-a
See also: -а and Appendix:Variations of "a"
EnglishEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From the homographic case endings of the nominative, accusative, and vocative forms of numerous Latin neuter second declension nouns.
PronunciationEdit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɑ/, /ə/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ɑ/, /ə/
SuffixEdit
-a
Usage notesEdit
- Whereas the regular pluralization in English involves adding -s or -es, English words derived from a Latin/Greek etymon where the Latin/Greek would pluralize from -on (Greek) or -um (Latin) to -a do not always do so. Usage of -a instead of -s differs between words: sometimes the two are interchangeable (e.g. memorandums/memoranda, polyhedrons/polyhedra), sometimes one is far more common than the other (e.g. neurons over neura, automata over automatons), and sometimes one is completely absent from usage (e.g. bacteria over bacteriums, dendrons over dendra)
Derived termsEdit
From -um
From -on
TranslationsEdit
Latinate plural grammatical number suffix
See alsoEdit
Etymology 2Edit
Possibly due to the propensity in some non-rhotic dialects to pronounce words ending in -er as if they ended in an -a.
PronunciationEdit
- (General American, Received Pronunciation) in the context of a Northern English accent: IPA(key): /æ/
- (General American) in the context of an African-American Vernacular or other non-rhotic North American dialects: IPA(key): /ə/
SuffixEdit
-a
- (Northern England) Same as -er in Standard English.
- me fatha was a corka burna doon the shipyard — “My father was a corker burner at the shipyard.”
- (African-American Vernacular English and other non-rhotic North American dialects) Used to replace -er in nouns.
- gangsta — “gangster”
- brotha — “brother”
See alsoEdit
Etymology 3Edit
Representing the nominative singular case ending of Latin first-declension feminine nouns.
PronunciationEdit
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ə, IPA(key): /ə/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ə/
SuffixEdit
- Marks singular nouns, with a foundation in Greek or Latin, often implying femininity, especially when contrasted with words terminating in -us.
Derived termsEdit
Etymology 4Edit
PronunciationEdit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ə/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ə/
SuffixEdit
-a
Etymology 5Edit
Shortened version of verb have.
PronunciationEdit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ə/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ə/
SuffixEdit
-a
Etymology 6Edit
Representing Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish feminine nouns.
PronunciationEdit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ə/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ə/
SuffixEdit
-a
- Marks nouns, with a foundation in Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese, implying femininity.
Etymology 7Edit
Added to lines of poetry and verse to maintain metrics.
PronunciationEdit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ə/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ə/
SuffixEdit
-a
- Added for metrical reasons to poetry and verse
Etymology 8Edit
Shortened version of preposition of.
PronunciationEdit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ə/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ə/
SuffixEdit
-a
- (slang) clitic form of o' (contraction of of)
- 1946, Elizabeth Metzger Howard, Before the Sun Goes Down, page 31:
Etymology 9Edit
Shortened version of verb to.
PronunciationEdit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ə/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ə/
SuffixEdit
-a
ReferencesEdit
- “-a” in Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief; William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors, The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford; New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 2002, →ISBN, page 1.
- “-a” in Christine A. Lindberg, editor, The Oxford College Dictionary, 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: Spark Publishing, 2002, →ISBN, page 1.
AlbanianEdit
PronunciationEdit
EtymologyEdit
Related to Albanian e (“of, the, to”) and -e.
ArticleEdit
-a f
Related termsEdit
- (suffixed article, suffix): -e, -ë, -i, -o, -u, -ia, -ja, -je, -jë, -at, -et, -ët, -it, -ot, -ut, -të, -ri, -ishte, -ishtja
- (article, preposition): e, i, së, të
CzechEdit
PronunciationEdit
SuffixEdit
-a
- Forms agent nouns.
- Forms nouns referring to results of processes.
Derived termsEdit
Further readingEdit
- -a in Slovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017
DutchEdit
PronunciationEdit
Audio (file)
SuffixEdit
-a
EsperantoEdit
EtymologyEdit
From feminine singular adjectives (and nouns) of the Romance languages, such as French ma, Italian mia, Spanish mía, fría.
SuffixEdit
-a
- Related to, in the manner of, of. Ending for all adjectives in Esperanto.
- Belonging to, of. Ending for all possessive pronouns in Esperanto.
- -kind of. Ending of all correlatives of kind in Esperanto.
Derived termsEdit
Ending for all adjectives.
Ending for all possessive pronouns in Esperanto.
Ending of all correlatives of kind in Esperanto.
FinnishEdit
Alternative formsEdit
- -ä (in words with front vowel harmony)
Etymology 1Edit
From Proto-Finnic *-da, from the Proto-Uralic ablative case *-ta. A variant form *-ta (whence Finnish -ta) was used after a syllable with secondary stress (suffixal gradation).
SuffixEdit
-a (front vowel harmony variant -ä)
- (case suffix) Forms the partitive case of nouns, adjectives, numbers and some pronouns.
Usage notesEdit
- This suffix is used after a short vowel or the plural marker -j-.
Etymology 2Edit
From Proto-Finnic *-dak. Historically, a form of a lative suffix.
SuffixEdit
-a (front vowel harmony variant -ä)
- (verbal suffix) Forms the short form of the first infinitive of verbs.
Usage notesEdit
- The first infinitive, short form, is the citation form of verbs.
See alsoEdit
FrenchEdit
SuffixEdit
-a
- Suffix indicating the third-person singular past historic of -er verbs.
HungarianEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
SuffixEdit
-a
- (possessive suffix) his, her, its, -'s, of (third-person singular, single possession)
- (possessive suffix, after a plural possessor) -s', of…-s (third-person plural, single possession)
- ház (“house”) → a szüleim háza (“my parents’ house”)
- ház (“house”) → a trópusi növények háza (“the house of tropical plants” [literally, “the tropical plants’ house”])
- (with time expressions, referring to a point in time) ago
- (with time expressions, referring to a duration of time preceding the point of time in question) for
- Egy évszázada várunk rád. ― We have been waiting for you for a century.
Usage notesEdit
- (possessive suffix) Variants:
- -a is added to back vowel words ending in a consonant
- -e is added to front vowel words ending in a consonant
- -ja is added to back vowel words ending in a consonant or a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-; final -o changes to -ó-.
- -je is added to front vowel words ending in a consonant or a vowel. Final -e changes to -é-; final -ö changes to -ő-.
- This suffix (in all forms) is normally used for the third-person singular possessive (single possession) but, after an explicit plural possessor, it also expresses the third-person plural possessive (single possession), e.g. “the children's ball” (a gyerekek labdája). If the possessor is implicit (not named, only marked by a suffix), the plural possessive suffix must be used, e.g. “their ball” (a labdájuk, see -juk and its variants).
DeclensionEdit
| Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, back harmony) | ||
|---|---|---|
| singular | plural | |
| nominative | -a | — |
| accusative | -át | — |
| dative | -ának | — |
| instrumental | -ával | — |
| causal-final | -áért | — |
| translative | -ává | — |
| terminative | -áig | — |
| essive-formal | -aként | — |
| essive-modal | -ául | — |
| inessive | -ában | — |
| superessive | -án | — |
| adessive | -ánál | — |
| illative | -ába | — |
| sublative | -ára | — |
| allative | -ához | — |
| elative | -ából | — |
| delative | -áról | — |
| ablative | -ától | — |
| non-attributive possessive - singular |
-áé | — |
| non-attributive possessive - plural |
-áéi | — |
See alsoEdit
Etymology 2Edit
SuffixEdit
-a
- (personal suffix, archaic) Used to form an archaic past tense, in third-person singular, indefinite conjugation, for back-vowel verbs. The front-vowel version is -e. The suffix currently used in this place is -t, -tt, or -ott. For the full paradigm, see the usage template.
IcelandicEdit
SuffixEdit
-a
- Used to form verbs from nouns.
- Used to form adverbs from adjectives.
Derived termsEdit
See alsoEdit
IdoEdit
SuffixEdit
-a
Derived termsEdit
Usage notesEdit
One may elide the final a of the adjectives, but with the condition not to produce accumulation from the consonants. One advise to use the elision mainly with the derivatived adjectives and particularly when they finish with -al-(a).[1]
ReferencesEdit
- ^ “KGD”, in Kompleta gramatiko detaloza[1] (in Ido), accessed 2015-12-23, archived from the original on 27 January 2012
IrishEdit
SuffixEdit
-a
- plural ending of certain nouns
- plural ending of adjectives in the nominative, vocative, dative, and strong genitive cases
- genitive singular ending of third-declension nouns
ItalianEdit
SuffixEdit
-a
- Used, with a stem, to form the third-person singular present tense of -are verbs.
- Used, with a stem, to form the second-person singular imperative of -are verbs.
- Used, with a stem, to form the first-person singular, second-person singular and third-person singular present subjunctive of -ere verbs, and of those -ire verbs that do not insert "isc".
- Used, with a stem, to form the third-person singular imperative of -ere verbs, and of those -ire verbs that do not insert "isc".
LatinEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Proto-Italic *-ā, from Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂ (“feminine suffix”) (forming in this case masculine nouns).
PronunciationEdit
SuffixEdit
-a f or m (genitive -ae); first declension
- suffixed to the roots of verbs, forms (usually masculine) agent nouns
DeclensionEdit
First-declension noun.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -a | -ae |
| Genitive | -ae | -ārum |
| Dative | -ae | -īs |
| Accusative | -am | -ās |
| Ablative | -ā | -īs |
| Vocative | -a | -ae |
SynonymsEdit
- (suffixed to the roots of verbs, forms masculine agent nouns): -ō¹
Derived termsEdit
ReferencesEdit
- “-a¹” on page 1/1 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (1st ed., 1968–82)
Etymology 2Edit
From Old Latin -ād, originally the ablative feminine singular form of first-declension adjectives (compare -us, suffix forming adjectives).
PronunciationEdit
SuffixEdit
-ā (not comparable)
- suffixed chiefly to the stems of adjectives terminating in -ter, forms adverbs which are frequently also used as prepositions
Derived termsEdit
ReferencesEdit
- “-ā²” on page 1/1 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (1st ed., 1968–82)
Etymology 3Edit
Declined forms of -us (suffix forming adjectives).
PronunciationEdit
- -a: (Classical) IPA(key): /a/
- -a: (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /a/
- -ā: (Classical) IPA(key): /aː/
- -ā: (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /a/
SuffixEdit
-a
- inflection of -us:
SuffixEdit
-ā
Etymology 4Edit
A conjugated form of -ō³ (suffix forming verbs).
PronunciationEdit
SuffixEdit
-ā
LatvianEdit
SuffixEdit
-a
Derived termsEdit
Related termsEdit
Feminine suffixes that include -a
MalteseEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Arabic ة (-a(h)), reinforced by Sicilian and Italian -a, which are unrelated but used similarly.
PronunciationEdit
- IPA(key): /a/
- Homophone: -ha (distinct after -h, -ħ, -għ; may also trigger different stem alternations)
SuffixEdit
-a
- Used to form the feminine forms of most nouns and adjectives.
- Used to form the plurals of some nouns and adjectives.
- Used to form singulatives from collective nouns. (For simplicity, singulatives may be treated as the bases whence the collectives are formed by deleting -a.)
Northern SamiEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Proto-Samic *-ëk. Cognate with Finnish -e.
PronunciationEdit
SuffixEdit
-a (with odd-syllable stems -at)
- Forms nouns from verbs, indicating something used for performing the verb.
- Forms nouns from verbs, indicating something that results from having the verb's action performed.
Usage notesEdit
This suffix triggers the weak grade on a preceding stressed syllable in the nominative singular and essive, and the strong grade in the other forms.
InflectionEdit
| Odd, no gradation | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -at | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Genitive | -aga | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Singular | Plural | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Nominative | -at | -agat | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Accusative | -aga | -agiid | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Genitive | -aga | -agiid | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Illative | -agii | -agiidda | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Locative | -agis | -agiin | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Comitative | -agiin | -agiiguin | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Essive | -agin | |||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Derived termsEdit
Norwegian NynorskEdit
SuffixEdit
-a
- Used to form infinitive form of most verbs
- Used to form imperative form of many weak verbs
- Used to form past tense form of many weak verbs
- Used to form past participle of many weak verbs
- Used for every singular and plural form of the adjectives formed from participle forms of many verbs
- Used to form singular indefinite feminine form of some pronouns and adjectives
- Used to form singular definite form of feminine nouns
- Used to form plural definite form of neuter nouns
- Used to form singular indefinite and definite form of weak neuter nouns
- (non-standard since 2012) Used to form singular indefinite form of weak feminine nouns
- (archaic)(nonstandard) Used to form dative case of singular definite weak masculine and neuter nouns
- (archaic)(nonstandard) Used to form singular definite and plural indefinite feminine form of adjectives
Old EnglishEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Proto-Germanic *-ô.
Alternative formsEdit
SuffixEdit
-a
- Ending forming adverbs
Etymology 2Edit
From Proto-Germanic *-ô. Cognate with Old High German -o.
SuffixEdit
-a
- nominative masculine n-stem ending
- used to form masculine agents from verbs
DeclensionEdit
Declension of -a (weak)
Derived termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
- Middle English: -e
Old NorseEdit
Etymology 1Edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Alternative formsEdit
SuffixEdit
-a
- indicates negation; does not
Etymology 2Edit
From Proto-Germanic *-ōną.
SuffixEdit
-a
- Creates denominative verbs from nouns
- Creates factitive verbs from adjectives
ConjugationEdit
Conjugation of -a — active (weak class 2)
| infinitive | -a | |
|---|---|---|
| present participle | -andi | |
| past participle | -aðr | |
| indicative | present | past |
| 1st-person singular | -a | -aða |
| 2nd-person singular | -ar | -aðir |
| 3rd-person singular | -ar | -aði |
| 1st-person plural | -um | -uðum |
| 2nd-person plural | -ið | -uðuð |
| 3rd-person plural | -a | -uðu |
| subjunctive | present | past |
| 1st-person singular | -a | -aða |
| 2nd-person singular | -ir | -aðir |
| 3rd-person singular | -i | -aði |
| 1st-person plural | -im | -aðim |
| 2nd-person plural | -ið | -aðið |
| 3rd-person plural | -i | -aði |
| imperative | present | |
| 2nd-person singular | -a | |
| 1st-person plural | -um | |
| 2nd-person plural | -ið | |
Derived termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
Etymology 3Edit
From Proto-Germanic *-ê and *-ô.
SuffixEdit
-a
Etymology 4Edit
From Proto-Germanic *-ǭ or *-ô.
SuffixEdit
-a f or n
- Occurs in the nominative singular of feminine on-stem nouns
- Occurs in the singular of neuter an-stem nouns
DeclensionEdit
Declension of -a (weak ōn-stem)
Declension of -a (weak an-stem)
Etymology 5Edit
Different noun forms.
SuffixEdit
-a
- indefinite genitive plural (of nouns)
- inflection of -i (masculine an-stem nouns):
- indefinite accusative plural of -r (masculine a-stem nouns)
PortugueseEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Old Portuguese -a, from Latin -am, accusative singular of -a.
SuffixEdit
-a f
Etymology 2Edit
From Old Portuguese -a, from Latin -at.
SuffixEdit
-a
- forms the third-person singular present indicative of verbs ending in -ar
- João fala português.
- John speaks Portuguese.
Etymology 3Edit
From Old Portuguese -a, from Latin -ā.
SuffixEdit
-a
- forms the second-person singular affirmative imperative of verbs ending in -ar
- João, conta-nos o seu apelido.
- John, tell us your last name.
Etymology 4Edit
SuffixEdit
-a
- forms the first-person singular present subjunctive of verbs ending in -er and -ir
- É importante que eu coma carne.
- It is important that I eat meat.
- forms the third-person singular present subjunctive of verbs ending in -er and -ir
- É importante que ele coma carne.
- It is important that he eat meat.
- forms the third-person singular affirmative imperative of verbs ending in -er and -ir
- Ei você aí, coma carne.
- Hey you there, eat meat.
- forms the third-person singular negative imperative of verbs ending in -er and -ir
- Ei você aí, não coma carne.
- Hey you there, don’t eat meat.
Usage notesEdit
The third-person imperative isn’t used with third person pronouns, it’s used with você, which is a second-person pronoun but always takes third-person conjugation.
Etymology 5Edit
SuffixEdit
-a
- (slang) used in the end of shortenings
- vestibular + -a → vestiba (“university admittance test”)
- vagabundo + -a → vagaba (“loafer”)
RomanianEdit
Alternative formsEdit
- -ua (used for feminine nouns ending in a stressed vowel or diphthong)
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Latin illa, nominative feminine singular of ille.
SuffixEdit
-a f
- (definite article) the (feminine singular, nominative and accusative)
Usage notesEdit
This form of the definite article is used for feminine nouns in the nominative and accusative cases which end in -ă or in an unstressed vowel:
The suffix is also used with feminine adjectives in the nominative and accusative cases to make the articulated definite form, often for emphasis, and it is used before the noun it modifies:
- buna fată, from fata bună (both meaning "the good girl")
- întinsa câmpie, from câmpia întinsă (both meaning "the wide/extensive plain")
Related termsEdit
Etymology 2Edit
From Latin -āre, the ending of the present active infinitive form of first conjugation verbs. Cognate with Spanish -ar, French -er, Italian -are, etc.
SuffixEdit
-a
- A suffix forming infinitives of many verbs.
Related termsEdit
See alsoEdit
Serbo-CroatianEdit
Etymology 1Edit
SuffixEdit
-a (Cyrillic spelling -а)
- Suffix appended to words (usually verbal stems) to create a feminine noun, usually denoting a relation or to form a proper noun.
Etymology 2Edit
From Proto-Slavic *-a, from Proto-Indo-European *-ōd, the thematic ablative ending.
SuffixEdit
-a (Cyrillic spelling -а)
- Forms the genitive singular of masculine and neuter nouns and indefinite adjectives.
SlovakEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Proto-Slavic *-ę.
SuffixEdit
-a n
- Forms nouns for young animals and other diminutives.
DeclensionEdit
Declension of -a
Usage notesEdit
- After labio-dental and bilabial consonants -ä is used instead.
SpanishEdit
Etymology 1Edit
SuffixEdit
-a
- -ess. (Used to form feminine singular nouns.)
- señor; señora — “gentleman; lady”
- camarero; camarera — “waitor; waitress”
- (Used to form the feminine singular adjectives.)
- frío; fría — “cold; cold”
Derived termsEdit
Used to form the feminine singular adjectives
Etymology 2Edit
From Latin -at, the third-person singular present active indicative ending of first conjugation verbs.
SuffixEdit
-a
- -s. (Used to form the third-person singular (also used with usted) present indicative mood of regular -ar verbs.)
- hablar; habla — “to talk; talks”
Derived termsEdit
“-s”. Used to form the third-person singular present indicative mood of regular -ar verbs
Etymology 3Edit
From Latin -eam, Latin -am, and Latin -iam the first-person singular present active subjunctive endings of second, third, and fourth conjugation verbs, respectively; and from Latin -eat, Latin -at, and Latin -iat, the third-person singular present active subjunctive ending of second, third, and fourth conjugation verbs, respectively.
SuffixEdit
-a
- (Used to form the first and third-person singular (also used with usted) singular present subjunctive mood of -er and -ir verbs, also used for the imperative mood of usted.)
- comer; aunque yo coma — “to eat; even if I ate”; salir; por favor, salga Ud. — “to leave; please leave (formal)”
Derived termsEdit
Used to form the first and third-person singular present subjunctive mood of -er and -ir verbs
Etymology 4Edit
From Latin -ā, the second-person singular present active imperative ending of first conjugation verbs.
SuffixEdit
-a
- Used to form the second-person singular imperative mood of -ar verbs.
Derived termsEdit
SwedishEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Old Norse -a, from Proto-Germanic *-ōną.
SuffixEdit
-a
- (on a positive adjective) Suffix to mark that the corresponding noun is either in plural or in definite singular form.
- Marker of definiteness for noun plurals ending in -n (fourth declension).
- A verb-building suffix that can be added to noun or adjectives.
- Create a noun from a numeral.
Usage notesEdit
- On adjectives
- Traditionally, if the noun is in definite singular form it should not refer to a male human, if it uses the suffix -a. If it refers to such a person, the suffix should instead be -e, but one should note that this rule is not universally adhered to - in particular dialects of northern Sweden does not recognize the -e suffix at all, but use -a in all instances.
ConjugationEdit
- For weak verbs with a voiceless ending stem
Conjugation of - (weak)
- For weak verbs with a voiced ending stem
Conjugation of - (weak)
Derived termsEdit
TurkishEdit
Alternative formsEdit
- (after a vowel) -ya, -ye
- (after a possessive, dative only) -na, -ne
- (in words with front vowel harmony) -e
SuffixEdit
-a (in words with back vowel harmony)
- Used to form the dative case.
- İstanbul’a — “to Istanbul”
- Ankara’ya — “to Ankara”
- İzmir’e — “to Izmir”
- babasına — “to his father”
- Used to form gerunds.
- yürüye — “by walking”
VolapükEdit
SuffixEdit
-a
- A morpheme used to mark the genitive singular of a word (such as a noun, adjective or pronoun). It is also the most common morpheme used in creating innumerable compound words, some of which can be very long (e.g., pledadinaselidöp "toy store, toy shop", tanoganilamedin "antibiotic", taglumaladälamedin "anti-depressant", natrinakarbatazüd telik "bicarbonate of soda").
- Elaf Tyrannosaurus rex älifon in taledadil, kel nu binon dil Nolüda-Meropa.
- Tyrannosaurus rex lived in an area of the earth, which is now a part of North America.
- Buks binons stumem lärnazilana (/ lärnazilanastumem / stumem lärnazilanik).
- Books are a scholar's tools.
- Elaf Tyrannosaurus rex älifon in taledadil, kel nu binon dil Nolüda-Meropa.
WelshEdit
Alternative formsEdit
- (colloquial first-person singular future): -af
PronunciationEdit
SuffixEdit
-a
- (literary) verb suffix for the third-person singular present indicative/future
- (literary) verb suffix for the second-person singular present imperative
- (colloquial) verb suffix for the first-person singular future
- (colloquial) verb suffix for the second-person singular present imperative