Ana
/ˈænə/noun
A prefix or combining form meaning "up," "back," "again," or "throughout," used in learned words.
Did you know?In ancient Greek, ana- was a powerhouse prefix for motion, reversal, and repetition, and it survives in words as ordinary as analyze and anatomy.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂en-
“up, on, over”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἀνά (aná)
“up, on, back, again, throughout”
Classical Latin
Latin
ana-
“borrowed prefix used in learned compounds”
Middle English
English
ana-
“prefix in scholarly and technical borrowings”
Modern English
English
ana
“rarely used as a prefix meaning up, back, or again”