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……
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……
(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.
…
(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……
In verbs of motion or direction: (a) meaning 'away', as in at-blenchen, at-bresten, at-flen, at-wappen, at-winden; (b) meaning 'toward, to', as in at-feng accepted, at-gon approach (beside 'vanish')……
Forming trans. verbs from intransitives, often with specialized (factitive, completive, figurative) meaning (s): (a) Inherited from OE, as bidelven, biflouen, bilaughen, bimēnen, bireusen, bishīnen,……
Not a live prefix in ME. It survives in a small number of words from OE: ed-bōte expiation, ed-groue second growth, ed-lēn reward, ed-wīt reproach, ed-cenned reborn, ed-lǣchen to repeat, ed-wīten……
In verbs the prefix denotes (a) intensive or completive action or process, or (b) action that miscarries, turns out for the worse, results in failure, or produces adverse or opposite results. In……
Prior member (a) in cpd. verbs, (b) in related action and agent nouns, and (c) in other nouns. All types are inherited from OE, but type (c) is more common in later ME. fōr(e- bears the main……
A prefix with various meanings affixed to various parts of speech: (a) in nouns from OE (rare after 1300): ibeat, ibedde, ibere, ibird, ibrotheren, iclova, icomp, idrevednesse, ifere, ifo,……
Prefix in nouns, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, gerunds, participles, and prepositions; also in place names [see Smith PNElem. 1.281]. It is frequent in words of OE origin: (nouns) inborgh,……
A derivational prefix, with the sense 'kingly, royal', in words from OE or in ME formations. See kinebarn n., kinebenche n., kineboren ppl., kineburgh n., kinedọ̄̆m n., kineerd n., kinehelm n., kin……
(a) Middle, mid-; mid strem, the middle of the stream; mid theigh (leg), the middle of the thigh (leg); in the mid se (sheld), in the middle of the sea (shield); in the mid side, ?in the middle; to……
A prefix with a wide range of pejorative meanings: evil(ly, sinful(ly, wicked(ly, false(ly, unjust(ly, illegal(ly, bad(ly, harmful(ly, painful(ly, wrong(ly, incorrect(ly, mistaken(ly, unwise(ly……
A common prefix, frequent in words of OE origin, esp. verbs: ofanimen, oflien, ofrechen, ofsen, ofsenden, ofsetten, ofslen, ofstingen, ofthenchen, ofthinken, etc.; also participles: oflonged,……
A derivational prefix appearing in all parts of speech except pronouns, but most frequently in verbs. It is found in words descended from OE: (verbs) onblowen, onbrirden, onhauien, onheven [see……
A rare derivational prefix appearing chiefly in verbs of OE origin: oncnawen, ondreden [orig. *and-rǣdan], onfon, onfongen, onȝiten. It probably appears in the nouns onsaue & ontinkel and in the……
A rare derivational prefix of nouns, adjectives, and their derivatives: (of OE origin) ordal n., orgel n.(1), ortroue n., ortrouen v. & (no longer in use after 1300) orgelnesse n., ormēte adj., or……
A common prefix appearing in nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs of OE origin; imparting a sense 'out, outward, outer, forth, away': outfangene-thef, outlep, outrune, outsiht, outware (nouns)……
A derivational prefix which appears in more than 70 words inherited from OE: oferhudiȝen, ofermetto, oferten, overdriven, overet, overgangen, overhelen v.(2), overhoue, oversitten, oversleie,……
A native prefix added usually to adjectives, occasionally to nouns, indicating incompleteness, a partial or imperfect condition, etc.: samcrisp, samded, samhale, samlerede, samred, samripe,……
An inseparable prefix or a combining element in verbs, participles, and gerunds and a combining element in nouns and adjectives; the prefix is freq. of OE origin for the verbs, occas. of OE origin……
A prefix or combining element in many parts of speech
(a) In some forty verbs, four participles, and three gerunds it has the meanings of to adv.(1) and to prep., usu. indicating motion, direction,……
A prefix in well over 200 verbs and participles, thirteen gerunds usu. derived from the verbs, and eleven nouns. The prefix has two primary meanings
(a) In the great majority of the verbs and gerunds……
A combining element or quasi-prefix in a few gerunds and participles, with the meaning of tofore(n adv. sense 2. or 3.: toforeknouing, toforelivinge; toforegoing, toforeiseid, toforeitolde,……
A prefix or combining element in more than thirty words, chiefly nouns and adjectives, borrowed from L or OF meaning 'three, triple' or 'triply, three times', for example: the nouns tre-foil,……
A prefix or combining element in ten words of OE origin, chiefly nouns and adjectives, meaning 'two, double' or 'twice, doubly': the nouns twibil, twihinde, twinter (from the OE adjective), twirædniss……
A prefix in at least forty-three words, chiefly transitive verbs but including six participles, three gerunds, six nouns, and three adverbs. Over half are either definitely or probably of OE origin……
An inseparable prefix in a very large number of words, usu. expressing simple negation, with the meaning ‘not’. It appears primarily with nouns, adjectives, adverbs, present and past participles, but……
An inseparable prefix in a large number of words, chiefly finite verbs (including especially their past participles) and their derivative gerunds and occasionally agent nouns. A few of the words are……
A prefix or combining element in over 200 words, nearly half of which are verbs (97) and over a quarter of which are nouns (58), with a number of participles (25) and gerunds (27), three adverbs, two……
A prefix or combining element in some 250 words, over sixty percent of which are verbs (153), with a number of nouns (36), gerunds (34), and participles (19) and a smattering of adjectives (4) and……
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’……
A prefix in over 100 words, of which more than half are verbs (62), with a number of nouns and gerunds (14 each), a few participles (5), adverbs (6), and prepositions (6), one adjective and one……
A prefix or combining element derived from OE appearing in four verbs and five participles or adjectives. The most common meaning is ‘in opposition, against’ (in the verbs witherholden, witherthreten,……
‘Away, back’; specif. (a) ‘back to someone or a place’ and (b) ‘away from someone or something’: for (a), e.g., the nouns yencome, yenfare, yenrase, the verbs yencomen, yenpassen, and the gerunds……
