| The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. |
A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English. 1996.
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8. Word Formation: Plurals, Possessives, Affixes, and Compounds
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| § 40. out- |
| There are many words in English beginning with out-. In words such as outbuilding, outcast, outpour, and outstanding, out- has the same meaning as the adverb out. So an outcast is “one who is cast out,” and one who is outstanding “stands out.” But in other cases out- takes on the sense of doing better, being greater, or going beyond, as in outdo, outnumber, and outrun. Although out- can attach to nouns, adjectives, or verbs to form other nouns, adjectives, or verbs, it most frequently attaches to verbs: outbowl, outcook, outride, outsing. | 1 |
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| The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. Copyright © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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