af-

prefix assim. form of AD- before f.

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— see ad-

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var. of ad- before f: affect.

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af-,

prefix. the form of ad- (Cf. ↑ad-) before f, as in affix.

a.f.,

audio frequency.

Af.,

1. Africa.

2. African.

AF (no periods),

1. Air Force, especially the United States Air Force.

2. Anglo-French.

3. audio frequency.

4. autofocus in a camera.

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prefix

1) variant spelling of ad-

2) assimilated before f (as in affiliate, affirm)

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af-, prefix

1. Assimilated form of L. ad- to, bef. initial f-, as in af-fectus, af-flātus, af-fluentia. Reduced in OFr. to a-, and so adopted in Eng. But artificially restored in Fr. spelling in 4–5, whence extended to Eng. in 5–6; as in affair, affiance, affront, early Eng. afaire, afiaunce, afront. In all mod. words from L., aff- has been written from the first, though only one f- is pronounced.

2. While the words from OFr. were being refashioned after L. spelling, af- was substituted for a- in various words where it did not represent L. af-, as in a(f)fray, a(f)fright; see ad- 2.