| The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. |
A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English. 1996.
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8. Word Formation: Plurals, Possessives, Affixes, and Compounds
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| § 1. a- |
| The basic meaning of the prefix a- is “without.” For example, achromatic means “without color.” Before vowels and sometimes h, a- becomes an-: anaerobic. Many of the words beginning with this prefix are used in science, such as aphasia, anoxia, and aseptic. It is important not to confuse a- with other prefixes, such as ad-, that begin with the letter a. | 1 |
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| The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. Copyright © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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