Where does “a-” come from?
a- (Old Saxon) comes from Old Saxon ar-, from Proto-Germanic uz-, from Proto-Indo-European uss-, from Proto-Indo-European uds-, from Proto-Indo-European úd — out, outward.
Ancestry of “a-”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | ar- | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | uz- | up, out |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | uss- | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | uds- | up, out |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | úd | out, outward |