Word.ws English Dictionary

alpha privative

alpha privative 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

alpha privative (plural alpha privatives)

  1. 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-.
  2. Either the aforementioned privative a or the Greek ἀ- (a-) itself (from which the English descendant derives).
  3. A word formed using such prefixes.

Synonyms of alpha privative

Forms of alpha privative

pluralalpha privatives

Origin of alpha privative

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

Words that rhyme with alpha privative

Questions about alpha privative

What does alpha privative mean?
Alpha privative means 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-.
What part of speech is alpha privative?
Alpha privative is a noun.
What is the plural of alpha privative?
The plural of alpha privative is alpha privatives.

Words near alpha privative in the dictionary

  1. alpha particles
  2. Alpha Pegasi
  3. Alpha Persei
  4. Alpha Piscis Austrini
  5. alpha privativa
  6. alpha privative
  7. alpha privatives
  8. alpha privativum
  9. alpha quartz
  10. alpha radiation
  11. alpha ray

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: alpha privative (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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