Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

alpha privative

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.48 in modern English

Syllables
al-pha pri-va-tive
IPA
27
Scrabble Score
14
Letters
4
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The prefix a- (or an- when prefixing a root which begins with a vowel) found in some English words of Greek derivation. It expresses negation or absence. The prefix has cognates in other Indo-European languages, including in- in Latin and un- in English, all traceable back to Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.

noun

Either the aforementioned privative a or the Greek ἀ- (a-) itself (from which the English descendant derives).

noun

A word formed using such prefixes.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin alpha prīvātīvum, from Ancient Greek ἄλφα στερητικόν (álpha sterētikón).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: ἄλφα στερητικόν

Inflected Forms

alpha privatives (plural)

Phrases

privative adjective ἀ- a-

Frequently Paired Words

deprivation privation privative adjective ἀ- a-

Synonyms

alpha privativum privative a

Rhymes With

privative

Questions

What does alpha privative mean?
The prefix a- (or an- when prefixing a root which begins with a vowel) found in some English words of Greek derivation. It expresses negation or absence. The prefix has cognates in other Indo-European languages, including in- in Latin and un- in English, all traceable back to Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.
Where does alpha privative come from?
It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce alpha privative

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