ἀ-
Ancient Greek edit
Pronunciation edit
- (5th BCE Attic) IPA(key): /a/
- (1st CE Egyptian) IPA(key): /a/
- (4th CE Koine) IPA(key): /a/
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /a/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /a/
Etymology 1 edit
From Proto-Hellenic *ə-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-. The form ἀν- (an-) appears when followed by a laryngeal and a vowel: that is, in an open syllable of the n̥HV- form. Akin to νη- (nē-), νᾱ- (nā-) and νω- (nō-), which are closed-syllable reflexes of the n̥h₁C-, n̥h₂C-, n̥h₃C- forms, respectively.
Cognate with Old English and English un-, Latin in-, Sanskrit अ- (a-), Old Irish in-, an-, Armenian ան- (an-), and Albanian e-.
Alternative forms edit
- ἀν- (an-) — before vowels
- νη- (nē-), νᾱ- (nā-), νω- (nō-) — before a Proto-Indo-European laryngeal and consonant
Prefix edit
ᾰ̓- • (a-)
- The alpha privativum, used to make words that have a sense opposite to the word (or stem) to which the prefix is attached. It is also known as privative a and alpha privative; a-, ab-, an-, anti-, contra-, de-, dis-, ex-, il-, im-, in-, ob-, ne-, non-, not, un-
Usage notes edit
The alpha is usually short, but long when added to a stem that begins with three short syllables. Thus, words such as ἀ-δάματος (a-dámatos) begin with long alpha in Epic, and frequently also in Lyric, Tragic, or Comic poetry. ἀθάνατος (athánatos) and all its compounds always have long alpha.
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
Etymology 2 edit
Prefix edit
ᾰ̓- • (a-)
- Alternative form of ἁ- (ha-)
Etymology 3 edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Prefix edit
ᾰ̓- • (a-)
- The alpha intensivum, used to strengthen the force of compounds.
Etymology 4 edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Prefix edit
ᾰ̓- • (a-)
- The alpha euphonicum, used to soften pronunciation before two consonants.
References edit
- “ἀ-”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “ἀ-”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- free idem, page 343.
- Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume I, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1