across
UK[əˈkrɒs]US[əˈkrɔːs]
prep
from one side to the other side of something
prep
on the opposite side of something
adv
from one side to the other side
Morpheme Breakdown
a
cross
a
on, in
cross
Etymology
The word 'across' is a compound formed in Middle English from the prepositional prefix 'a-' and the noun 'cross'. The prefix 'a-', derived from Old English, originally conveyed a sense of being 'on' or 'in' a state. The noun 'cross' entered English via Old Norse from Latin 'crux', denoting the instrument of crucifixion and, by extension, a transverse structure. The literal combination 'on cross' or 'in a crossed position' evolved to describe the spatial relationship of being from one side to the other of a line or space, effectively capturing the image of traversing a transverse line. This concrete spatial sense has remained stable into modern usage.
Analysis
Structure: a (on, in) + cross
a- (from Old English 'a-', a prepositional prefix meaning 'on', 'in', 'into'); cross (from Old English 'cros', from Old Norse 'kross', ultimately from Latin 'crux, crucis' meaning a stake, cross).
Examples
she walked across the street carefully.
there's a bank just across the road from the post office.
the river is over a mile wide at the point where the bridge goes across.