Building Vocabulary from Word Roots Lesson 3 Greek Negating Prefixes: a -, an -

a-, an- The 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.

a-a- This 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.

an- If the base of the word begins with a vowel or the letter h, we add an n to the alpha privative a- to create an- and 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 that allows you to be without pain

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