Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “a-” come from?

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

a- (French): A prefix forming words, especially verbs, that...

Definitions

  1. A prefix forming words, especially verbs, that...

Ancestry of “a-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekἀ-The alpha privativum, used to make words that...
2Proto-Hellenichə-same; together
3Proto-Indo-Europeansm̥-one; with, together
4Proto-Indo-Europeansem-together, one

Words derived from “a-”

  • affair
  • amenable
  • aggrandizement
  • longe
  • abord
  • acclimation
  • arrondissement
  • acclimatization
  • aggrandize
  • acclimate
  • acclimatize
  • accouchement
  • accoucheur
  • acclimatisation
  • vives
  • unamenable
  • ramollissement
  • photoacclimation
  • acclimatation
  • abordage
  • accoucheuse
  • amenableness
  • accouplement
  • amenably
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sem- →