In verbs inherited from OE:(a) From OE ā-: a-biden, a-breken, a-fallen, a-reren, a-risen, a-senden, a-waken, a-winnen, and many others. (b) From OE on-: a-biden (also an-biden), ppl. a-knoue(n (also……
From early ME a prep., derived from unstressed an before nouns, adjs., and advs. beginning with a consonant [OE on, an]. (a) Orig. noun phrases: a-beggeþ, a-bedde, a-blode, a-clokke, a-dai(es,……
(a) above- comen, to come upon, fall upon, attack; above- bringen, above- leden, bring upon, visit upon; above- growen, grow on the land; (b) higher on the written page; earlier in a document……
Only in words taken (a) directly from Latin, as ad-ducen, ad-juren, ad-mitten, or (b) from Latinized Old French, as a(d)-joinen, a(d)-journen, a(d)-monesten. In ME, ad- has no meaning, except as it……
Only in words taken from Latin or from Latinized OF, as af-fect, af-firmacioun, af-fluence, a(f)-fiaunce. In ME, af- has no meaning, except as it distinguishes af-fect from ef-fect, af-fluence from in……
(a) Forward (in space); aforn- rider, one who rides ahead of an army; ?a scout, ?one of the vanguard; (b) previously (in time); (c) at any earlier place in a book or document; aforn- rehersed……
Verbal cpds.: (a) after- bending, the second bending, a bending back (of a bow); prob., the shaping process which gives the ends a curvature the reverse of that at the center; after- berende, bearing……
Only in words taken from Latin or Latinized Old French, as al-legorie, al-legacioun, a(l)-lien, a(l)-louen. In ME, al- has no meaning except as it distinguishes a(l)-lien from re-lien, al-legacioun fr……
With the superl. of an adj. or adv.: of all, very; alrebest, best of all, (the) very best; alre-erest, alder- first, on alre-erst, first of all; alder- hext, highest or greatest of all; alder- last……
(a) Prior member of cpd. advs. & preps. whose second member begins with a vowel: an-ent [OE on efen], an-inne [OE on innan], an-under, an-uppe, etc. [cp. the pre-consonantal variant in a-bǒute, abǒve……
(a) In several nouns: an-sene appearance, an-velt anvil, an-wald power; (b) in the adj. an-lich 'like, similar' and its derivatives anlicnesse & anlicni.
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(a) In words inherited from OE: an-biden, an-elen kindle; (b) in words not attested in OE with this prefix, but occurring in early ME up to c1225: an-belȝen, an-bursten; also an-ēlen kindle, an-hongen……
