alpha privative


noun
  1. the prefix a- or, before a vowel, an-, used in Greek and English to express negation or absence.

Origin of alpha privative

1
First recorded in 1580–90

Words Nearby alpha privative

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British Dictionary definitions for alpha privative

alpha privative

noun
  1. (in Greek grammar) the letter alpha (or an- before vowels) used as a negative or privative prefix. It appears in English words derived from Greek, as in atheist, anaesthetic

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