Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1934 (SND Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
A, pref.1
Used before nouns and adverbs to form adverbs. O.E. an — e.g. aback, agley, agrufe, athort, atween, q.v. A, pref.2 O.E. of = off — e.g. adoon. A, pref.3 O.N. at — e.g. ado, adae, adee, n. and v., and agae, v. A, pref.4 O.E. ā, implying motion away from, onward; hence it comes to be an intensive in verbs of motion (N.E.D.). O.H.G. ar, ir, ur; Goth. us; Mod. Ger. er — e.g. abide, arise. A, pref.5 O.E. and = against, opposite; Ger. ent-; Gr., Sans. anti-; e.g. alang. A, pref.6 O.E. ān = one — e.g. awhile, awhiles. A, pref.7 = ah! — e.g. aweel, alake. A, pref.8 Classical origin, direct or indirect.
(1) Fr. a-, Lat. ad — e.g. avise.
(2) Fr. a-, Lat. ab — e.g. assoilzie.
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"A prefix1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 23 Dec 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/a_prefix1>