a-toward
Toward; the mountain a- stuck on the front.
Also called toward, atoward.
Updated September 21, 2026
a-toward pronunciation
/uh-tuh-WORD/
Meaning
Means the same as "toward": in the direction of somebody or something. A bear making a pass a-toward a hunter is coming his way. The a- does not twist the meaning. It is the old Appalachian prefix that also shows up on words like a-past and a-goin'.
How folks use it
- “The bear, it made a pass a-toward him.”
- “She took a step a-toward the door and stopped.”
Origin and etymology
Another case of Appalachian a-prefixing. The a- comes from an older preposition like "on" or "an" that wore down and got stuck on verbs, adverbs, and some prepositions. Smoky Mountain English lists forms such as atoward(s) beside a-past and anigh. A 1939 Smoky Mountain speaker said a bear "made a pass a-toward him."
Frequently asked questions
Is a-toward different from a-towards?
Same idea. One drops the s, one keeps it, like toward and towards in everyday English.