Where does “ab-” come from?

ab- (English) comes from English absolute, from Middle English absolut, from Middle French absolut, from Latin absolūtus, from Latin absolvō, from Latin solvo, from Latin sē-, from Latin sex — six.

ab- (English): From; Away from; outside of; A unit of...

Definitions

  1. From; Away from; outside of; A unit of...

Ancestry of “ab-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishabsoluteFree of restrictions, limitations, qualifications...
2Middle Englishabsolut
3Middle Frenchabsolut
4Latinabsolūtusconcluded, finished, complete, having been ended
5Latinabsolvōto release, discharge
6Latinsolvoto loosen, untie, undo; free [up], release, acquit, exempt
7Latinsē-apart-; aside-; away
8Latinsexsix; 6
9Proto-Italicsekssix
10Proto-Indo-Europeanswéḱssix

Words derived from “ab-

Every word from Proto-Indo-European swéḱs