abs- prefix
repr. L. abs- the form of ab- off, away, from, used before c- q- and t-, as in abs-cessus, abs-condere, abs-tractus, abs-tinens. In words that survived into OFr. reduced to as-, as as-traire, as-tenir; subseq. refashioned after L. as abs-traire, abs-tenir. In words taken directly from L. into later Fr. and Eng. abs- from the first.