English word origin

Etymology of ac-

From Old English āc (“oak”) (but not part of the etymology of acorn).

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

prefix

oak.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Old English āc (“oak”) (but not part of the etymology of acorn).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionācang

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "āc",
        "4": "",
        "5": "oak"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English āc (“oak”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "āc",
      "ac#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "acorn",
      "acorn#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "oak."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "d932cbe7f49d47d968110647670cf60654e4ec392570b1b31d4f5a3d2ec9dde7",
      "rawRecordSha256": "171a2b72d11087c433d709b5730f2f2701481d467ff45bc5ddbcd5c2d13ed733",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 464176
    }
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

prefix

To or with.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Assimilated form of ad- before c, k, q. Around 1500 the c was added to some versions of the a- prefix. From Middle English a-, from Old French a-, from Latin ad- (“to, toward”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentiona-enm
Derivation mentiona-fro
Derivation mentionad-la

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "a-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English a-"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "a-"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French a-"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "ad-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to, toward"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin ad- (“to, toward”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ad-",
      "ad-#English"
    ],
    [
      "a-",
      "a-"
    ],
    [
      "a-",
      "a-#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "a-",
      "a-#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "ad-",
      "ad-#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "To or with."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "86f9be2253d6a30dc952ddc5bc19dfe284f9b63daa8679c8ca5b793f8fa8f3db",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 464177
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

prefix

On.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Assimilated form of a-. Around 1500 the c was added to some versions of the a- prefix. From a- (“on”), from Old English ge-.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionge-ang

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ge-"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ge-"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "a-",
      "a-#English"
    ],
    [
      "a-",
      "a-"
    ],
    [
      "a-",
      "a-#Etymology_2_2"
    ],
    [
      "ge-",
      "ge-#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "On."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for ac- →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-YWMt