an-

See also: Appendix:Variations of "an"

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English an-, from Old English an-, on- (“on-”), from Proto-West Germanic *ana-, from Proto-Germanic *ana- (“on”). More at on.

Alternative forms

• on-, a-

Prefix

an-

1. Alternative form of on-

   ancome, aneal, anent

Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek ἀν- (an-). Doublet of un- and in- .

Prefix

an-

1. not; used to make words that have a sense opposite to the word (or stem) to which the prefix is attached. Used with stems that begin with vowels and "h".
2. Without, lacking.

   anoxia (without oxygen), anandrous (without male parts)

Synonyms

• (not): a-, dys-, i-/il-/im-/in-/ir-, mal-, non-, un-
• (without): ex-, -less, -free

Derived terms

English terms prefixed with an-

Related terms

• a-

See also

• anti-
• in-
• non-
• un-

Anagrams

• n.a., NA, -na, N/A, N.A., n/a, Na, na

Aromanian

Prefix

an-

1. Alternative form of ãn-

Classical Nahuatl

Alternative forms

• am- (when followed by a vowel or a consonant which is labial)

Prefix

an-

1. Subject prefix for verbs; it indicates that the subject is second-person plural; you, you all.

Cornish

Prefix

an-

1. un-, non-

Derived terms

Cornish terms prefixed with an-

References

• Akademi Kernewek Gerlyver Kernewek (FSS) Cornish Dictionary (SWF) (in Cornish), 2018, published 2018, page 11

Dutch

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑn/

• Audio:

  (file)

Prefix

an-

1. an-: Not, without, opposite of

Derived terms

Dutch terms prefixed with an-

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /an‿/

Prefix

an-

1. in-, an-. Alternative form of a- before a vowel or h

Derived terms

French terms prefixed with an-

German

Etymology 1

From the preposition an, from Middle High German an(e), from Proto-West Germanic *ana, from Proto-Germanic *ana. Compare Dutch aan-, English on-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /an/, [ʔan]

  • Audio:

    (file)

  • Homophone: an
• IPA^(key): /aːn/ (still sometimes Austria, Switzerland; in Germany now highly archaic)

Prefix

an- (seperable verb prefix)

1. onto, at, towards (the object)

   ‎an- + ‎schrauben (“to screw”) → ‎anschrauben (“to screw on, attach by screwing”)

   ‎an- + ‎schreien (“to shout”) → ‎anschreien (“to shout at”)

   ‎an- + ‎bauen (“to build”) → ‎anbauen (“to attach, expand, build next to”)

2. near, over, towards (the subject)

   Synonyms: her-, herbei-

   Antonyms: ab-, weg-, fort-

   ‎an- + ‎ziehen (“to pull”) → ‎anziehen (“to attract, pull towards one”)

   ‎an- + ‎kaufen (“to buy”) → ‎ankaufen (“to buy so as to form a stock, buy up”)

3. expresses a beginning, partial or slight action

   Antonyms: durch-, fertig-, weg-

   ‎an- + ‎knabbern (“to nibble”) → ‎anknabbern (“to nibble part of, start to nibble”)

   ‎an- + ‎braten (“to fry”) → ‎anbraten (“to sear, fry outwardly or slightly”)

   ‎an- + ‎zahlen (“to pay”) → ‎anzahlen (“to pay down, pay part of”)

4. on, in use

   Antonym: aus-

   ‎an- + ‎stellen (“to put”) → ‎anstellen (“to turn on”)

Usage notes

• Also occurs in many nouns, but these are generally deverbal.

Derived terms

German terms prefixed with an-

Etymology 2

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /an/, [ʔan]

Prefix

an-

1. forming words with the sense of negation, an-

Ido

Etymology

From an (“at, on”).

Prefix

an-

1. at, on

Derived terms

Ido terms prefixed with an-

Irish

Etymology 1

From Old Irish an-, from Proto-Celtic *an-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.

Alternative forms

• ana- (form used before consonants in Munster)

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈɑn̪ˠ/
• (Aran) IPA^(key): /ˈɑːn/
• (Connemara, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈan̪ˠ/

Prefix

an-

2. (with adjectives, always spelled with a hyphen) very

   Synonyms: fíor-, rí-

4. (with adjectives) over-, excessively, intensely
6. (with nouns) great, excessive

Usage notes

• Triggers lenition (except of d, s, and t):

• ‎an- + ‎beag → ‎an-bheag (“very small”)
• ‎an- + ‎deas → ‎an-deas (“very nice”)

• In some dialects (e.g. Aran), it also changes s to ts:

• ‎an- + ‎saor → ‎an-tsaor (“very cheap”) (standard form an-saor)

• In Munster, this form is used only before a vowel; before a consonant the variant ana- is used.

Derived terms

Irish terms prefixed with an- (excessively)

Irish terms prefixed with an- (great)

Etymology 2

From Old Irish an-, in-, from Proto-Celtic *an-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.

Alternative forms

• ain- (used before slender vowels and consonants)

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈɑn̪ˠ/
• (Aran) IPA^(key): /ˈɑn/
• (Connemara, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈan̪ˠ/

Prefix

an- (usually spelled without a hyphen)

2. in-, un-, not
4. bad, unnatural

Derived terms

Irish terms prefixed with an- (un-)

Irish terms prefixed with an- (bad)

Etymology 3

From Ancient Greek ἀν- (an-).

Prefix

an-

1. an- (not)

Derived terms

Irish terms prefixed with an- (an-)

Mutation

Mutated forms of an-

radical	eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
an-	n-an-	han-	t-an-

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

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “an-”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 27
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “an”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 27
• Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect] (in German), volume II, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 16
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “an-”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Italian

Prefix

an-

1. Alternative form of a- indicating lack or loss

Derived terms

Italian terms prefixed with an-

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From the preposition an, from Proto-Germanic *in. Compare German ein-, English in-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /an/, [ɑn]

Prefix

an-

1. in- (indicates physical or metaphorical motion into something)

Usage notes

• When attached to a verb stem beginning with a consonant sound other than /d/, /h/, /n/, /t/ or /t͡s/, the prefix becomes a- as a result of the Eifeler Regel.

Antonyms

• aus-

Derived terms

Luxembourgish terms prefixed with an-

Malagasy

Prefix

an-

1. prefix element of an- -ana

See also

• i-

Middle English

Prefix

an-

1. Alternative form of en-

Middle Welsh

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *an-, from Proto-Celtic *an-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.

Prefix

an-

1. un-, not

Derived terms

Middle Welsh terms prefixed with an-

Descendants

• Welsh: an-, af-

Old English

Alternative forms

• ǣn-

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *aina-, from Proto-Germanic *aina- (“one, uni-”), equivalent to Old English ān (“one”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑːn/

Prefix

ān-

1. one; mono-, uni-

   ān- + -hende (“handed”) → ānhende (“one-handed”)

   ān- + horn (“horn”) → ānhorn (“unicorn”)

   ān- + -īeġe (“-eyed”) → ānīeġe (“one-eyed”)

   ān- + -mōd (“-minded”) → ānmōd (“unanimous”)

   ān- + -nes (“-ness”) → ānnes (“unity”)

   ān- + wīġ (“battle”) → ānwīġ (“duel”)

   ān- + -wille (“-willed”) → ānwille (“stubborn”)

   ān- + -wintre (“years old”) → ānwintre (“one year old”)

2. lone, alone

   ān- + *genġa (“walker”) → āngenġa (“loner”)

   ān- + *setla (“settler”) → ānsetla (“hermit”)

Related terms

• nān-

Old French

Prefix

an-

1. Alternative form of en-

Usage notes

• Particularly common in the works of Chrétien de Troyes.

Old Irish

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *an-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.

Alternative forms

• am-, é-, in-

Prefix

an-

1. un-, not
2. bad

Derived terms

Old Irish terms prefixed with an- (un-)

Descendants

• Irish: an-
• Scottish Gaelic: an-

Etymology 2

Uncertain. Maybe related to Welsh en- and Gaulish ande- in proper names Andecarus (literally “very dear”) and Anderoudus (literally “very red”). Considered the same word as an- (“un-”) by DIL (see Further reading).

Prefix

an-

1. very

Derived terms

Old Irish terms prefixed with an- (very)

Descendants

• Irish: an-
• Scottish Gaelic: an-

Etymology 3

Unknown.

Prefix

an-

1. denoting a movement away from some reference point, used to form adverbs of place, for example anúas (“from above”)

Derived terms

Old Irish terms prefixed with an- (from)

• anair (“from the front”)
• anall (“from beyond”)
• andess (“from the right”)
• anechtar (“from outside”)
• aníar (“from the back”)
• aníos (“from below”)
• antúaid (“from the left”)
• can (“from where?”)
• dano (“then”)

 

Related terms

• s-
• t-

Descendants

• Irish: an-
• Scottish Gaelic: an-

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “an-”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• (Negative prefix:) Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940) D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, →ISBN, § 869-72, pages 542-44; reprinted 2017
• (Adverbs of place:) Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940) D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, →ISBN, § 483, page 305; reprinted 2017

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• 𑀅𑀦𑁆- (Brahmi script)
• अन्- (Devanagari script)
• অন্- (Bengali script)
• අන්- (Sinhalese script)
• အန်- or ဢၼ်- (Burmese script)
• อนฺ- or อัน- (Thai script)
• ᩋᨶ᩺- (Tai Tham script)
• ອນ຺- or ອັນ- (Lao script)
• អន៑- (Khmer script)
• 𑄃𑄚𑄴- (Chakma script)

Prefix

an-

1. Alternative form of a- used before words beginning with vowels

Derived terms

Pali terms prefixed with an-

References

• Pali Text Society (1921–1925) “an-”, in Pali-English Dictionary‎, London: Chipstead

Pipil

Pronunciation

• (Standard) IPA^(key): /an/

Prefix

an-

1. (personal) you, second-person plural subject marker.

   Antekitit tik ne mil?

   Do you work at the cornfield?

Usage notes

• Before a vowel, an- changes to anh-. The digraph ⟨nh⟩ is pronounced as [ŋ]. Example:

Anhajsiket peyna.

You came early.

See also

Pipil verb subject markers

			singular	plural
1st person			ni-	ti-
2nd person			ti- (shi-)	an- (shi-)
3rd person			-	-

• anmejemet (personal pronoun)
• metzin- (object marker)
• -t (plural verb suffix)

Polish

Alternative forms

• a-

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἀν- (an-).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /an/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -an
• Syllabification: [please specify syllabification manually]

Prefix

an-

1. forming words with the sense of negation, an-

Derived terms

Polish terms prefixed with an-

Further reading

• an- in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Saterland Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian an-, from Proto-West Germanic *ana-. Cognates include West Frisian oan- and German an-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /an-/

Prefix

an-

1. Combining form of an

Derived terms

Saterland Frisian terms prefixed with an-

Scottish Gaelic

Alternative forms

• ana-, ain-

Etymology

From Old Irish an-.

Prefix

an-

1. un-, anti-
2. bad, unnatural

Derived terms

• an-fhoiseil

Related terms

• ao-
• do-
• eu-
• mì-
• neo-

 

Prefix

an-

1. Used to emphasise the root.

Derived terms

• an-mhòr

Spanish

Prefix

an-

1. an-

Derived terms

Spanish terms prefixed with an-

Further reading

• “a-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Swedish

Etymology

From the Old Swedish and- meaning “against/towards”.

Prefix

an-

1. against, towards

Derived terms

Swedish terms prefixed with an-

Anagrams

• -na, na

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /an/

Etymology 1

From Middle Welsh an-, from Proto-Brythonic *an-, from Proto-Celtic *an-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-. Cognate with Cornish an-.

Prefix

an-

1. not, un-, non-, an-, dis-, negative prefix

   Synonym: (used before gl, ll, rh, and consonantal i) af-

   ‎an- + ‎parch (“respect”) → ‎amarch (“disrespect”)

   ‎an- + ‎prisiadwy (“valuable”) → ‎amhrisiadwy (“invaluable”)

   ‎an- + ‎teg (“fair”) → ‎annheg (“unfair”)

   ‎an- + ‎cofio (“to remember”) → ‎anghofio (“to forget”)

   ‎an- + ‎diwedd (“end”) → ‎anniwedd (“endless”)

   ‎an- + ‎gwybod (“to know”) → ‎anwybod (“ignorance”)

   ‎an- + ‎mantais (“advantage”) → ‎anfantais (“disadvantage”)

Usage notes

Triggers the nasal mutation of p, t, c and d, sometimes with accompanying euphonic or orthographic adjustments, and the soft mutation of b, g and m.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Celtic *ande-, *ando- (“inside”).

Prefix

an- (not productive)

1. intensive prefix
2. in-, inside, inward

Derived terms

Welsh terms prefixed with an-

Mutation

Mutated forms of an-

radical	soft	nasal	h-prothesis
an-	unchanged	unchanged	han-

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

Further reading

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

Ye'kwana

Variant orthographies

ALIV	an-
Brazilian standard	an-
New Tribes	an-

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [aŋ-]

Prefix

an-

1. allomorph of ön- (negative/sociative irrealis prefix) used for stems that begin with a or e