Final answer:
In medical terms, the prefix 'a' in 'afebrile' means 'without' so 'afebrile' means without fever, indicating that an individual is not feverish.
Step-by-step explanation:
The prefix 'a' in the word afebrile indicates the absence of something. In medical terminology, many words starting with 'a-' signify the lack of a certain condition. The word afebrile is used to describe a state in which an individual is without fever that is not feverish.
The prefix 'a' basically negates the meaning of the word it precedes. So afebrile literally means 'without fever' where 'febris' is the Latin word for fever and the 'a-' prefix acts as a negator.