Etymology Explorer › Ancient Greek

Where does “ἀ-” come from?

ἀ- (Ancient Greek) comes from Proto-Hellenic hə-, from Proto-Indo-European sm̥-, from Proto-Indo-European sem- — together, one.

ἀ- (Ancient Greek): The alpha privativum, used to make words that...

Definitions

  1. The alpha privativum, used to make words that...

Ancestry of “ἀ-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Hellenichə-same; together
2Proto-Indo-Europeansm̥-one; with, together
3Proto-Indo-Europeansem-together, one

Words derived from “ἀ-”

  • ahead
  • known
  • biological
  • recognize
  • knowledge
  • atom
  • genetic
  • recognizable
  • note
  • biology
  • atomic
  • reconnoitre
  • normal
  • diamond
  • unrecognizable
  • Genesis
  • anonymous
  • biography
  • notice
  • recognizably
  • autobiography
  • ashore
  • reconnoiter
  • notes
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sem- →