prefix
or ep- also eph-
Etymology: epi- from Middle English, upon, from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French, from Medieval Latin, from Latin, from Greek, from epi on, upon, to; ep- from Middle French, from Latin, from Greek, from epi; eph- from Latin, from Greek, from epi; akin to Old English eof ot crime, Gothic if tuma next, following, Latin ob to, before, on account of, Sanskrit api besides
1. : upon
epi phyte
: besides
ep enthesis
: near to
ep encephalon
: over
epi center
: outer
epi dermis
: anterior
epi cnemial
: prior to
ep acme
: after
ep embryonic
— epi- before consonants other than h, and sometimes ep- before vowels and eph- before h (which is not repeated), but sometimes epi- even before h or a vowel
2. : chemical compound or group related in some manner to a (specified) chemical compound or group: as
a. : epimer of a (specified) chemical compound
epi cholesterol
epi rhamnose
b. : chemical compound or group distinguished from a (specified) chemical compound or group by having a bridge connection
epi chlorohydrin
9,10- epi dioxyanthracene
3. : altered — in petrographic terms
epi diorite
4. : resting on as a geological stratum : following in time — in names of geological eras, periods, systems, series, or formations
Ep archean