on-

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word on-. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word on-, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say on- in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word on- you have here. The definition of the word on- will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofon-, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: Appendix:Variations of "on"

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English on-, from Old English on-, an-, from Proto-West Germanic *ana-, from Proto-Germanic *an-, *ana- (“on-”), from Proto-Indo-European *ano-, *nō- (“on”). Cognate with Dutch aan-, German an-, Swedish an-. Doublet of ana-.

Prefix

on-

  1. on, at, toward, upon.
    oncome, onset, onfall, onlay

Synonyms

Derived terms

English terms prefixed with on-

Anagrams

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Audio:(file)

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch on-, from Old Dutch un-, from Proto-West Germanic *un-, from Proto-Germanic *un-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.

Prefix

on-

  1. un-, in- (expresses negation)
  2. bad, grave, horrifying
    ‎on- + ‎mens (“human being”) → ‎onmens (“brute, barbarian”)
    ‎on- + ‎dier (“animal”) → ‎ondier (“monster”)
    ‎on- + ‎ding (“thing”) → ‎onding (“something unacceptable, absurd”)
    ‎on- + ‎kruid (“herb”) → ‎onkruid (“weed”)
    ‎on- + ‎weer (“weather”) → ‎onweer (“storm, severe weather”)
Derived terms
Dutch terms prefixed with on-
Derived terms
Descendants
  • Afrikaans: on-
  • Petjo: on

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch on, from Old Dutch *āna, from Proto-Germanic *ēnu (“without”), from Proto-Indo-European *anew, *enew (“without”).

Prefix

on-

  1. on, without
Derived terms
Dutch terms prefixed with on-

Luxembourgish

Pronunciation

Prefix

on-

  1. un-, in-

Derived terms

Luxembourgish terms prefixed with on-

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch un-, from Proto-Germanic *un-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.

Prefix

on-

  1. un-, in-

Derived terms

Middle Dutch terms prefixed with on-

Descendants

Old English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

    From Proto-West Germanic *an-, *ana-, from Proto-Germanic *an, *ana (“on”).

    Alternative forms

    Prefix

    on-

    1. forming verbs and adjectives from participles and nouns, with various senses of on, upon, to, there, thither
      onhlinian ― to lean on
      ondōn ― to don, put on clothes
    2. (inchoative) in, into; prefix used to intensify an action or to denote origin or initiation
      onlīehtan ― to enlighten
      onstellan, onstiellan ― to establish, institute, install, originate
    Usage notes
    • This is a verbal prefix, and is always unstressed.
    Derived terms
    Old English terms prefixed with on-

    Etymology 2

    From unstressed form of and- (“and-”).

    Prefix

    on-

    1. denoting reverse action
      onbindan ― to untie, unbind
      onfealdan ― to unfold
    2. off, away
      onberan ― to carry off
    Usage notes
    • This is a verbal prefix, and is always unstressed.
    Derived terms
    Old English terms prefixed with on-

    Ye'kwana

    Variant orthographies
    ALIV on-
    Brazilian standard on-
    New Tribes on-

    Pronunciation

    Prefix

    on-

    1. allomorph of ön- (negative/sociative irrealis prefix) used for stems that have a first vowel o or u.
    Wikious
    Boobota
    Sagapedia