and-
English
Etymology
From Middle English and-, ond-, from Old English and-, ond- (“against, back”), from Proto-Germanic *and-, *anda-, *andi- (“across, opposite, against, away”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti (“across, forth”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- (“forehead, foreside, end, limit”). Cognate with Dutch ont-, German ant-, ent-, emp-, Icelandic and-, Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌳- (and-), Latin ante (“before”), Ancient Greek ἀντί (antí, “against”).
Prefix
and-
- (no longer productive) A prefix of Old English origin meaning "against", "back", "in return", "away", represented in Modern English by a-, an-, on-, and in altered form by the reverse-action prefix un- (e.g. unbuckle). Also as the initial letter d in dread (< Old English ondrǣdan).
References
- and- in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
Gothic
Icelandic
Derived terms
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From Old Norse and-, from Proto-Germanic *anda-, *andi-. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- (“face, front”).
Old English
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *andi-, representive of a combining form of and (“and”). Cognate with Middle Dutch ont- (Dutch ont-), Old High German ant- (German ant-, ent-), Old Norse and- (Icelandic and- (“against, anti-, opposed to, in the face of”), Swedish an-), Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌳- (and-).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɑnd/
Prefix
and-
- forming compounds words with the sense "against, opposing"; opposition
- andsaca (“opponent, adversary”)
- in return, back
- andswaru "answer, reply"
- facing, toward; completely, fully
- without
Old Norse
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *anda-, *andi-. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- (“face, forehead, front”).
Prefix
and-
Usage notes
The spellings an- or ann- are often used in compounds.
Derived terms
References
- and- in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, G. T. Zoëga, Clarendon Press, 1910, at Internet Archive.