A-, Ab-, Abs-, As- (L.), away from, as avert, absent, absolve, abstract; and also assoil and avaunt through French. Indeed, this prefix appears as a-, adv-, av-, v-, as in avert, advance, avaunt, vanguard, &c. [L. a, ab, abs (oldest form ap); cog. with Gr. apo-, Sans. apa, Ger. ab, Eng. off.]
Ab-. See Ad-.
Ac-. See Ad-.
Ad- (L.), to, at, as adhere, adapt. It appears as a-, ab-, ac-, ad-, af-, ag-, al-, an-, ap-, ar-, as-, at-, as in achieve, abbreviate, accede, admire, affix, aggregate, allot, annex, approve, arrive, assign, attract. The words achieve, agree, amerce, amount, acquit, acquaint, avow, &c. show the same prefix, derived through the medium of Old French. [L. ad; cog. with Sans. adhi, Goth. and Eng. at, Celt. ar-.]
Af-. See Ad-.
After- (A.S.), as after-growth, after-math, after-wards. [A.S. æfter-.]
Ag-. See Ad-.
Al-. See Ad-.
Al- (Ar.), the—also as a-, ar-, as-, el-, l-, as apricot, artichoke, assagai, elixir, lute.
All- (A.S.), all, as almighty, all-wise. In Early English al-=quite is added (1) to past participles, as al-brent=quite burnt, al-heled=quite concealed; (2) to verbs preceded by to, as al-to-brenne=to burn up entirely. In Elizabethan and later writers all-to=altogether, quite—the original meaning of to having been lost sight of. Cf. Milton's 'all-to ruffled,' &c. [A.S. eall-.]