Final answer:
A prefix is a word part that is added to the beginning of a base word to create a new word with a different meaning.
Step-by-step explanation:
A prefix is a word part that is added to the beginning of a base word to create a new word with a different meaning. In this case, the string 'x' is a prefix of the string 'y' if there exists a string 'z' such that when 'x' is added to 'z', it forms the string 'y' (xz = y).