א־
Aramaic
Etymology
From עַל (ʿal), with the ל (l) assimilated onto the following consonant, and the ע (ʿ) respelled as א (ʾ) since they had merged in pronunciation in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic.
Preposition
אַ־ • (ʾa-)
- Jewish Babylonian Aramaic form of עַל (ʿal)
- a. 500 C.E., Babylonian Talmud. Bava Batra, section 2.1:
- והא וכן קתני אגויל וגזית
- But [the Mishnah] teaches “and thus”. [This is in fact] regarding “rough stone” and “smooth stone”.
Usage notes
- The following consonant is doubled.
Hebrew
Etymology 1
Inherited from Proto-Semitic *ʔa- (“1st pers. singular imperfect indicative prefix”).
Prefix
אֶ־, אֵ־ • (e-)
- I'll (used to form first-person singular future from pa'al, nif'al, hitpa'el and hitpu'al verbs)
- פָּעַל (pa'ál, “to do”, literally “he did”) → אֶפְעַל (ef'ál, “I'll do”)
- הָלַךְ (halákh, “to go”, literally “he went”) → אֵלֵךְ (elékh, “I'll go”)
- נִסְגַּר (nisgár, “to be closed”, literally “he was closed”) → אֶסָּגֵר (esagér, “I'll be closed”)
- הִתְנַגֵּד (hitnagéd, “to oppose”, literally “he opposed”) → אֶתְנַגֵּד (etnagéd, “I'll oppose”)
- התנודב / הִתְנֻדַּב (hitnudáv, “to be voluntold”, literally “he was voluntold”) → אתנודב / אֶתְנֻדַּב (etnudáv, “I'll be voluntold”)
Prefix
אֲ־ • (a-)
- I'll (used to form first-person singular future from pi'el and pu'al verbs)
Prefix
אַ־ • (a-)
- I'll (used to form first-person singular future from hif'il verbs)
- הִכְתִּיב (hikhtív, “to dictate”, literally “he dictated”) → אַכְתִּיב (akhtív, “I'll dictate”)
Prefix
אֻ־, אוּ־ • (u-)
- I'll (used to form first-person singular future from huf'al verbs)
Prefix
אָ־ • (a-)
- I'll (used to form first-person singular future from pa'al verbs with weak roots having ו as their second radical and hif'il verbs with geminate roots)
Prefix
אֹ־ • (o-)
- I'll (used to form first-person singular future from some pa'al verbs with weak roots having א as their first radical)
Further reading
Modern Hebrew verbs on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Etymology 2
Derived from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-), mostly via other European languages.
Prefix
אַ־, אֲ־ • (a-)
- a- (not, without, opposite of)
- Synonyms: אַל, אִי
- מִינִיּוּת (miniyút, “sexulaity”) → אַ־מִינִיּוּת (a-miniyút, “asexuality”)
- נוֹרְמָלִי (normáli, “normal”) → אֲנוֹרְמָלִי (anormáli, “abnormal”)
Usage notes
Could be divided by ־ (“makáf, hyphen”) from the word in more recent borrowings.
Etymology 3
Borrowed from Arabic اَلْ (al-) before sun letters.
Alternative forms
- אַ(ל)־
Prefix
אַ־ • (a-)