Etymograph

English

a-

A- comes from Proto-West Germanic *uʀ- ‘up, out, over’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *uds-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*uds-‘up, out’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*uz-‘out-’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*uʀ-‘up, out, over’reconstructed
  4. Englishtodaya-

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*uds-‘up, out’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*uz-‘out-’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*uʀ-‘up, out, over’reconstructed
  4. Englishtodaya-

Linked words

through Proto-Germanic *uz- ‘out-’

ago, 3 more

through Proto-West Germanic *uʀ- ‘up, out, over’

awaken, amaze, aghast, 1 more

Another origin of a-

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150an‘on’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘on’
  3. Englishtodaya-

Another origin of a-

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱóm‘with’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ga-‘Indicates association or togetherness’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CEsame form‘used as an intensifier for verbs, indicating completeness or perfectivity’reconstructed
  4. Englishtodaya-

Another origin of a-

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éd‘near, at’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ad‘toward, to, on, up to, for’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEad‘towards’
  4. Englishtodaya-

Assimilated form of ad- before b, sc, sp, st, and sometimes m.

Another origin of a-

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂epreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂epó‘off, away’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ap‘from, off, away’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEab‘of, off, from, away’
  5. Englishtodaya-

Today it means

prefix Forming verbs with the sense away, up, on, out.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *uds- / a-

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