magni-

1. a combining form appearing in loanwords from Latin, where it meant “large,” “great”:

   magnify.

Word History and Origins

Origin of magni-¹

< Latin, combining form of magnus

Example Sentences

Is est Ioannes Biencurtius, vulg Potrincurtius, nobilis & magni animi vir.

From Project Gutenberg

Haec sententia S. Alphonsi magni momenti est, et in ea solutio multarum difficultatum inveniri potest.

From Project Gutenberg

It loves the fig-trees with nothing but leaves; it adores the stat magni nominis umbra.

From Project Gutenberg

One advice I now will give thee: row hither with thy boat; let us cease from threats; approach the sire of Magni.

From Project Gutenberg

Ea fides vivificabit et consolabitur vos, quia Magni Regis estis legati.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Magni-

What does magni- mean?

Magni– is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “large” or “great.” It is occasionally used in a variety of technical and everyday terms.

Magni– comes from Latin magnus, meaning “large.” The Greek cognate of magnus is mégas, meaning “big, large, great,” which gives us the combining form mega–. However, in today’s English, mega– is often used to mean “million,” as in megabyte. To learn more, check out our Words That Use article on mega-.

What are variants of magni-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, magni- becomes magn-, as in magnate, which comes from the Latin equivalent of the form. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article on magn-.

Examples of magni-

One example of a word you may be familiar with that features magni– is magnitude, which has a variety of meanings, including “great importance or consequence.” Magnitude comes from Latin magnitūdō, which uses the equivalent of magni– in that language.

The magni– part of the word means “large,” as we know, but what does –tude mean? The suffix –tude denotes an abstract noun. Magnitude literally translates to “largeness.”

What are some words that use the combining form magni– (using the equivalent form of magni– in Latin)?

• magnific
• magnificent
• magnify
• magniloquent
• magnisonant

What are some other forms that magni– may be commonly confused with?

• mega-
• megalo-

Break it down!

The suffix –fy means “to make” or “cause to be.” With this in mind, what does magnify literally mean?