a-
Pronunciation Prefix
  1. (no longer productive) forming verbs with the sense away, up, on, out
    arise, await
  2. (no longer productive) forming verbs with the sense of intensified action.
    abide, amaze
Pronunciation Prefix
  1. (rare or no longer productive) in, on, at; used to show a state, condition, or manner. Also passing into sense 2. [First attested prior to 1150]
    apace, afire, aboil, a-bling
  2. (no longer productive) In, into. Also passing into sense 5. [First attested prior to 1150]
    asunder
  3. In the direction of, or toward. [First attested prior to 1150]
    astern, abeam
  4. (archaic, dialectal) At such a time. [First attested prior to 1150]
    Come a-morning we are going hunting.
  5. (archaic, dialectal) In the act or process of. Being conflated with the next definition, a- is used in some dialects to indicate any participle. [First attested prior to 1150]
Pronunciation Prefix
  1. Obsolete form of y-. (archaic and dialectal) In dialect, it is sometimes conflated with sense 5 of the previous definition, and is used as a general indicator of a participle. [First attested around 1150 to 1350 (Middle English).]
    aware, alike
Pronunciation Prefix
  1. (no longer productive) forming words with the sense of wholly, or utterly out [First attested from around 1150 to 1350.]
    abash
Pronunciation
  • (America) IPA: /ə/, /eɪ/
Prefix
  1. Not, without, opposite of.
    amoral, asymmetry, atheism, asexual, acyclic, atypical
    • 1948 (revised 1952), Robert Graves, The White Goddess, Faber & Faber 1999, page 7:
      When invited to believe in the Chimaera, the horse-centaurs, or the winged horse Pegasus, all of them straightforward Pelasgian cult-symbols, a philosopher felt bound to reject them as a-zoölogical improbabilities [...].
Translations
  • French: a-
  • German: a-
  • Italian: a-
  • Portuguese: a-
  • Spanish: a-
Prefix
  1. (no longer productive) Towards; Used to indicate direction, reduction to, increase to, change into, or motion. [First attested from around 1150 to 1350.]
    ascend, aspire, amass, abandon, avenue
Prefix
  1. (no longer productive) Away from. [First attested from around 1150 to 1350.]
    avert, aperient, abridge, assoil, assoilzie
Prefix
  1. (no longer productive) Of, from. [First attested prior to 1150.]
    anew, afresh, athirst



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