a-, an- +
(Greek: a prefix meaning: no, absence of, without, lack of, not)
These prefixes are normally used with elements of Greek origin, a- is used before consonants and an- is used before vowels.
It affects the meanings of hundreds of words.
There are too many words that use these prefix elements to list all of them on this site; however, there are significant examples listed in this and the other units where they exist.
atactilia
Loss of the sense of touch.
ataraxia, ataractic
1. The absence of anxiety or confusion; imperturbability; untroubled calmness; inner harmony.
2. A tranquilizer; having a tranquilizing or calming effect.
ataxaphasia
An inability to form phrases and sentences despite the ability to enunciate individual words.
ataxia, atactic, atactiform
1. Absence or lack of order; lack of coordination.
2. The inability of someone to coordinate muscle activity during a voluntary movement; irregularity of muscular action.
3. Unsteadiness, incoordination or disorganization of movements in the absence of paralysis.
In sensor ataxia, the disorder is secondary to impairment of any position and joint sense in the affected part.
ataxiadynamia, ataxoadynamia
1. Muscular weakness combined with incoordination.
2. Ataxia and muscular weakness combined.
ataxophobia
A mental dread of disorder or untididness.
atectonic
A reference to an event that occurs in the absence of widespread crustal deformations.
atelesis
1. The disintegration or dissociation of different psychic functions, as in the schizophrenic's dysjunction between the inner and outer worlds.
2. Absence of integration or successful completion.
atelia
Imperfect or incomplete development.
ateliosis, ateleiosis
Incomplete development which may refer to psychic infantilism or puerilism, to mental retardation, and/or to physical dwarfism (microsomia).
atheism
Godlessness, disbelief in, or denial of, the existence of a God or gods.
atheist
1. Someone who does not believe in a God or gods or who denies the existence of a God, gods, or deities.
2. A person who denies, or disbelieves, the existence of a supreme being or beings.
3. Etymology: from French athéiste, from ancient Greek ἄθεος (atheos), "godless, denying the gods"; from ἀ- (a-), "without, no" + θεός (theos), "god".
atheistic, atheistical
1. Someone who denies the existence of god.
2. A person who is related to or characterized by or given to atheism.
"As an atheist, I proclaim that if there were a God, would He allow people like this poor man to be in such miserable conditions? This is just one example of how so many people in the world are suffering and which proves to me that there is no God."
athermic
1. Without fever or with no rise of temperature.
2. Not pervious (not open to passage or entrance) to heat or heat-rays.
3. Afebrile or characterized by the absence of fever.
4. Heatless.
athymia
1. A name formerly given to absence of feeling or emotion, as seen in depression or the dysthymic disorder.
2. Apathy, emotional indifference, or unresponsveness.
3. Unconsciousness.
Subscribe to this FREE Focusing on Words Newsletter