Word Knowledge

What does the prefix a- mean?

In working as an ASVAB tutor, I review prefixes, root words and suffixes.  I included charts of prefixes, root words and suffixes in my study guide, The ASVAB Tutor’s Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension Study Guide.  Today’s question asks about the prefix a-.

There are a number of words with the prefix a-.

Examples include amoral, atheist, abiotic, apathy, abacterial, abiology, and abiosis.  Do you know what a- means?  I will present the meaning of a- tomorrow and the definition of the above word that contain the prefix a-.