Tag Archives: example of alpha privative

The Greek word agamos

This word means “unmarried” and it is a good example of something called the “alpha privative.”  The word “gamos” meant marriage; by adding an “a” to the prefix of this word “marriage” becomes “unmarried.”  A similar thing occurs in English by adding an “a” to words like “theist” (adding an “a” to the prefix of “theist” changes this term to “atheist”). 

Agamos occurs only a few times in the New Testament and each of these passages is found in the First Corinthian letter (1 Cor. 7:8, 11, 32, 34).