a-

prefix attached to words relating to the mouth, such as the names of languages


a-

a- + moral (“moral”) → amoral (“amoral”)


a-

a- + feble (“weak”) → afeblir (“to weaken”)

a- + sabor (“taste”) → assaborir (“to taste”)

used to make verbs from adjectives and nouns


a-

From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) (ἀν- (an-) immediately preceding a vowel).


a-

arise, await

(no longer productive) Forming verbs with the sense away, up, on, out.

abide, amaze

(no longer productive) Forming verbs with the sense of intensified action.

From Middle English a- (“up, out, away”), from Old English ā-, originally *ar-, *or-, from Proto-West Germanic *uʀ-, from Proto-Germanic *uz- (“out-”), from Proto-Indo-European *uds- (“up, out”). Cognate with Old Saxon a-, German er-.


a-

aglow, apace, afire, aboil, a-bling, abluster

(rare or no longer productive) In, on, at; used to show a state, condition, or manner. Also passing into sense 2.

asunder

(no longer productive) In, into. Also passing into sense 5.

astern, abeam

Come a-morning we are going hunting.

hits a-poppin

doins a-transpirin [doings a-transpiring]

1777, Thomas Arne, A-Hunting We Will Go:

The twelfth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Twelve lords a-leaping,
…
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,

circa 1850, Here We Come A-wassailing/Here We Come A-caroling
Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green;
Here we come a-wand’ring
So fair to be seen.

Oh waste no words a-wooing
The soft sleep to your bed;

1939, Alfred Edward Housman, Additional Poems, XIII, lines 6-7:

The order is rapidly fadin'
And the first one now will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'

1964, Bob Dylan, "The Times They Are a-Changin' " (recorded 1963, released 1964)

If the van’s a-rockin’, don’t come a-knockin’.

(archaic or dialectal) In the act or process of. Used in some dialects before a present participle.

* From Middle English a- (“on”), derived from unstressed Middle English an (“on”), from Old English an (“on”).
* See a (preposition, on, to, in, etc.)


a-

aware, alike

Alternative 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.

y-

I have a-gone.

I have a-seen a bird.

(Devon) Used to form the past participle of a verb.

From Middle English a-, a variant form of y-, from Old English ġe-, from Proto-West Germanic *ga-, from Proto-Germanic *ga-, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“with”).


a-

abash

(no longer productive) Forming words with the sense of wholly, or utterly out.

From Anglo-Norman a-, from Old French e-, from Latin ex-.


a-

amoral, asymmetry, atheism, asexual, acyclic, atypical

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 ….

1948 (revised 1952), Robert Graves, The White Goddess, Faber & Faber 1999, page 7

If aroused outside the proper outlet of marriage, [female lust] could range out of control, turning its possessor into an a-feminine monster: that is what happened to fallen women.

2012, Faramerz Dabhoiwala, The Origins of Sex, Penguin, published 2013, page 191:

From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) (ἀν- (an-) immediately followed by a vowel).


a-

ascend, aspire, amass, abandon, avenue

(no longer productive) Towards; Used to indicate direction, reduction to, increase to, change into, or motion.

From Middle English a-, from Middle French a-, from Latin ad (“towards”).


a-

avert, aperient, abridge, assoil, assoilzie


a-

anew, afresh, athirst

From Middle English a-, o- (“of”). See a (preposition, of).


a-

A-tisket a-tasket,
A green and yellow basket

Alternative form of -a (“empty syllable added to songs, poetry, verse and other speech”)


a-

a-be, a-going

Let that choilt a-be, wilt ta. ― Let that child alone, will you.

(Chester) Used as a prefix to verbs in the sense of remaining in the same condition. Actively doing something.


a-

The hay is a-cutting now. You're a-wanting.

Used to show a state, condition, or manner.

From Middle English a- (“on”), derived from unstressed Middle English an (“on”), from Old English an (“on”).


a-

Internationalism (see English a-), ultimately from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-).


a-

Attaches to verbs, sometimes adding a sense of "toward".


a-

A prefix forming words, especially verbs, that denote entering a state, making progress toward a goal, or the like.

Inherited from Old French a-, from Latin ad-.


a-

From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) (ἀν- (an-) immediately preceding a vowel; generalized from the many Latin borrowings using this prefix.


a-

a- + curto (“short”) + -ar → acurtar (“to shorten”)

added to adjective X, forms verbs meaning to make/turn X

a- + fervor (“passion”) + -ar → afervoar (“to excite”)

added to noun X, forms verbs meaning to cause or make X or to cause something to have X

From Old Galician-Portuguese a-, from Latin ad-.


a-

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-), from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.


a-

From Sanskrit अ- (a-, “un-, not”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *a-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.
* Reinforced as borrowing from Dutch a-, from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) (form ἀν- (an-) immediately preceding a vowel), from Proto-Hellenic *ə-, from the same Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.


a-

ai-

before a palatalized consonant, both etymologies


a-

a- + scandere (“climb”) → ascendere (“climb up, go up; rise, spring up”)

a- + scrībere (“write”) → ascrībere (“state in writing, add in writing; insert; appoint, enroll, enfranchise, reckon, number”)

a- + spīrāre (“breathe”) → aspīrāre (“breathe or blow upon; am favorable to, assist, favor, aid; aspire or desire (to); approach, come near (to)”)

a- + specere (“observe, look at”) → aspicere (“look at or towards, behold; regard, respect; observe, notice; examine, inspect; consider, ponder”)

a- + stringere (“press, tighten, compress”) → astringere (“draw close, bind or tie together; tighten, contract; check, restrain; oblige, necessitate”)

a- + struere (“compose, construct, build; ready, prepare; place, arrange”) → astruere (“build near or to a thing, erect; build on, heap; build an additional structure”)

(Before a word beginning with sc, sp or st) Alternative form of ad-


a-

a- + seksuāls → aseksuāls

Via other European languages, ultimately from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) (ἀν- (an-) immediately preceding a vowel).


a-

(unproductive) Used to form a few adverbs signifying a location or motion from or to above.


a-

a- + lag → a-lag

indicating the first or best in something

Pronunciation of Norwegian Bokmål «A», «a».ogg

From the first letter of the Norwegian alphabet a, from Latin a, from Ancient Greek Α (A, “alpha”), likely through the Etruscan language, from Phoenician 𐤀 (ʾ), from Proto-Canaanite , from Proto-Sinaitic , from Egyptian 𓃾.


a-

a- + politisk (“political”) → apolitisk (“apolitical”)

a- + sosial (“social”) → asosial (“asocial”)

a- + symmetrisk (“symmetrical”) → asymmetrisk (“asymmetrical”)

a- + gnostiker (“gnostic”) → agnostiker (“agnostic”)

From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-, “not, without”), from Proto-Hellenic *ə- (“un-, not; without, lacking”), from Proto-Indo-European *n̥- (“not, un-”). Doublet of u-.
Compare an- (ἀν- (an-) immediately preceding a vowel).


a-

a- + bombe → a-bombe

Clipping of atom-, from the noun atom (“atom”), from Ancient Greek ἄτομος (átomos, “indivisible, uncut, undivided”), whereas atombombe is a calque of English atomic bomb.


a-

From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-, “not, without”).


a-

āniman

Middle English: a-

English: a-

From an earlier form ar-, from Proto-West Germanic *uʀ-, from Proto-Germanic *uz-. Cognate with Old High German ar-, ir- (German er-).


a-

(by extension) indicating a change of state

From Latin ad, which was often reduced to a- in compounds.


a-

L means this form triggers lenition.N means this form triggers nasalization(N) means this form triggers nasalization in some texts but not in others.


a-

Borrowed from Sanskrit अ- (a-, “un-, not”)


a-

forming words with the sense from, away, out, off, e.g. animan

From an earlier form ar-, from Proto-Germanic *uz-. Cognate with Old English a-, Old High German ar-, ir- (German er-).


a-

a- + społeczny → aspołeczny

forming words with the sense of negation, a-

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-).


a-

a- + vermelho (“red”) + -ar → avermelhar (“to redden”)

a- + baixo (“low”) + -ar → abaixar (“to lower”)

a- + pavor (“dread”) + -ar → apavorar (“to frighten”)

a- + fama (“fame”) + -ar → afamar (“to make famous”)


a-

*aw-anṯu (“that man”) (nominal), *awan- (oblique)

South Dravidian:

South Dravidian I: *avan

Kannada: ಅವನು (avanu)

Tamil-Malayalam:

Tamil: அவன் (avaṉ)

Malayalam: അവൻ (avaṉ)

Aranadan: അവാനു

South Dravidian II:

Telugu: వాడు (vāḍu)

Kolami: अवन्द् (avand)

*aw-aḷ (“that woman”)

South Dravidian:

Kannada: ಅವಳು (avaḷu)

Tamil-Malayalam:

Tamil: அவள் (avaḷ)

Malayalam: അവൾ (avaḷ)

*a-tu (“that woman or that thing”)

South Dravidian:

South-Central:

Kolami: अद् (ad)

Telugu: అది (adi)

Tamil-Kannada:

Kannada: ಅದು (adu)

Tamil-Malayalam:

Tamil: அது (atu)

Malayalam: അത് (atŭ)

*aw-ar (“those persons”)

South Dravidian:

Tulu: ಆವಾಕುಳು (āvākuḷu)

Kannada: ಅವರು (avaru)

Tamil-Malayalam:

Tamil: அவர் (avar)

Malayalam: അവർ (avaṟ)

*aw-ay (“those (non-men humans or non-humans)”)

South Dravidian:

Kolami: अदव् (adav)

Telugu: అవి (avi)

Kannada: ಅವು (avu)

Tamil-Malayalam:

Tamil: அவை (avai)

Malayalam: അവ (ava)

*a-nṯu (“then”)

South Dravidian:

Kannada: ಅಂದು (andu)

Toda: அத் (aḏ)

Tamil-Malayalam: *anṯu

Tamil: அன்று (aṉṟu)

Malayalam: അന്ന് (annŭ)

Unsorted formations:

desc

Tamil: அப்படி (appaṭi), அங்கு (aṅku), அங்கே (aṅkē), அங்கண் (aṅkaṇ), அங்ஙனம் (aṅṅaṉam), அப்பொழுது (appoḻutu), அவ்விடம் (avviṭam)

Malayalam: അങ്ങനെ (aṅṅane), അവിടെ (aviṭe), അവിടം (aviṭaṁ), അദ്ദേഹം (addēhaṁ), അങ്ങ് (aṅṅŭ), അപ്പോൾ (appōḷ), അപ്പുറം (appuṟaṁ), അത്തരം (attaraṁ)


a-

Proto-Indo-Aryan: *a-

Sanskrit: अ- (a-) (see there for further descendants)

desctree

Proto-Iranian: *a-, *an-
Avestan: 𐬀 (a)
Old Persian: 𐎠 (a)
Middle Persian: (/a-/)
Manichaean script: 𐫀 (ʾ)
Book Pahlavi script: [Book Pahlavi needed] (ʾ)


a-

(added to nouns) not, un-, non-; lacking, -less

Avestan: 𐬀 (a)

Old Persian: 𐎠 (a)

Middle Persian: (/a-/)

Manichaean script: 𐫀 (ʾ)

desc

Book Pahlavi script: [Book Pahlavi needed] (ʾ)

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *a-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.


a-

abrědъ, *abrędъ ← *brěd- / *bręd-

abolnь ← *bolna

agolvo ← *golva (“kill, killed”)

aduxa / *adušь (“dyspnea”) ← *duxati (“to breathe”) / *duxъ (“breath”) (cp. *zaduxa)

ašutь ← *šutъ / *šutiti

avorъ ← *vorъ (cp. *zavorъ < *zaverti)

apadь ← *pasti (cp. *zapadь)

adera ← *derti / *derǫ

avidь?, *avida?

avodь?

arębъ?

askǫdь?

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō-, from Proto-Indo-European *ō-. Compare Sanskrit आ- (ā-) (आनील (ānīla, “bluish”), नील (nīla, “blue”)), Ancient Greek ὠ- (ō-).


a-

Inherited from Classical Latin ad-, from the preposition ad (“to, towards”).


a-

aback, agley, agrufe, athort, atween

From Middle English a- (“on”), derived from unstressed Middle English an (“on”), from Old English an (“on”).


a-

adoon

From Middle English a-, from Old English of- (“off”).


a-

adae, agae


a-

abide, arise

From Middle English a- (“up, out, away”), from Old English ā-, originally *ar-, *or-, from Proto-Germanic *uz- (“out-”).


a-

alang

From Middle English and-, from Old English and- (“against, back”), from Proto-Germanic *andi- (“across, opposite, against, away”).


a-

awhile

From Middle English a-, from Old English ane (“one”).


a-

aweel, alake


a-

avise

From Middle English a-, from Middle French a-, from Latin ad (“towards”).


a-

assoilzie


a-

a- + sȍcijālan → ȁsocijālan

a- + simètrija → asimètrija

a- + brahija → abrahija

Prefix prepended to words to denote a negation, deprivation or absence of a property denoted by base word.

From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) (ἀν- (an-) immediately preceding a vowel), from Proto-Indo-European *n̥- (“un-, not”), zero-grade form of *ne (“not”). Doublet of ne.


a-

forms words, especially verbs, that denote entering a state, making progress toward a goal, or the like


a-

From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) (ἀν- (an-) immediately preceding a vowel; generalized from the many Latin borrowings using this prefix.


a-

she, he; 3rd person singular ([[Appendix:Swahili_noun_classes#M-wa class|m class_((I))]]) subject concord

For a full table including other classes


a-

Contraction of a- + -a- (“3rd person singular ([[Appendix:Swahili_noun_classes#M-wa class|m class_((I))]]) gnomic”).


a-

he, she, it; class 1 subject concord, used in the subjunctive and potential mood.


a-

Puntahan kita sa a-primero ng Marso.

Sahuran tuwing a-kinse ng bawat buwan.

A-treynta y uno kahapon.


a-

forms contemplative aspect forms for verbs in the object or directional trigger

á- (canonical)
ᜀ (Baybayin)
Mindoro (dialectal)


a-

a- + -kora (“to do”) → akora (“he/she does”)


a-

Used to form taxonomic names indicating a lack of some feature that might be expected

From the Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-, “not, without”).


a-

a- + trist (“sad”) → athrist (“very sad, sorrowful”)

a- + traidd (“piercing, penetration”) → athraidd (“permeable”)

affirmative prefix, emphasises prefixed word

a- (mutation mutation-radical)
ha- (mutation prothesis-h)


a-

allomorph of öt- (detransitivizing prefix)

allomorph of ö- (second-person prefix) used for stems that begin with a consonant and have a first vowel a or e

ewü (first-person pronoun)
y- (first-person)
ü- (first-person)
u- (first-person)
w- (agent first-person transitive)
w- (agent-like first-person intransitive)
wi- (agent first-person transitive)
wi- (agent-like first-person intransitive)
küwü (dual first-person inclusive pronoun)
k- (agent-like dual first-person inclusive intransitive patient-like)
k- (direct-object dual first-person inclusive postpositional)
k- (dual first-person inclusive patient transitive)
k- (dual first-person inclusive possessive)
k- (dual first-person inclusive series-ii-verb-argument)
kü- (agent-like dual first-person inclusive intransitive patient-like)
kü- (direct-object dual first-person inclusive postpositional)
kü- (dual first-person inclusive patient transitive)
kü- (dual first-person inclusive possessive)
kü- (dual first-person inclusive series-ii-verb-argument)
ku- (agent-like dual first-person inclusive intransitive patient-like)
ku- (direct-object dual first-person inclusive postpositional)
ku- (dual first-person inclusive patient transitive)
ku- (dual first-person inclusive possessive)
ku- (dual first-person inclusive series-ii-verb-argument)
ki- (agent-like dual first-person inclusive intransitive patient-like)
ki- (direct-object dual first-person inclusive postpositional)
ki- (dual first-person inclusive patient transitive)
ki- (dual first-person inclusive possessive)
ki- (dual first-person inclusive series-ii-verb-argument)
k- (agent dual first-person inclusive series-ii-verb-argument transitive)
kii- (agent dual first-person inclusive series-ii-verb-argument transitive)
ki- (agent dual first-person inclusive series-ii-verb-argument transitive)
amödö (pronoun second-person)
ö- (direct-object postpositional second-person)
ö- (intransitive patient-like second-person)
ö- (patient second-person transitive)
ö- (possessive second-person)
ö- (second-person series-ii-verb-argument)
öy- (direct-object postpositional second-person)
öy- (intransitive patient-like second-person)
öy- (patient second-person transitive)
öy- (possessive second-person)
öy- (second-person series-ii-verb-argument)
ödh- (direct-object postpositional second-person)
ödh- (intransitive patient-like second-person)
ödh- (patient second-person transitive)
ödh- (possessive second-person)
ödh- (second-person series-ii-verb-argument)
o- (direct-object postpositional second-person)
o- (intransitive patient-like second-person)
o- (patient second-person transitive)
o- (possessive second-person)
o- (second-person series-ii-verb-argument)
oy- (direct-object postpositional second-person)
oy- (intransitive patient-like second-person)
oy- (patient second-person transitive)
oy- (possessive second-person)
oy- (second-person series-ii-verb-argument)
odh- (direct-object postpositional second-person)
odh- (intransitive patient-like second-person)
odh- (patient second-person transitive)
odh- (possessive second-person)
odh- (second-person series-ii-verb-argument)
a- (direct-object postpositional second-person)
a- (intransitive patient-like second-person)
a- (patient second-person transitive)
a- (possessive second-person)
a- (second-person series-ii-verb-argument)
ay- (direct-object postpositional second-person)
ay- (intransitive patient-like second-person)
ay- (patient second-person transitive)
ay- (possessive second-person)
ay- (second-person series-ii-verb-argument)
adh- (direct-object postpositional second-person)
adh- (intransitive patient-like second-person)
adh- (patient second-person transitive)
adh- (possessive second-person)
adh- (second-person series-ii-verb-argument)
m- (agent second-person series-ii-verb-argument transitive)
m- (agent-like intransitive second-person series-ii-verb-argument)
mi- (agent second-person series-ii-verb-argument transitive)
mi- (agent-like intransitive second-person series-ii-verb-argument)
nña (dual exclusive first-person pronoun)
y- (dual exclusive first-person)
dh- (dual exclusive first-person)
ch- (dual exclusive first-person)
i- (dual exclusive first-person)
chö- (direct-object dual exclusive first-person postpositional)
n- (agent dual exclusive first-person series-ii-verb-argument transitive)
n- (agent-like dual exclusive first-person intransitive patient-like series-ii-verb-argument)
ni- (agent dual exclusive first-person series-ii-verb-argument transitive)
ni- (agent-like dual exclusive first-person intransitive patient-like series-ii-verb-argument)
tüwü (pronoun third-person)
y- (third-person)
dh- (third-person)
ch- (third-person)
i- (third-person)
chö- (direct-object postpositional third-person)
n- (patient series-ii-verb-argument third-person transitive)
ni- (patient series-ii-verb-argument third-person transitive)
n- (agent series-ii-verb-argument third-person transitive)
n- (agent-like intransitive patient-like series-ii-verb-argument third-person)
ni- (agent series-ii-verb-argument third-person transitive)
ni- (agent-like intransitive patient-like series-ii-verb-argument third-person)
tüwü (distant-past past pronoun)
kün- (agent distant-past past patient series-ii-verb-argument transitive)
kün- (agent-like distant-past intransitive past patient-like series-ii-verb-argument)
kun- (agent distant-past past patient series-ii-verb-argument transitive)
kun- (agent-like distant-past intransitive past patient-like series-ii-verb-argument)
kin- (agent distant-past past patient series-ii-verb-argument transitive)
kin- (agent-like distant-past intransitive past patient-like series-ii-verb-argument)
ken- (agent distant-past past patient series-ii-verb-argument transitive)
ken- (agent-like distant-past intransitive past patient-like series-ii-verb-argument)
küm- (agent distant-past past patient series-ii-verb-argument transitive)
küm- (agent-like distant-past intransitive past patient-like series-ii-verb-argument)
kum- (agent distant-past past patient series-ii-verb-argument transitive)
kum- (agent-like distant-past intransitive past patient-like series-ii-verb-argument)
kim- (agent distant-past past patient series-ii-verb-argument transitive)
kim- (agent-like distant-past intransitive past patient-like series-ii-verb-argument)
kini- (agent distant-past past patient series-ii-verb-argument transitive)
kini- (agent-like distant-past intransitive past patient-like series-ii-verb-argument)
t- (direct-object postpositional reflexive)
t- (possessive reflexive)
t- (reflexive series-ii-verb-argument)
tü- (direct-object postpositional reflexive)
tü- (possessive reflexive)
tü- (reflexive series-ii-verb-argument)
tu- (direct-object postpositional reflexive)
tu- (possessive reflexive)
tu- (reflexive series-ii-verb-argument)
ti- (direct-object postpositional reflexive)
ti- (possessive reflexive)
ti- (reflexive series-ii-verb-argument)
te- (direct-object postpositional reflexive)
te- (possessive reflexive)
te- (reflexive series-ii-verb-argument)
öö- (agent patient reciprocal transitive)
öö- (agent-like intransitive patient-like reciprocal)
öö- (direct-object postpositional reciprocal)
mön- (agent first-person object-second-person patient transitive)
man- (agent first-person object-second-person patient transitive)
mon- (agent first-person object-second-person patient transitive)
möm- (agent first-person object-second-person patient transitive)
möni- (agent first-person object-second-person patient transitive)
mön- (agent dual exclusive first-person object-second-person patient transitive)
man- (agent dual exclusive first-person object-second-person patient transitive)
mon- (agent dual exclusive first-person object-second-person patient transitive)
möm- (agent dual exclusive first-person object-second-person patient transitive)
möni- (agent dual exclusive first-person object-second-person patient transitive)
k- (agent object-first-person patient second-person transitive)
kü- (agent object-first-person patient second-person transitive)
ku- (agent object-first-person patient second-person transitive)
ki- (agent object-first-person patient second-person transitive)
k- (agent object-dual object-exclusive object-first-person patient second-person transitive)
kü- (agent object-dual object-exclusive object-first-person patient second-person transitive)
ku- (agent object-dual object-exclusive object-first-person patient second-person transitive)
ki- (agent object-dual object-exclusive object-first-person patient second-person transitive)


a-

Originally a reduced form of la- (“general demonstrative”). Compare Swazi relative forms such as lesi-, which still keep the initial l-.