Etymograph

English

antefix

Antefix comes from Latin antefīxa ‘antefixes’, from antefīxus ‘fastened in front of’, and ultimately from fīgō ‘to affix’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīgō1‘to affix’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīxus1‘immovable, fixed, fastened’perfect passive participle of fīgō
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEantefīxus2‘fastened in front of’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEantefīxa3‘antefixes’
  5. Englishtodayantefix3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin antefixus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin antefixa
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English antefix

Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīgōWiktionary, Latin antefixus‘to affix’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīxusWiktionary, Latin antefixus‘immovable, fixed, fastened’perfect passive participle of fīgō
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEantefīxusWiktionary, Latin antefixa‘fastened in front of’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEantefīxaWiktionary, English antefix‘antefixes’
  5. EnglishtodayantefixWiktionary, English antefix

Linked words

through Latin fīgō ‘to affix’

crucify, 13 more

through Latin fīxus ‘immovable, fixed, fastened’

fix, suffix

Today it means

noun The vertical blocks which terminate the covering tiles of the roof of a Roman, Etruscan, or Greek temple.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “antefix”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin antefixus, Latin antefixa. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin fīgō / antefix

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