What it means
The beginning that turns a word into its opposite or its absence. apneaAP-nee-uhA pause in breathing, or breathing that has stopped.a- without-pnea breathingFull entry is no breathing (a- + -pneaNEE-uh, or PNEE-uh after a consonantA word ending that means breathing.Full entry ), anemiauh-NEE-mee-uhA lower than normal number of red blood cells or amount of hemoglobin in the blood.a- without, lacking-emia blood conditionFull entry is a lack of healthy red blood cells (an- + -emiaEE-mee-uhA word ending that means a condition of the blood, or something in the blood.Full entry ), aphasia is loss of speech and afebrile means without fever. Before a vowel it becomes an-, as in anuria (no urine) and anorexia (no appetite).
Remember it
A- means absent: apnea is absent breathing.
At a glance
| Also written | an- |
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