an-
English
Etymology 1
From Middle English an-, from Old English an-, on- (“on-”), from Proto-West Germanic *ana-, from Proto-Germanic *ana- (“on”). More at on.
Alternative forms
Prefix
an-
Etymology 2
From Ancient Greek ἀν- (an-). Doublet of un- and in- .
Prefix
an-
- not; used to make words that have a sense opposite to the word (or stem) to which the prefix is attached. Used with stems that begin with vowels and "h".
- Without, lacking.
- anoxia (without oxygen), anandrous (without male parts)
Synonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
See also
Anagrams
Aromanian
Prefix
an-
- alternative form of ãn-
Classical Nahuatl
Alternative forms
Prefix
an-
Cornish
Etymology
From Proto-Brythonic *an-, from Proto-Celtic *an-. Cognate with Welsh an-.
Prefix
an-
Usage notes
- Triggers soft mutation of b, d, and g.
Derived terms
References
- Akademi Kernewek Gerlyver Kernewek (FSS) Cornish Dictionary (SWF) (in Cornish), 2018, published 2018, page 11
Danish
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) (ἀν- (an-) immediately preceding a vowel).
Prefix
an-
Derived terms
Dutch
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) (ἀν- (an-) immediately preceding a vowel).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɑn/
Audio: (file)
Prefix
an-
Derived terms
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /an‿/
Prefix
an-
Derived terms
German
Etymology 1
From the preposition an, from Middle High German an(e), from Proto-West Germanic *ana, from Proto-Germanic *ana. Compare Dutch aan-, English on-.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /an/, [ʔan]
Audio: (file) - Homophone: an
- IPA(key): /aːn/ (still sometimes Austria, Switzerland; in Germany now highly archaic)
Prefix
an-
- onto, at, towards (the object)
- an- + schrauben (“to screw”) → anschrauben (“to screw on, attach by screwing”)
- an- + schreien (“to shout”) → anschreien (“to shout at”)
- an- + bauen (“to build”) → anbauen (“to attach, expand, build next to”)
- near, over, towards (the subject)
- expresses a beginning, partial or slight action
- on, in use
Usage notes
- Also occurs in many nouns, but these are generally deverbal.
Derived terms
Etymology 2
From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) (ἀν- (an-) immediately preceding a vowel), from Proto-Indo-European *n̥- (“un-, not”), zero-grade form of *né (“not”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /an/, [ʔan]
Prefix
an-
- forming words with the sense of negation, an-
Ido
Etymology
From an (“at, on”).
Prefix
an-
Derived terms
Irish
Etymology 1
From Old Irish an-, from Proto-Celtic *an-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.
Alternative forms
- ana- (form used before consonants in Munster)
Pronunciation
Prefix
an-
- (with adjectives, always spelled with a hyphen) very
- Synonyms: fíor-, rí-
- (with adjectives) over-, excessively, intensely
- (with nouns) great, excessive
Usage notes
- Triggers lenition (except of d, s, and t):
- In some dialects (e.g. Aran), it also changes s to ts:
- In Munster, this form is used only before a vowel; before a consonant the variant ana- is used.
Derived terms
Etymology 2
From Old Irish an-, in-, from Proto-Celtic *an-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.
Alternative forms
- ain- (used before slender vowels and consonants)
Pronunciation
Prefix
an- (usually spelled without a hyphen)
Derived terms
Etymology 3
From Ancient Greek ἀν- (an-).
Prefix
an-
- an- (not)
Derived terms
Etymology 4
From Old Irish an-, from Proto-Celtic *sani (“apart”), from Proto-Indo-European *sn̥Hi.
Prefix
an-
- denoting a movement away from some reference point, used to form adverbs of place, for example anuas (“from above”)
Derived terms
Related terms
Mutation
radical | eclipsis | with h-prothesis | with t-prothesis |
---|---|---|---|
an- | n-an- | han- | t-an- |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
Further reading
- Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “an-”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 27
- Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “an”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 27
- Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect] (in German), Zweiter Band: Wörterbuch [Second volume: Dictionary], Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 16
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “an-”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
Italian
Prefix
an-
- alternative form of a- indicating lack or loss
Derived terms
Luxembourgish
Etymology
From the preposition an, from Proto-Germanic *in. Compare German ein-, English in-.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /an/, [ɑn]
Prefix
an-
- in- (indicates physical or metaphorical motion into something)
Usage notes
- When attached to a verb stem beginning with a consonant sound other than /d/, /h/, /n/, /t/ or /t͡s/, the prefix becomes a- as a result of the Eifeler Regel.
Antonyms
Derived terms
Malagasy
Prefix
an-
- prefix element of an- -ana
See also
Middle English
Prefix
an-
- alternative form of en-
Middle Welsh
Etymology
From Proto-Brythonic *an-, from Proto-Celtic *an-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.
Prefix
an-
Derived terms
Descendants
Old English
Alternative forms
- ǣn-
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *aina-, from Proto-Germanic *aina- (“one, uni-”), equivalent to Old English ān (“one”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɑːn/
Prefix
ān-
- one; mono-, uni-
- ān- + -hende (“handed”) → ānhende (“one-handed”)
- ān- + horn (“horn”) → ānhorn (“unicorn”)
- ān- + -īeġe (“-eyed”) → ānīeġe (“one-eyed”)
- ān- + -mōd (“-minded”) → ānmōd (“unanimous”)
- ān- + -nes (“-ness”) → ānnes (“unity”)
- ān- + wīġ (“battle”) → ānwīġ (“duel”)
- ān- + -wille (“-willed”) → ānwille (“stubborn”)
- ān- + -wintre (“years old”) → ānwintre (“one year old”)
- lone, alone
Related terms
Old French
Prefix
an-
- alternative form of en-
Usage notes
- Particularly common in the works of Chrétien de Troyes.
Old Irish
Etymology 1
From Proto-Celtic *an-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.
Alternative forms
Prefix
an-
Derived terms
Descendants
Etymology 2
Uncertain. Maybe related to Welsh en- and Gaulish ande- in proper names Andecarus (literally “very dear”) and Anderoudus (literally “very red”).[1] Considered the same word as an- (“un-”) by DIL (see Further reading).
Prefix
an-
Derived terms
Descendants
Etymology 3
From Proto-Celtic *sani (“apart”), from Proto-Indo-European *sn̥Hi,[2] whence also Latin sine (“without”).[3][4]
Prefix
an-
- denoting a movement away from some reference point, used to form adverbs of place, for example anúas (“from above”)
Derived terms
Related terms
Descendants
References
- ^ Vendryes, Joseph (1959) “an-, particule intensive”, in Lexique Étymologique de l'Irlandais Ancien [Etymological lexicon of Old Irish] (in French), volume A, Dublin, Paris: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, page A-70
- ^ Hamp, Eric (1982) “Ad ZCP 37, 170-73”, in Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie, volume 39, number 1, , →ISSN, page 219
- ^ Hamp, Eric (1986) “Varia II”, in Ériu, volume 37, Royal Irish Academy, →ISSN, →JSTOR, pages 183–184
- ^ Schumacher, Stefan (2022) “The Development of Proto-Celtic *au in British Celtic”, in Simon Rodway, Jenny Rowland, and Erich Poppe, editors, Celts, Gaels, and Britons: Studies in Language and Literature from Antiquity to the Middle Ages in Honour of Patrick Sims-Williams (Medieval Texts and Cultures of Northern Europe), Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols, →ISBN
Further reading
- Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “an-”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- (Negative prefix:) Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940) [1909] D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, translation of Handbuch des Alt-Irischen (in German), →ISBN, § 869-72, pages 542-44; reprinted 2017
- (Adverbs of place:) Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940) [1909] D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, translation of Handbuch des Alt-Irischen (in German), →ISBN, § 483, page 305; reprinted 2017
Pali
Alternative forms
- 𑀅𑀦𑁆- (Brahmi script)
- अन्- (Devanagari script)
- অন্- (Bengali script)
- අන්- (Sinhalese script)
- အန်- or ဢၼ်- (Burmese script)
- อนฺ- or อัน- (Thai script)
- ᩋᨶ᩺- (Tai Tham script)
- ອນ຺- or ອັນ- (Lao script)
- អន៑- (Khmer script)
- 𑄃𑄚𑄴- (Chakma script)
Prefix
an-
- alternative form of a- used before words beginning with vowels
Derived terms
References
- Pali Text Society (1921–1925) “an-”, in Pali-English Dictionary, London: Chipstead
Pipil
Pronunciation
- (Standard) IPA(key): /an/
Prefix
an-
- (personal) you, second-person plural subject marker.
- Antekitit tik ne mil?
- Do you work at the cornfield?
Usage notes
- Before a vowel, an- changes to anh-. The digraph ⟨nh⟩ is pronounced as [ŋ]. Example:
- Anhajsiket peyna.
- You came early.
See also
singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
1st person | ni- | ti- | ||
2nd person | ti- (shi-) | an- (shi-) | ||
3rd person | - | - |
Polish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /an/
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -an
- Syllabification: [please specify syllabification manually]
Prefix
an-
- alternative form of a-
Derived terms
Further reading
- an- in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Saterland Frisian
Etymology
From Old Frisian an-, from Proto-West Germanic *ana-. Cognates include West Frisian oan- and German an-.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /an-/
Prefix
an-
- combining form of an
Derived terms
Scottish Gaelic
Alternative forms
Etymology
Prefix
an-
Derived terms
Related terms
Prefix
an-
Derived terms
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /an/ [ãn]
- Syllabification: an-
Prefix
an-
Derived terms
Further reading
- “a-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024
Swedish
Etymology
From the Old Swedish and- meaning “against/towards”.
Prefix
an-
Derived terms
Anagrams
Umbrian
Etymology 1
Inherited from Proto-Italic *ana-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en-.
Prefix
an- (late Iguvine)
- alternative form of 𐌀𐌍- (an-)
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Inherited from Proto-Italic *ən-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.
Prefix
an- (early Iguvine)
- alternative form of 𐌀- (a-)
Derived terms
References
- Buck, Carl Darling (1904) A Grammar of Oscan and Umbrian: With a Collection of Inscriptions and a Glossary
- Poultney, James Wilson (1959) The Bronze Tables of Iguvium[1], Baltimore: American Philological Association
- De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 36-37
Welsh
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /an/
Etymology 1
From Middle Welsh an-, from Proto-Brythonic *an-, from Proto-Celtic *an-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.[1] Cognate with Cornish an-.
Prefix
an-
- not, un-, non-, , dis-, negative prefix
- Synonym: (used before gl, ll, rh, and consonantal i) af-
- an- + parch (“respect”) → amarch (“disrespect”)
- an- + prisiadwy (“valuable”) → amhrisiadwy (“invaluable”)
- an- + teg (“fair”) → annheg (“unfair”)
- an- + cofio (“to remember”) → anghofio (“to forget”)
- an- + diwedd (“end”) → anniwedd (“endless”)
- an- + gwybod (“to know”) → anwybod (“ignorance”)
- an- + mantais (“advantage”) → anfantais (“disadvantage”)
Usage notes
Triggers the nasal mutation of p, t, c and d, sometimes with accompanying euphonic or orthographic adjustments, and the soft mutation of b, g and m.
Etymology 2
From Proto-Celtic *ande-, *ando- (“inside”).
Prefix
an- (not productive)
Derived terms
Mutation
radical | soft | nasal | h-prothesis |
---|---|---|---|
an- | unchanged | unchanged | han- |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
Further reading
R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “an-”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
References
- ^ Morris Jones, John (1913) A Welsh Grammar, Historical and Comparative, Oxford: Clarendon Press, § 156 i 5
Ye'kwana
ALIV | an- |
---|---|
Brazilian standard | an- |
New Tribes | an- |
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [aŋ-]
Prefix
an-
- allomorph of ön- (negative/sociative irrealis prefix) used for stems that begin with a or e