alpha privative
noun
the prefix a- or, before a vowel, an-, used in Greek and English to express negation or absence.
Origin of alpha privative
1First recorded in 1580–90
Words Nearby alpha privative
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for alpha privative
alpha privative
noun
(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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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