Greek had its own “not” prefix: a-, written an- before a vowel. It means without or not. You know it from atypical (not typical) and anonymous (without a name: an- + onym, name).
Key idea
a- and an- (Greek) = without, not. Use a- before a consonant (a-pathy) and an- before a vowel or h (an-archy, an-onymous).
Because it is a single letter, a- is easy to miss. Read the rest of the word first; if what is left is a Greek part you know (path, arch, morph), the a- or an- in front probably means “without.”
The parts and their words
Words taken apart
| Word and meaning | Parts, and what they say |
|---|---|
| apathy lack of interest or concern | a- without + path feeling + -y → “without feeling” |
| anarchy absence of government; disorder | an- without + arch ruler + -y → “without a ruler” |
| anomaly something that departs from what is normal | an- not + omal even, regular + -y → “not regular” |
| atrophy to waste away from lack of use | a- without + troph food, nourishment + -y → “without nourishment” |
| anecdotal based on personal stories rather than careful study | an- not + ec out + dot given + -al → “not given out (a story never published)” |
| anonymous of unknown name | an- without + onym name + -ous → “without a name” |
| amorphous having no clear shape | a- without + morph shape + -ous → “without a shape” |
| atypical unusual for its kind | a- not + typical → “not typical” |
Worked example: Use the parts
After years without use, the old trail atrophied into a faint line in the grass. What does atrophy mean?
- Take it apart: a- (without) + troph (food, nourishment) + -y.
- Literally: “without nourishment.” Something that is not fed or used gets weaker and smaller.
- The sentence fits: an unused trail shrinks and fades.
Answer: To waste away from lack of use.
Meet the word
Common mistake
a- means “without” only in words from Greek. In English words like asleep, aboard and afloat, the a- means “on” or “in” (on board, in sleep). And many words simply start with the letter a (apple, agree). Check that the rest of the word is a Greek part before you read a- as “without.”
A word with a story: an anecdote is a short personal story. The Greek word meant “things not given out,” that is, unpublished tales. That is why anecdotal evidence means evidence from personal stories rather than careful study.