What is "circumfix"

n. (context grammar English) An affix containing both a prefixing and a suffixing element existing as a single morphological unit. vb. (context grammar English) Affix a circumfix to (a word).

A circumfix ( abbreviated ) or confix is an affix which has two parts, one placed at the start of a word, and the other at the end. Circumfixes contrast with prefixes, attached to the beginnings of words; suffixes, attached at the end; and infixes, inserted in the middle. Circumfixes are common in Malay and Georgian.