Infix

Infix

An infix is an affix which inserts sounds between the sounds of another morpheme. This is not uncommon in Semitic languages, where roots are three consonants and they are conjugated by changing the vowels and sometimes inserting consonants between them.

English has no true infixes, but several infix-like constructions are often heard:

Expletive infixation, a form of tmesis seen in profanity such as "Massa-fucking-chusetts" and "unbe-fucking-lievable"
Meaningless epenthetic sounds, such as the "iz" or "izn" of Hip-Hop slang ("hizouse" for "house", or "shiznit" for "shit")

In the syntax of notations used in mathematics and computer science, infix is used of operators such as the usual addition sign +, which are taken to bind to the variables immediately preceding and following them. See operator for more on the placement of operators.