaning 'placing' — this helps you remember that a prothesis is something placed before or in front, like an artificial limb.

Visually Confused Words