ab-

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ab"

English

Etymology 1

From Latin ab-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epo (“off, away”) (English off, of).^[1] See Proto-Indo-European *apo-. Doublet of apo- and off-.

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

Synonyms

• (away from): out-, off-, apo-, de-, away, off

Derived terms

English terms prefixed with ab-

Etymology 2

Abbreviation of absolute.

Prefix

ab-

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

References

1. Elliott K. Dobbie, C. William Dunmore, Robert K. Barnhart, et al. (editors), Chambers Dictionary of Etymology (Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2004 [1998], →ISBN), page 1

• “ab-”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• -ba-, B. A., B.A., BA, Ba, ba, ba'

German

Etymology

From ab, from Middle High German abe, ab, from Old High German ab, from Proto-West Germanic *ab(a), from Proto-Germanic *ab. Compare English off-.

Pronunciation

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

• Audio:

  (file)

Prefix

ab-

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

   Synonym: aus-

   ‎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.

   Synonyms: hinab-, herab-, runter-, herunter-, hinunter-

   ‎ab- + ‎tauchen (“to dive”) → ‎abtauchen (“to submerge”)

3. Separable verb prefix that indicates from or of.
4. Noun prefix that indicates being different from the source or deviation.

   ‎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”)

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “on”): an-
• (antonym(s) of “up”): auf-, rauf-, hinauf-, herauf-

Derived terms

German terms prefixed with ab-

See also

• ab

Further reading

• “ab-” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “ab-” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “ab-” in Duden online
• “ab-” in OpenThesaurus.de

Indonesian

Etymology

From Dutch ab-, from Latin ab-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epo (“off, away”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ap]

Prefix

ab-

1. ab-: from; away from; outside of.

Derived terms

Indonesian terms prefixed with ab-

Further reading

• “ab-” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Italian

Etymology

From Latin ab (“from, away from”).

Prefix

ab-

1. ab- (away from; outside of)

Derived terms

Italian terms prefixed with ab-

Further reading

• ab- in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication

Anagrams

• ba

Latin

Alternative forms

• abs- (used before /k/, /t/)
• ā- (used before /b/, /m/, /w/)

Etymology

From the preposition ab (“from, away from”).

Prefix

ab-

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

   abamita (“great-great-grandaunt”)

   abavia (“great-great-grandmother”)

   abavunculus (“great-great-granduncle”)

   abavus (“great-great-grandfather”)

   abmātertera (“great-great-grandaunt”)

   abnepōs (“great-great-grandson”)

   abneptis (“great-great-granddaughter”)

   absocer (“great-great-grandfather-in-law”)

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 terms prefixed with ab-

Malay

Prefix

ab- (Jawi spelling اب-)

1. ab-

Derived terms

Category Malay terms prefixed with ab- not found

References

• “ab-” in Kamus Bahasa Melayu Nusantara Edisi Kedua (‘Nusantara Malay Language Dictionary Second Edition’), Berakas: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Brunei, 2011, →ISBN, page 1.