on-

prefix

on, at, toward, upon.

“oncome, onset, onfall, onlay”

Similar
en-epi-super-supra-sur-hyper-
OriginMiddle English on- ← Old English on- ← Proto-West Germanic *ana- →
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Meanings

prefix

alternative a- · alternative an-

  1. on, at, toward, upon.

    oncome, onset, onfall, onlay

    Synonyms: en-, epi-, super-, supra-, sur-, hyper-

Synonyms & antonyms

prefixon, at, toward, upon.

Similar
en-epi-super-supra-sur-hyper-
Also see
en-epi-hyper-super-supra-sur-

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ano-
  2. Proto-Germanic*an-
  3. Proto-West Germanic*ana-
  4. Old Englishon-
  5. Middle Englishon-
  6. Englishon-

From Middle English on-, from Old English on-, an-, from Proto-West Germanic *ana-, from Proto-Germanic *an-, *ana- (“on-”), from Proto-Indo-European *ano-, *nō- (“on”). Cognate with Dutch aan-, German an-, Swedish an-. Doublet of ana-.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

on-. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on-

MLA

“on-.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on-. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on-,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on-.

Source: on- on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.