alpha privative
noun
Forms alpha privatives
- noun (grammar) The prefix a- (or an- when prefixing a root which begins with a vowel) found in some English words of Greek derivation. It expresses negation or absence. The prefix has cognates in other Indo-European languages, including in- in Latin and un- in English, all traceable back to Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.
- noun (grammar) Either the aforementioned privative a or the Greek ἀ- (a-) itself (from which the English descendant derives).
- noun (grammar) A word formed using such prefixes.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin alpha prīvātīvum, from Ancient Greek ἄλφα στερητικόν (álpha sterētikón).
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “alpha privative”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details