alpha privative

noun

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of alpha privative¹

First recorded in 1580–90