Learn English – What are the patterns of Be-, A-, Pro- prefixes

The Be- prefix

The Be- prefix has a few common implications and they are:

• to surround completely; cover on all sides. (Befog)
• to affect completely or excessively. (Bedazzle)
• to consider as or cause to be. (Befool, befriend)
• to provide or cover with, wearing (in adjectives ending in -ed). (Bejewel)
• to make or treat somebody/something as (in verbs). (Belittle)
• to cause something to be ((in verbs and adjectives ending in -ed). (Besieged, Becalmed)
• used to turn intransitive verbs (= without an object) into transitive verbs (= with an object). (Bemoan)
• around, on all sides, by. (Beside, Between, Belay, Besit)
• to intensify adjectives and verbs. (Beloved, Befeathered, Beclawed, Behate)
• abundantly, all over. (Bekiss)
• to forms adjectives from nouns, with the sense "having + noun". (Behearted, Beloved)

Also:

• To turn into, to change, produce. (Bewitch, Beget)

There are a few good examples with be- prefix on ELU.

The A- prefix

A- prefix is reduced form of the Old English preposition on, meaning “on,” “in,” “into,” “to,” “toward,” preserved before a noun in a prepositional phrase, forming a predicate adjective or an adverbial element ( afoot; abed; ashore; aside; away), or before an adjective ( afar; aloud; alow), as a moribund prefix with a verb ( acknowledge), and in archaic and dialectal use before a present participle in -ing (set the bells aringing); and added to a verb stem with the force of a present participle ( ablaze; agape; aglow; astride; and originally, awry).

"A-" prefix mostly means:

• shortening of in/on/at. (Asail, Abed, Ahead)
• not referring to an act as a whole, but only to the beginning or end. (Arise, Abide)
• before a consonant means "without","opposite to","like". (Achromatic, Amoral, Atonal)
• a reduced form of the Old English prepositions of and from. (Anew, Afresh)
• in the condition or state of. (Asleep, Await, Alive)
• "on", "in", "towards". (Abed, Aground, Aback, Afoot)
• literal or archaic (in the act or process of). (a-running, a-hunting)
• atomic usage. (A-bomb, A-plant)

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary also states:

A prefix meaning "without" or "not" when forming an adjective (such as amorphous, without form, or atypical, not typical), and "absence of" when forming a noun (such as arrhythmia, absence of rhythm). Before a vowel or h it becomes an- (as in anhydrous, anoxia).

Different dictionaries state that there are "a-" prefixes one of which comes from Greek and the others from Old English and Latin.

The Pro- prefix

This prefix has both Greek and Latin roots.

• indicating favor for some party, system, idea, etc., without identity with the group. (Pro-communist, Pro-slavery)
• a prefix of priority in space or time having especially a meaning of advancing or projecting forward or outward, and also used to indicate substitution, attached widely to stems not used as words. (Provision, Prologue, Produce, Protract)
• acting as a substitute for. (Pronoun)
• forward and/or out. (Project)
• forward and down. (Prostrate)
• away from a place. (Prodigal)
• onward in time or space (word-forming element meaning "forward, forth, toward the front"). (Proceed)
• extension outwards. (Propagate)
• on behalf of (taking care of). (Procure)
• intensive force. (Promiscuous)
• before in time or position, anterior, prior to. (Prophase, Procephalic, Prognathous, Progenitor)
• beforehand, in advance. (Provide)
• rudimentary. (Pronucleus)