Where does “a-” come from?

a- (New Latin) comes from Ancient Greek βάσις, from Proto-Hellenic gʷə́tis, from Proto-Indo-European gʷémtis, from Proto-Indo-European gʷem- — to step.

a- (New Latin): without; not, absence of; Alternative form of ab-

Definitions

  1. without; not, absence of; Alternative form of ab-

Ancestry of “a-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekβάσιςstep; rhythm; foot
2Proto-Hellenicgʷə́tisstep
3Proto-Indo-Europeangʷémtisstep, act of walking
4Proto-Indo-Europeangʷem-to step

Words derived from “a-”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷem- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷémtis →Every word from Proto-Hellenic gʷə́tis →