Building
Vocabulary
from Word
Roots
Lesson 3
Greek Negating Prefixes: a-, an-
a-, anThe Greek Prefixes a-, an
mean “not, without.”
They usually attach to
Greek bases and
generate vocabulary
that is scientific,
technical, or medical in
nature.
alpha privative
• a-, an- are called alpha privative because
the initial a- (alpha: the first letter of the
Greek alphabet) deprives the base of its
meaning. All words beginning with an
alpha privative have a strongly negative
meaning.
aThis prefix consistently appears as a- when it attaches
to a base beginning with a consonant.
a- + polit (city, citizen) = apolitical (“not” political)
A person who is described as apolitical is one who is
“not” political or “without” interest in politics.
a- + moral = amoral (“not” moral)
Amoral is used to describe people who do “not” have a
moral code. They are “without” morals.
a- + typical= atypical (“not” typical)
If someone described your behavior as being atypical of
adolescents, it means you’re behavior is “not” typical of
most teenagers and is probably intended as a
compliment. 
anIf the base of the word begins with a vowel or the letter
h, we add an n to the alpha privative a- to create anand make the word easier to pronounce.
an- + arch (rule) = anarchy
(“without” a ruler or “no” ruler)
an- + onym (word, name) = anonymous
(“not” named or nameless)
• Without the n, these words would be too hard to pronounce
(a-archy, a-onymous).
Synonyms with the suffix -less
Some alpha privative words can be defined by a
synonym that ends in the suffix –less (“without”).
a- + hydro (water) = anhydrous (“without” water or
waterless)
a- + chrom (color) = achromatic (“without” color or
colorless)
a- + morph (shape) = amorphous (“without” a
shape or shapeless)
Beware!
Not all words beginning with a- or an- mean “not”
or “without.”
astronomy: astro is a base meaning “star”
animated: anim is a base meaning “life” or “soul”
antonym: ant- is a prefix meaning “opposite”
When confronted with a word beginning with a- or
an-, look up the word in the dictionary or analyze
the surrounding context to determine if this
particular prefix is part of the meaning or if it might
be another prefix or base being used.
Practice
How do the bolded words use the meanings of a-, an-? Use context
clues to help create a definition.
1. Even though he was asymptomatic, the little boy had
chicken pox.
2. Since he was usually so quiet, his loud response was
atypical of him.
3. People with too few red blood cells are anemic and
often tired.
4. Muscles will atrophy if they are not exercised.
5. Saying, “I don’t care” may indicate an apathetic attitude.
6. He was relieved to find out that the doctor would give
him anesthesia before extracting his wisdom teeth.
Practice
1.
Even though he was asymptomatic, the little boy had chicken pox.
without
symptoms or not showing any symptoms
2.
Since he was usually so quiet, his loud response was atypical of him. not
typical or not normal behavior
3.
People with too few red blood cells are anemic and often tired. not
having
enough red blood cells
4.
Muscles will atrophy if they are not exercised. without
nourishment
and therefore weak
5.
Saying, “I don’t care” may indicate an apathetic attitude.
without feeling
or not showing any feeling
6.
He was relieved to find out that the doctor would give him anesthesia before
extracting his wisdom teeth. something
without pain
that allows you to be
Practice
Use the definitions of the bases, prefixes and suffixes, if provided, and the
context of the sentence to determine the meaning of the bolded word.
Compared to my other experiments, the results
were an anomaly. After months of hard work, the
results made me feel abysmal failure, and before
long I started to approach my work with an atypical
apathy. (The base homalos means “same” or
“even”; the base byss means “bottom”; and the
base path means “feeling.”)
Practice
Use the definitions of the bases, prefixes and suffixes, if provided, and the
context of the sentence to determine the meaning of the bolded word.
Compared to my other experiments, the results were an anomaly.
After months of hard work, the results made me feel abysmal failure,
and before long I started to approach my work with an atypical
apathy. (The base homalos means “same” or “even”; the base byss
means “bottom”; and the base path means “feeling.”)
– anomaly: something that is “not” the “same” as the others, in
this case an abnormal result
– abysmal: “without” a “bottom”; bottomless or endless
– atypical: behavior that is “not” typical or “not” normal for a
person
– apathy: “without” “feeling “or “not” showing any “feelings”
toward something
Practice
Use the definitions of the bases, prefixes and suffixes, if provided, and the
context of the sentence to determine the meaning of the bolded word.
When my best friend emerged from her year-long
coma, we weren’t surprised that her muscles had
atrophied, but we were shocked that she had
amnesia. Gone was the kind, thoughtful,
passionate friend, only to be replaced with this
amoral being that lived as if in a state of total
anarchy. (The base tropho means “nourishment”;
the base mne means “memory;” the base arch
means “rule.”)
Practice
Use the definitions of the bases, prefixes and suffixes, if provided, and the
context of the sentence to determine the meaning of the bolded word.
When my best friend emerged from her year-long coma, we weren’t
surprised that her muscles had atrophied, but we were shocked that
she had amnesia. Gone was the kind, thoughtful, passionate friend,
only to be replaced with this amoral being that lived as if in a state of
total anarchy. (The base tropho means “nourishment”; the base mne
means “memory;” the base arch means “rule.”)
– atrophied: something that is “without” “nourishment” and is
therefore weakened
– amnesia: “without” a “memory” or “not” having a “memory”
– amoral: a person “without” morals or someone who does “not”
live by a moral code
– anarchy: a world “without” “rules” or a society that does “not”
follow any rules
Test Prep
a-, an- –this prefix means ________________________,
________________________
Walking and jogging are considered aerobic exercises
that can be done for a sustained period of time
because the muscles are using oxygen to generate
energy. Sprinting is an anaerobic exercise that can be
done for only a short amount of time because it is
high intensity, so the muscles are using a lot of energy
without the time to go through the normal aerobic
processes.
• Define the word anaerobic using a definition of the prefix.
Test Prep
a-, an- –this prefix means without, not
Walking and jogging are considered aerobic exercises that can be done
for a sustained period of time because the muscles are using oxygen to
generate energy. Sprinting is an anaerobic exercise that can be done for
only a short amount of time because it is high intensity, so the muscles
are using a lot of energy without the time to go through the normal
aerobic processes.
• Define the word anaerobic using a definition of the prefix.
a process that does “not” use oxygen
Test Prep
a-, an- –this prefix means ________________________,
________________________
By the end of the strenuous workout video, I was
sweating profusely, while the woman in the video
seemed to suffer from anhidrosis. Her labored
breathing was the only indication that the workout
was challenging for her.
• Define the word anhidrosis using a definition of the
prefix
Test Prep
a-, an- –this prefix means without, not
By the end of the strenuous workout video, I was sweating profusely,
while the woman in the video seemed to suffer from anhidrosis. Her
labored breathing was the only indication that the workout was
challenging for her. (the base hydro means “water”; suffix –osis means
“condition” or “state”)
• Define the word anhidrosis using a definition of the prefix
a “condition” in which a person does “not” produce
“water”, essentially a person with a condition where they
cannot sweat