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an-

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "an"

Languages (28)

Aromanian • Classical Nahuatl • Cornish • Danish • Dutch • French • German • Ido • Irish • Italian • Luxembourgish • Malagasy • Middle English • Middle Welsh • Old English • Old French • Old Irish • Pali • Pipil • Polish • Saterland Frisian • Scottish Gaelic • Spanish • Swedish • Umbrian • Welsh • Ye'kwana

Page categories

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

on-, a-

Prefix

an-

Alternative form of on-.
ancome, aneal, anent

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

(not): a-, dys-, i-/il-/im-/in-/ir-, mal-, non-, un-
(without): ex-, -less, -free

Derived terms

English terms prefixed with an-

anhaptoglobinemia

anisodiametrically

anopisthographic

anorthominasragrite

Related terms

a-

See also

Anagrams

n.a., NA, -na, N/A, N.A., n/a, Na, na

Aromanian

Prefix

an-

alternative form of ãn-

Classical Nahuatl

Alternative forms

am- (when followed by a vowel or a consonant which is labial)

Prefix

an-

Subject prefix for verbs; it indicates that the subject is second-person plural; you, you all.

Cornish

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *an-, from Proto-Celtic *an-. Cognate with Welsh an-.

Prefix

an-

un-, non-
Synonyms: di-, dis-, heb, on-

‎an- + ‎galladow (“possible”) → ‎analladow (“impossible”)

‎an- + ‎dien (“complete”) → ‎andhien (“incomplete”)

Usage notes

Triggers soft mutation of b, d, and g.

Derived terms

Cornish terms prefixed with an-

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-

an-

Derived terms

Danish terms prefixed with an-

Dutch

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) (ἀν- (an-) immediately preceding a vowel).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɑn/
Audio: (file)

Prefix

an-

an-: Not, without, opposite of

Derived terms

Dutch terms prefixed with an-

French

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /an‿/

Prefix

an-

in-, an-. alternative form of a- before a vowel or h

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)
Synonyms: her-, herbei-

Antonyms: ab-, weg-, fort-

‎an- + ‎ziehen (“to pull”) → ‎anziehen (“to attract, pull towards one”)

‎an- + ‎kaufen (“to buy”) → ‎ankaufen (“to buy so as to form a stock, buy up”)
expresses a beginning, partial or slight action
Antonyms: durch-, fertig-, weg-

‎an- + ‎knabbern (“to nibble”) → ‎anknabbern (“to nibble part of, start to nibble”)

‎an- + ‎braten (“to fry”) → ‎anbraten (“to sear, fry outwardly or slightly”)

‎an- + ‎zahlen (“to pay”) → ‎anzahlen (“to pay down, pay part of”)
on, in use
Antonym: aus-

‎an- + ‎stellen (“to put”) → ‎anstellen (“to turn on”)

Usage notes

Also occurs in many nouns, but these are generally deverbal.

Derived terms

German terms prefixed with an-

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-

at, on

Derived terms

Ido terms prefixed with an-

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

(Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈɑn̪ˠ/
(Aran) IPA^(key): /ˈɑːn/
(Connemara, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈan̪ˠ/

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):

‎an- + ‎beag → ‎an-bheag (“very small”)
‎an- + ‎deas → ‎an-deas (“very nice”)

In some dialects (e.g. Aran), it also changes s to ts:

‎an- + ‎saor → ‎an-tsaor (“very cheap”) (standard form an-saor)

In Munster, this form is used only before a vowel; before a consonant the variant ana- is used.

Derived terms

Irish terms prefixed with an- (excessively)

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

(Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈɑn̪ˠ/
(Aran) IPA^(key): /ˈɑn/
(Connemara, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈan̪ˠ/

Prefix

an- (usually spelled without a hyphen)

in-, un-, not
bad, unnatural

Derived terms

Irish terms prefixed with an- (un-)

anaistiogmatach

ainchreidmheach

ainchríostúil

ainchríostúlacht

ainéifeachtach

ainfhéichiúnta

ainfhíréantacht

ainmheasarthacht

aineascaireacht

Etymology 3

From Ancient Greek ἀν- (an-).

Prefix

an-

an- (not)

Derived terms

Irish terms prefixed with an- (an-)

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

Irish terms prefixed with an- (from)

Related terms

s-
th-

Mutation

Mutated forms of *an-*
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

Italian terms prefixed with an-

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

aus-

Derived terms

Malagasy

Prefix

an-

prefix element of an- -ana

See also

i-

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-

un-, not

Derived terms

Middle Welsh terms prefixed with an-

Descendants

Welsh: an-, af-

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
ān- + *genġa (“walker”) → āngenġa (“loner”)

ān- + *setla (“settler”) → ānsetla (“hermit”)

Related terms

nān-

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-. Cognates include Old English un-, Latin in-, Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-).

Alternative forms

am-, é-, in-

Prefix

an-

un-, not
bad

Derived terms

Old Irish terms prefixed with an- (un-)

Descendants

Irish: an-
Scottish Gaelic: an-

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-

very

Derived terms

Old Irish terms prefixed with an- (very)

Descendants

Irish: an-
Scottish Gaelic: an-

Etymology 3

From Proto-Celtic *sani (“apart”), from Proto-Indo-European *sn̥Hi,^[2] whence also Latin sine (“without”).^[3]^[4] Doublet of sain- (“different, special”).^[5]

Prefix

an-

denoting a movement away from some reference point, used to form adverbs of place, for example anúas (“from above”)

Derived terms

Old Irish terms prefixed with an- (from)

anair (“from the front”)
anall (“from beyond”)
andess (“from the right”)
anechtar (“from outside”)
aníar (“from the back”)
aníos (“from below”)
antúaid (“from the left”)
can (“from where?”)
dano (“then”)

Related terms

s-
t-

Descendants

Irish: an-
Scottish Gaelic: an-

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, →DOI, →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, page 201
^ Dunkel, George E. (2014), “*sń ‘enfemt, getrennt, abseits; ohne’”, in Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme [Lexicon of Indo-European Particles and Pronominal Stems] (in German), volume 2: Lexikon, Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, →ISBN, page 712

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

Alternative scripts

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

Pali terms prefixed with an-

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

Pipil verb subject markers
			singular	plural
1st person			ni-	ti-
2nd person			ti- (shi-)	an- (shi-)
3rd person			-	-

anmejemet (personal pronoun)
metzin- (object marker)
-t (plural verb suffix)

Polish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /an/
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -an
Syllabification: an-

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

Saterland Frisian terms prefixed with an-

Scottish Gaelic

Alternative forms

ana-, ain-

Etymology

From Old Irish an-.

Prefix

an-

un-, anti-
bad, unnatural

Derived terms

an-fhoiseil

Related terms

Prefix

an-

Used to emphasise the root.

Derived terms

an-mhòr

Spanish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /an/ [ãn]
Syllabification: an-

Prefix

an-

an-

Derived terms

Spanish terms prefixed with an-

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-

against, towards

Derived terms

Anagrams

-na, na

Umbrian

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Italic *ana-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en-.

Prefix

an- (late Iguvine)

alternative form of 𐌀𐌍- (an-)

Derived terms

Umbrian terms prefixed with an- (upon)

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Italic *ən-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.

Prefix

an- (early Iguvine)

alternative form of 𐌀- (a-)

Derived terms

Umbrian terms prefixed with an- (un-)

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-, an-, 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.

Derived terms

Welsh terms prefixed with an-

anghymdeithasol

Etymology 2

From Proto-Celtic *ande-, *ando- (“inside”).

Prefix

an- (not productive)

intensive prefix
in-, inside, inward

Derived terms

Welsh terms prefixed with an- (intensive)

Mutation

Mutated forms of *an-*
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

Variant orthographies
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

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