ab-

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ab"

English

Etymology 1

From Latin ab-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epo (“off, away”) (English off, of). See Proto-Indo-European *apo- (English apo-, via Ancient Greek).

Alternative forms

• a- (found if the root word started with m, p, or v)
• abs- (found if the root word started with c or t)

Prefix

ab-

1. (non-productive) From.

   ab- + ‎sorb → ‎absorb

2. (non-productive) Away from; outside of.

   ab- + ‎normal → ‎abnormal

   ab- + ‎axial → ‎abaxial

Etymology 2

Abbreviation of absolute.

Prefix

ab-

1. (physics) A unit of electromagnetic charge in the centimeter-gram-second system: the abcoulomb.

References

• ab- at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• -ba-, BA, ba

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German

Etymology

From Old High German ab, from Proto-Germanic *ab.

Pronunciation

• (Standard German) IPA^(key): /ap/, [ʔäpʰ]
• (Switzerland) IPA^(key): /ab̥/

Prefix

ab-

1. Separable verb prefix that indicates removal or quitting, off, away.

   ab- + ‎fahren (“to drive”) → ‎abfahren (“to depart, drive away”)

   ab- + ‎spülen (“to rinse, wash”) → ‎abspülen (“to rinse off, wash off”)

2. Separable verb prefix that indicates a downward movement, down.
3. Separable verb prefix that indicates from or of.
4. Noun prefix that indicates deviation or being different from the source.

   ab- + ‎Art (“kind, sort”) → ‎Abart (“variety, variant, anomality”)

   ab- + ‎Gott (“God”) → ‎Abgott (“idol; god other than the true God”)

   ab- + ‎Laut (“sound”) → ‎Ablaut (“ablaut; vowel gradation or alternation”)

Synonyms

• (off): aus-
• (down): hinab-, herab-, runter-, herunter-, hinunter-

Antonyms

• (on): an-
• (up): auf-, rauf-, hinauf-, herauf-

Derived terms

► German words prefixed with ab-

See also

• ab

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Latin

Etymology

From ab (“from, of, away from”)

Prefix

ab-

1. from, away, away from
2. off
3. at a distance
4. completely, thoroughly
5. absence of
6. more remote

Usage notes

• Before b, m, sp and v, the prefix becomes ā-.
• Before c and t, the prefix becomes abs-.
• Before f, the prefix becomes au-.
• Before p, the prefix becomes as- (but with some exceptions).

Derived terms

► Latin words prefixed with ab-