Which prefix means down from, away?

Which prefix means down from, away?

• A. De: down from, away
• B. Circum: around, about
• C. Ecto: out, outside
• D. Endo: within

Answer: (A)

De- signals downward movement or removal, capturing the idea of going down from something or taking it away. This is why it fits the prompt: you can see the sense in words like descend, which means to move downward, or deplane, which means to leave a plane. It also covers removal, as in dehydrate, where water is taken away. The other prefixes describe different spatial relations: circum- means around, ecto- means outside, and endo- means inside. So the prefix that matches “down from, away” is de-.

De- signals downward movement or removal, capturing the idea of going down from something or taking it away. This is why it fits the prompt: you can see the sense in words like descend, which means to move downward, or deplane, which means to leave a plane. It also covers removal, as in dehydrate, where water is taken away. The other prefixes describe different spatial relations: circum- means around, ecto- means outside, and endo- means inside. So the prefix that matches “down from, away” is de-.