-a and -an

Prefix: a- / an-

Short Definition

Without, lacking, or absence of.

Long Definition

The prefixes a- and an- indicate the absence, lack, or complete loss of something. They are commonly used in medical terminology to describe conditions where a normal function, substance, or structure is missing.

Etymology

• Greek a-/an- → “not, without”; a- / an- — the Greek alpha privative, one of the oldest and most productive prefixes in medical terminology. Parallel to Latin in- (also meaning “not/without”). The suffix use derives from Latin and Greek nominative noun endings

Related Terms

Term	Meaning
dys-	abnormal, difficult
hypo-	below normal
hyper-	above normal

Common Medical Terms

• Anemia - lack of blood/hemoglobin
• Anuria - absence of urine
• Aphasia - absence of speech
• Aseptic - without infection

Documentation Clues

• “No output”
• “Absent function”
• “Lack of…”

Coder’s Notes

Often used in diagnosis coding to indicate complete absence, not reduction.

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DERIVATIONS of -an

TABLE definition AS Definition 
WHERE length(filter(roots, (word) => econtains([[]].roots, word))) > 0 AND file.name !=[[]].file.name
SORT file.name ASC

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Query

TABLE definition AS Definition
FROM #medroot
WHERE length(filter(definition, (word) => econtains([[]].definition, word))) > 0 AND file.name != [[]].file.name

Med roots dictionary Appendix A Prefixes Appendix B Combining Forms Appendix C Suffixes Appendix D Suffix forms