ἀ-, as insep. Prefix in compos.:
I. α στερητικόν(Sch. Od. 3.279 , etc., cf. Eust. 985.16 ), expressingwantorabsence(cf. Arist. Metaph. 1022b32 ), asσοφόςwise,ἄσοφος unwise: fornˆ,the weak form of the negativene,commonly used in the formation of adjs. and advbs., very rarely in that of vbs. and substs., cf.ἀδώτης, ἀτιμάω, ἀτίω.Before a vowel it usu. appears asἀν-(exc. whereϝorspiritus asperhas been lost, asἄ-οινος, ἄ-υπνος,when it sts. coalesces with the following vowel, asἀργός
= ἀ-ϝεργός ): the formsἀνάεδνος, ἀνάελπτοςare probably misspelt forἀν-έϝεδνος, -έϝελπτος.Adjs. formed with it freq. take gen., esp. in Trag., cf.ἀλαμπὲς ἡλίου,
= ἄνευ λάμψεως ἡλίου , S. Tr. 691 . [ᾰ, exc. in adjs. which begin with three short syllables, which haveᾱin Ep. , and freq. also in Lyr., Trag., and Com.;ἀθάνατοςinvariably hasᾱθ.]
II. α ἀθροιστικόν( Eust. 641.61 ; τὸ ἄλφα σημαίνει πολλαχοῦ τὸ ὁμοῦ
Pl. Cra. 405c
), properlyἁ-since it representssm-(cf.ἅμα, εἷς = sems), and so inἁπλόος, ἁθρόος: but freq.ἀ-by dissimilation from following aspirate, asἄ-λοχος,and hence by analogy inἄ-κοιτις,etc., q.v.: sts. in the formὀ-,as inὄπατρος, ὀγάστριος, ὄζυξ. [ᾰ.]
III. α ἐπιτατικόν( Eust. 641.61 ), strengthening the force of compds., asἀ-τενής;prob. identical in etymology with 11 , from which it is distinguished by Gramm., who sts. confuse it with 1 ; v. ἀδάκρυτος. [ᾰ.]