Translingual

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Etymology

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

Prefix

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a-

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

Derived terms

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English

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Etymology 1

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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-.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ə/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Prefix

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a-

  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

Etymology 2

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Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a-

  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][1]
    aglow, apace, afire, aboil, a-bling, abluster
  2. (no longer productive) In, into. Also passing into sense 5. [First attested prior to 1150][1]
    asunder
  3. In the direction of, or toward. [First attested prior to 1150][1]
    astern, abeam
  4. (archaic or dialectal) At such a time. [First attested prior to 1150][1]
    Come a-morning we are going hunting.
  5. (archaic or dialectal) In the act or process of. Used in some dialects before a present participle. [First attested prior to 1150][1]
    hits a-poppin
    doins a-transpirin [doings a-transpiring]
    • 1780, The Twelve Days of Christmas:
      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.
    • 1939, Alfred Edward Housman, Additional Poems, XIII, lines 6-7:
      Oh waste no words a-wooing
      The soft sleep to your bed;
    • 1964, Bob Dylan, "The Times They Are a-Changin' " (recorded 1963, released 1964):
      The order is rapidly fadin'
      And the first one now will later be last
      For the times they are a-changin'
    • circa 1970, bumper sticker:[2]
      If the van’s a-rockin’, don’t come a-knockin’.
Usage notes
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Adjectives formed with this prefix are often restricted to predicative use, owing to their origin as prepositional phrases with the preposition "on." For example, one may say "the ship is afire," but not "the afire ship," just as one may say "the ship is on fire," but not "the on fire ship."

Etymology 3

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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).

Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a-

  1. 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. [First attested around 1150 to 1350 (Middle English).][1]
    aware, alike
  2. (Devon) Used to form the past participle of a verb.
    I have a-gone.
    I have a-seen a bird.

Etymology 4

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

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a-

  1. (no longer productive) Forming words with the sense of wholly, or utterly out. [First attested from around 1150 to 1350.][1]
    abash

Etymology 5

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

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a-

  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 [...].
    • 2012, Faramerz Dabhoiwala, The Origins of Sex, Penguin, published 2013, page 191:
      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.
Usage notes
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  • This prefix is referred to as alpha privative.
  • Used with stems that begin with consonants except sometimes h. an- is synonymous and is used in front of words that start with vowels and sometimes h.[3] For example, anesthetic and analgesic.
Synonyms
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Translations
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Etymology 6

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. (no longer productive) Towards; Used to indicate direction, reduction to, increase to, change into, or motion. [First attested from around 1150 to 1350.][1]
    ascend, aspire, amass, abandon, avenue
Usage notes
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  • Used on stems that started with sc, sp, or st, and also used on stems with a French origin.
  • Used in place of ad-.[4]

Etymology 7

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From Latin ab (of, off, from, away).

Prefix

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a-

  1. (no longer productive) Away from. [First attested from around 1150 to 1350.][1]
    avert, aperient, abridge, assoil,[3] assoilzie
Usage notes
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  • Variation of the prefix ab-, only used when the stem starts with the letter p or v, [3] or (rarely) s in which case the s is doubled (as in assoil and assoilzie).

Etymology 8

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. (no longer productive) Of, from. [First attested prior to 1150.][1]
    anew, afresh, athirst[3]
Usage notes
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Different Germanic and Latinate senses of a- became confused (vaguely “intensive") and are all unproductive. The Greek sense of “not” (e.g., amoral, asymmetry) remains in use.

“[I]t naturally happened that all these a- prefixes were at length confusedly lumped together in idea, and the resultant a- looked upon as vaguely intensive, rhetorical, euphonic [nice-sounding], or even archaic, and wholly otiose [pointless].” OED.
Derived terms
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References

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  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Brown, Lesley (2003)
  2. ^ See “Don’t Come A-Knockin’”, TV Tropes for more examples and discussion.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Urdang, Laurence (1984)
  4. ^ Lindberg, Christine A. (2007)

Etymology 9

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Prefix

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a-

  1. Alternative form of -a (empty syllable added to songs, poetry, verse and other speech)
    A-tisket a-tasket,
    A green and yellow basket

Etymology 10

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Prefix

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a-

  1. (Chester) Used as a prefix to verbs in the sense of remaining in the same condition.[1] Actively doing something.
    a-be, a-going
    Let that choilt a-be, wilt ta.Let that child alone, will you.[1]

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 Robert Holland, M.R.A.C., A Glossary of Words Used in the County of Chester, Part I--A to F., English Dialect Society, London, 1884, 1

A-Pucikwar

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Prefix

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a-

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

Catalan

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Etymology 1

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Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-).

Prefix

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a-

  1. a- (not, without)
    a- + ‎moral (moral) → ‎amoral (amoral)
Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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From Latin ad (towards).

Prefix

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a-

  1. used to make verbs from adjectives and nouns
    a- + ‎feble (weak) → ‎afeblir (to weaken)
    a- + ‎sabor (taste) → ‎assaborir (to taste)
Derived terms
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Further reading

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Danish

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Prefix

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a-

  1. a-, un- (not)
  2. A- (atomic, nuclear)
    Synonyms: atom-, A-

Derived terms

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Dutch

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a-

  1. a-: not, without, opposite of

Derived terms

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See also

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Esperanto

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Etymology

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From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-).

Prefix

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a-

  1. without, -less

Derived terms

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Fingallian

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Etymology

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. Used to show a state, condition, or manner.
    • A NORTH-COUNTY DUBLIN CLOSSARY:
      The hay is a-cutting now. You're a-wanting.

References

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  • J. J. Hogan and Patrick C. O'Neill (1947) Béaloideas Iml. 17, Uimh 1/2, An Cumann Le Béaloideas Eireann/Folklore of lreland Society, page 263

Finnish

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a-

  1. (in loanwords) a-, non-, un-
    Synonym: epä-

Franco-Provençal

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Etymology

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Inherited from Latin ad-.

Prefix

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a- (ORB)

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

Derived terms

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French

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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

Prefix

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a-

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

Etymology 2

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. a-, non-, -less

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Galician

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Etymology 1

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. added to adjective X, forms verbs meaning to make/turn X
    a- + ‎curto (short) + ‎-ar → ‎acurtar (to shorten)
  2. added to noun X, forms verbs meaning to cause or make X or to cause something to have X
    a- + ‎fervor (passion) + ‎-ar → ‎afervoar (to excite)

Etymology 2

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. a- (not; without)
    Synonym: in-

Derived terms

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German

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a-

  1. a- (not, without, opposite of)

Derived terms

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Further reading

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  • a-” in Duden online
  • a-” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Hanunoo

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Etymology

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From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *ha- (adjectival prefix for adjectives of measure). Compare Bikol Central ha- and Cebuano ha-.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ʔa/ [ʔa]
  • Syllabification: a-

Prefix

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a- (Hanunoo spelling )

  1. adjectival prefix to words denoting height, length, or depth

Derived terms

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Category Hanunoo terms prefixed with a- not found

Further reading

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  • Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*ha-₁”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Indonesian

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Etymology

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From Sanskrit अ- (a-, un-, not), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *a-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a-

  1. a- (not, without, opposite of)

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Irish

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Alternative forms

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  • ai- (before a palatalized consonant, both etymologies)

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a-

  1. a- (not, without, opposite of)
Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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Prefix

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a-

  1. Alternative form of ath- used before t

Italian

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Italian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia it

Etymology 1

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Inherited from Latin ad-.

Prefix

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a-

  1. ad- (indicating direction)
Usage notes
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Etymology 2

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Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-).

Prefix

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a-

  1. a- (indicating lack or loss)
Alternative forms
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  • an- (before a vowel)

Derived terms

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Japhug

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Etymology

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(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a-

  1. (Kamnyu) my

Derived terms

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See also

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Japhug (Kamnyu) personal pronouns and possessive prefixes
Number Person Possessive prefixes Free pronoun Genitive
Singular 1st a- aʑo, aj aʑɯɣ
2nd nɤ- nɤʑo, nɤj nɤʑɯɣ
3rd ɯ- ɯʑo ɯʑɤɣ
Dual 1st tɕi- tɕiʑo tɕiʑɤɣ
2nd ndʑi- ndʑiʑo ndʑiʑɤɣ
3rd ʑɤni ʑɤniɣɯ
Plural 1st i- iʑo, iʑora, iʑɤra iʑɤɣ, iʑɤra ɣɯ
2nd nɯ- nɯʑo, nɯʑora, nɯʑɤra nɯʑɤɣ, nɯʑɤra ɣɯ
3rd ʑara ʑaraɣ, ʑara ɣɯ
Generic tɯ- tɯʑo

Latin

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Etymology 1

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Prefix

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ā-

  1. Alternative form of ab-
Usage notes
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Used before bilabial voiced consonants: b-, m- and v-.

Etymology 2

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From ad (towards).

Prefix

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a-

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

Latvian

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a-

  1. Not, not having, without, opposite of.
    a- + ‎seksuāls → ‎aseksuāls

Mohawk

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Alternative forms

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  • aon- (before s- (iterative) and t- (cislocative))

Prefix

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a-

  1. irrealis prefix

References

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  • Nora Deering, Helga H. Delisle (1976) Mohawk: A teaching grammar (preliminary version), Quebec: Manitou College, page 332

Murui Huitoto

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Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a-

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

Derived terms

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References

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  • Katarzyna Izabela Wojtylak (2017) A grammar of Murui (Bue): a Witotoan language of Northwest Amazonia.[1], Townsville: James Cook University press (PhD thesis), page 145
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Prefix

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a-

  1. someone's, people's

Usage notes

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This prefix is often used as a neutral possessive pronoun to make the citation forms of inalienable nouns: amá (someone's mother), akʼos (someone's neck), ajáád (someone's leg), ajááʼ (someone's ear), akʼéí (someone's kin). The alternative is to use the prefix ha- (one's) or bi- (his/her/its/their) to make these dictionary forms.

See also

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Neapolitan

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Etymology

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Inherited from Latin ad-.

Prefix

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a-

  1. compare Italian a-

Derived terms

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Northern Ndebele

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Etymology 1

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From Proto-Bantu *gá-.

Prefix

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a- (medial wa-)

  1. they; class 6 subject concord.

Etymology 2

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From Proto-Bantu *gáá-.

Prefix

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a-

  1. of; class 6 possessive concord.

Etymology 3

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(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Prefix

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a-

  1. Class 6 relative concord.

Norwegian Bokmål

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Etymology 1

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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.

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a-

  1. indicating the first or best in something
    Synonyms: a, A-
    a- + ‎lag → ‎a-lag

Etymology 2

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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).

Prefix

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a-

  1. a- (not, without, opposite of)
    Synonyms: a, an-
    a- + ‎politisk (political) → ‎apolitisk (apolitical)
    a- + ‎sosial (social) → ‎asosial (asocial)
    a- + ‎symmetrisk (symmetrical) → ‎asymmetrisk (asymmetrical)
    a- + ‎gnostiker (gnostic) → ‎agnostiker (agnostic)
Alternative forms
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Derived terms
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Etymology 3

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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.

Prefix

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a-

  1. Short for atom-.
    a- + ‎bombe → ‎a-bombe

References

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  • “a-” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
  • “a-” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
  • a-” in Store norske leksikon

Anagrams

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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Etymology

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. a- (not, without)

Derived terms

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References

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Old English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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ā-

  1. from, away, off, out
    ānimanto take away, to remove

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Middle English: a-
    • English: a-

Old French

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Etymology

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. indicating movement towards something
  2. (by extension) indicating a change of state
  3. intensifying prefix
  4. alternative form of es-

Derived terms

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Old Irish

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Prefix

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a- (class A infixed pronoun)

  1. him (triggers eclipsis)
  2. it (triggers lenition)

Usage notes

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This form merges with the prefixes ro-, no-, di-, to-, fo-, ar-, and imm- to form ra-, na-, da-, da-, fa-, ara-, imma- respectively. It disappears after the particle (not), its only trace being the mutation it causes (eclipsis in the case of the masculine, lenition in the case of the neuter), thus ní cara (does not love) vs. ní chara (does not love it), ní ben (does not strike) vs. ní mben (does not strike him).

Derived terms

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See also

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Old Javanese

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Prefix

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a-

  1. active verb forming
    Synonyms: (m)aN-, -um-
  2. adjective forming

Etymology 2

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. un-, not

Derived terms

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Old Saxon

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a-

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

Derived terms

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Phuthi

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Etymology

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From Proto-Bantu *gá-.

Prefix

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a- (medial wa-)

  1. they; class 6 subject concord.

Polish

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a-

  1. forming words with the sense of negation, a-
    a- + ‎społeczny → ‎aspołeczny

Derived terms

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Further reading

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  • a- in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. added to adjective X, forms verbs meaning to make/turn X
    a- + ‎vermelho (red) + ‎-ar → ‎avermelhar (to redden)
    a- + ‎baixo (low) + ‎-ar → ‎abaixar (to lower)
  2. added to noun X, forms verbs meaning to cause or make X or to cause something to have X
    a- + ‎pavor (dread) + ‎-ar → ‎apavorar (to frighten)
    a- + ‎fama (fame) + ‎-ar → ‎afamar (to make famous)

Etymology 2

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. a- (not; without)
    Synonym: in-

Derived terms

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Sardinian

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Etymology

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. ad- (toward, to, tendency)

Derived terms

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Scots

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. on
    aback, agley, agrufe, athort, atween

Etymology 2

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. off
    adoon

Etymology 3

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From Old Norse at- (to).

Prefix

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a-

  1. to
    adae, agae

Etymology 4

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. away from
    abide, arise

Etymology 5

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. against, opposite
    alang

Etymology 6

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. one
    awhile

Etymology 7

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From ah!

Prefix

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a-

  1. ah
    aweel, alake

Etymology 8

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. towards
    avise

Etymology 9

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From Latin ab (of, off, from, away).

Prefix

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a-

  1. away from
    assoilzie

References

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Serbo-Croatian

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Etymology

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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.

Prefix

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a- (Cyrillic spelling а-)

  1. Prefix prepended to words to denote a negation, deprivation or absence of a property denoted by base word.
    Synonyms: bez-, ne-
    a- + ‎sȍcijālan → ‎ȁsocijālan
    a- + ‎simètrija → ‎asimètrija
    a- + ‎brahija → ‎abrahija

References

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  • a-”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2024

Southern Ndebele

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Etymology 1

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From Proto-Bantu *gá-.

Prefix

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a- (medial wa-)

  1. they; class 6 subject concord.

Etymology 2

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From Proto-Bantu *gáá-.

Prefix

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a-

  1. of; class 6 possessive concord.

Etymology 3

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(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Prefix

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a-

  1. Class 6 relative concord.

Spanish

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Etymology 1

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Inherited from Latin ad-.

Prefix

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a-

  1. forms words, especially verbs, that denote entering a state, making progress toward a goal, or the like
See also
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Etymology 2

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

Prefix

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a-

  1. a-, non-, -less
Usage notes
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  • Used with stems that begin with consonants except h. an- is synonymous and is used in front of words that start with vowels and h. For example, analfabetismo (analphabetism).

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Swahili

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Etymology 1

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From Proto-Bantu *à-.

Prefix

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a-

  1. she, he; 3rd person singular (m class(I)) subject concord
    Antonym: ha-
See also
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Etymology 2

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Prefix

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a-

  1. Contraction of a- + -a- (3rd person singular (m class(I)) gnomic).

Swazi

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Etymology 1

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From Proto-Bantu *à-.

Prefix

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a- (medial ka-)

  1. he, she, it; class 1 subject concord, used in the subjunctive and potential mood.
See also
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  • u- (in other cases)

Etymology 2

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From Proto-Bantu *gá-.

Prefix

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a- (medial wa-)

  1. they; class 6 subject concord.

Etymology 3

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From Proto-Bantu *gáá-.

Prefix

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a-

  1. of; class 6 possessive concord.

Tagal Murut

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Etymology

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From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *ma-, from Proto-Austronesian *ma- (stative prefix).

Prefix

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a-

  1. used to form adjectives indicating a quality
    a- + ‎amis (sweetness) → ‎a-amis (sweet)
    a- + ‎laat (badness) → ‎a-laat (bad)

Tagalog

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Etymology 1

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Borrowed from Spanish a, from Latin ad.

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a- (Baybayin spelling )

  1. at (indicating time)
    Puntahan kita sa a-primero ng Marso.
    I'll go to you at the first of March.
    Sahuran tuwing a-kinse ng bawat buwan.
    It is payday every 15th of every month.
    A-treynta y uno kahapon.
    Yesterday was the 31st.
Usage notes
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  • Only used before Spanish cardinal numbers to tell the date for a month. For the first day of a month, a-primero is more correct but a-uno is also used by younger speakers. The prefix has the same function as ika- for Tagalog cardinal numbers.
  • The prefix is optional but Spanish-oriented speakers often use it.
Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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Pronunciation

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Prefix

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á- (Baybayin spelling ) (dialectal, chiefly Mindoro)

  1. forms contemplative aspect forms for verbs in the object or directional trigger
Usage notes
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See also

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Tashelhit

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Etymology

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From Proto-Berber.

Prefix

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a-.

  1. the masculine form of nouns.
  2. the masculine form of adjectives.

Tooro

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Alternative forms

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  • (before -a- or subjunctive -e-) y-
  • (before vowels in other cases) ay-

Etymology

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From Proto-Bantu *à-.

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a-

  1. he, she; class 1 subject concord
    a- + ‎-kora (to do) → ‎akora (he/she does)

See also

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References

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  • Kaji, Shigeki (2007) A Rutooro Vocabulary[2], Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), →ISBN, page 413

Welsh

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Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a-

  1. affirmative prefix, emphasises prefixed word
    a- + ‎trist (sad) → ‎athrist (very sad, sorrowful)
    a- + ‎traidd (piercing, penetration) → ‎athraidd (permeable)

Usage notes

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Triggers aspirate mutation of the following consonant.

Derived terms

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Mutation

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Mutated forms of a-
radical soft nasal h-prothesis
a- unchanged unchanged ha-

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

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  • R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “a-”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

Xhosa

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Etymology 1

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From Proto-Bantu *gá-.

Prefix

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a- (medial wa-)

  1. they; class 6 subject concord.

Etymology 2

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From Proto-Bantu *gáá-.

Prefix

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a-

  1. of; class 6 possessive concord.

Etymology 3

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(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Prefix

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a-

  1. Class 6 relative concord.

Etymology 4

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From Proto-Bantu *nkà-.

Prefix

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a-

  1. not
Usage notes
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Used in the indicative mood, prefixed to the subject concord.

Ye'kwana

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Variant orthographies
ALIV a-
Brazilian standard a-
New Tribes a-

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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a-

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

Inflection

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Zulu

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Etymology 1

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From Proto-Bantu *à-.

Prefix

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á- (medial ká-)

  1. he, she, it; class 1 subject concord, used in the subjunctive and potential mood.
See also
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  • u- (in other cases)

Etymology 2

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From Proto-Bantu *gá-.

Prefix

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á- (medial wá-)

  1. they; class 6 subject concord.

Etymology 3

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From Proto-Bantu *gáá-.

Prefix

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a-

  1. of; class 6 possessive concord.

Etymology 4

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

Prefix

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ā́-

  1. Used to form relative clauses.
Usage notes
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This prefix has conditioned allomorphs o- and e-.

Etymology 5

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From a- (relative) +‎ a- (class 6).

Prefix

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ā́-

  1. Class 6 relative concord.

Etymology 6

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From Proto-Bantu *nkà-.

Prefix

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a-

  1. not
Usage notes
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Used in the indicative mood, prefixed to the subject concord.

Alternative forms
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Etymology 7

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Prefix

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a-

  1. Alternative form of ma- (hortative)

References

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