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

First recorded in 1580–90

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