I. ə prefix
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English a-, an, on
1. : on : in : at
a bed
a foot
a sunder
— sometimes used in dialect speech in locutions not found in standard
he did it a -purpose
2. obsolete : at (such) a time
a -nights
3. : in (such) a state or condition
a fire
a sleep
— often used with with
a crawl with ants
4. : in (such) a manner
a loud
5. : in the act of : in the process of
daddy's gone a -hunting
months later the ship was still a -building
II. (|)ā, (|)a also (|)ä or (|)ȧ; at individual entries variants other than the first are not shown unless believed to be frequent prefix
or an- (|)an, ən
Etymology: Latin & Greek; Latin a-, an-, from Greek — more at un-
: not : without
a chromatic
a sexual
— used chiefly with words of Gk or L origin; a- before consonants other than h and sometimes even before h, an- before vowels and usually before h
a historical
an esthesia
an hydrous