A prefix in over 25 words, chiefly nouns but also a few adjectives, verbs, and gerunds, one adverb, and one participle. The prefix usu. expresses simple negation (with meanings such as ‘not’, ‘no’, ‘lacking’) or insufficiency (with meanings such as ‘insufficient’, ‘limited’): e.g., the nouns wanbelevare, wanbeleve, wanbode, wanhope (most senses), wantounshipe, wantreuth, wantrust; the adjectives wanhopli, wanmol, wanspedie, wantoun (a) & (b); the verbs wanhopen, wantrowen; the gerunds wanbelevinge, wantrowing; and the adverb wantounli (a). The prefix also expresses pejoration (with meanings such as ‘wrong’ or ‘wrongly’, ‘badly’, ‘mistaken’): e.g., wanhope n. 1.(c) & 2.(b), wanshape ppl., wantoun adj. (c) & (d), wantounli adv. (b) & (c), wantounnesse n. (b); perh. wanbodi n.; and occas. senses or quotations in other words, e.g., wanhoping ger., wansped(e n., wantounhede. In three words the prefix expresses intensification (or is redundant): wantruke n., wantruken v., wantrukinge ger. The prefix is of OE or MDu. origin, with two words directly from OE (wansped(e n., wanspedie adj.) and two prob. directly from MDu. (wanhope n., wanhopen v.), with three others perh. suggested by their MDu. counterparts (wanshape ppl., wantrowen v., wantrust n.). The rest are ME formations.