assimilated form of L. ad- ‘to, at,’ used before s-, as in as-sentīre, as-signāre. Reduced in OF. to a-, and so originally adopted in Eng., as in asent (acent), asygne; but subseq. again spelt as- after L., as in assent, assign. While this restoration was taking place, as- was erroneously extended to several words in a- (before s-) from various sources, as a(s)s-aumple:—L. exemplum, a(s)soil:—L. absolvere. Most of these are obsolete, or have been changed back to a-, or further altered.
