they only rarely occur (except as ápi has mainly changed its office from prefix to adverb or conjunction in the later language); but their prepositional uses are much more frequent and important: see below, 1125 b.
b. In composition with nouns, they (like other adverbial elements) not infrequently have an adjective value: see below, 1281 ff., 1305.
1119. Several of the prefixes (as noticed above, 473–4) form comparative and superlative adjectives, by the suffixes tara and tama, or ra and ma: thus, úttara and uttamá, ádhara and adhamá, ápara and apamá, ávara and avamá, úpara and upamá, and prathamá is doubtless of the same character; also, ántara and ántama. And accusatives of such derivative adjectives (for the most part not otherwise found in use) have the value of comparatives, and rarely superlatives, to the prefixes themselves: thus, sáṁçitaṁ cit saṁtaráṁ sáṁ çiçādhi (AV.) whatever is quickened do thou still further quicken; vitaráṁ ví kramasva (RV.) stride out yet more widely; prá táṁ naya prataráṁ vásyo ácha (RV.) lead him forward still further toward advantage; úd enam uttaráṁ naya (AV.) lead him up still higher.
a. Besides those instanced, are found also nitarám, apatarám, abhitarám, avatarám, parātarám, parastarám. In the Brāhmaṇas and later (above, 1111 e), the feminine accusative is used instead: thus, atitarā́m and atitamām, abhitarā́m, anutamā́m, ātamā́m, pratitarā́m, nitarā́m, uttarā́m, pratarā́m and pratamā́m, vitarā́m, saṁtarā́m (also RV., once).
1120. Kindred in origin and character with the verbal prefixes, and used like them except in composition with verbs, are a few other adverbs: thus, avás down; adhás below (and adhastarā́m); parás far off (and parastarā́m); purā́ before; antarā́ (apparently, antár+ā́) among, between; ánti near; upári above; and sahá (already mentioned, 1104 b) along, with, and sácā together, with, may be noticed with them. Vinā́ without, and viṣu- apart, appear to be related with ví.
1121. Inseparable Prefixes. A small number of adverbial prefixes are found only in combination with other elements. Thus:
a. The negative prefix a or an — an before vowels, a before consonants.
b. It is combined especially with innumerable nouns and adjectives; much more rarely, with adverbs, as akútra and ápunar (RV.), áneva (AV.), ánadhas (TB.), akasmāt, asakṛt; in rare cases, also with pronouns (as atad, akiṁcit); and even, in the later language, now and then with verbs, as aspṛhayanti (BhP. Çiç.) they do not desire, alokayati (SD.) he does not view. Now and then it is prefixed to itself: e. g. anakāmamāra, anaviprayukta, anavadya (?).
