a U+0061, a
LATIN SMALL LETTER A
`
[U+0060]
Basic Latin b
[U+0062]
U+FF41, a
FULLWIDTH LATIN SMALL LETTER A

[U+FF40]
Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms
[U+FF42]
U+1D43, ᵃ
MODIFIER LETTER SMALL A

[U+1D42]
Phonetic Extensions
[U+1D44]

TranslingualEdit

Etymology 1Edit

  Modification of capital A.

PronunciationEdit

  • (letter, most languages): IPA(key): /ɑː/, /a/
  • (file)

LetterEdit

a (upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.

SymbolEdit

a

  1. Used in the International Phonetic Alphabet and several romanization systems of non-Latin scripts to represent an open front unrounded vowel.

See alsoEdit

Further readingEdit

Etymology 2Edit

Abbreviation of atto-, from Danish atten (eighteen).

SymbolEdit

a

  1. atto-, prefix for 10-18 in the International System of Units.

Etymology 3Edit

From Latin annum or annus.

SymbolEdit

a

  1. Year as a unit of time, specifically a Julian year or 365.25 days.

Etymology 4Edit

Abbreviation of are, from French are.

SymbolEdit

a

  1. An are, a unit of area one hundredth of a hectare; ares.

Etymology 5Edit

Abbreviation for acceleration

SymbolEdit

a

  1. (physics) acceleration

Other representations of A:

GalleryEdit

EnglishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

 
Runic letter (a, ansuz), source for Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letters replaced by a

From Middle English and Old English lower case letter a and split of Middle English and Old English lower case letter æ.

  •   Old English lower case letter a from 7th century replacement by Latin lower case letter a of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter (a, āc), derived from Runic letter (a, Ansuz).
  •   Old English lower case letter æ from 7th century replacement by Latin lower case ligature æ of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter (æ, æsc), also derived from Runic letter (a, Ansuz).

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

a (lowercase, uppercase A, plural as or a's)

  1. The first letter of the English alphabet, written in the Latin script.
Usage notesEdit
Derived termsEdit
See alsoEdit

NumeralEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The ordinal number first, derived from this letter of the English alphabet, called a and written in the Latin script.

NounEdit

a (plural aes)[1]

  1. The name of the Latin script letter A / a.
Alternative formsEdit
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
See alsoEdit

Etymology 2Edit

From Middle English a, an, from Old English ān (one; a; lone; sole). The "n" was gradually lost before consonants in almost all dialects by the 15th century.

PronunciationEdit

ArticleEdit

a (indefinite)

  1. One; any indefinite example of; used to denote a singular item of a group. [from before 1150][2]
    There was a man here looking for you yesterday.
    • 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, New York, N.Y.: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page vii:
      With fresh material, taxonomic conclusions are leavened by recognition that the material examined reflects the site it occupied; a herbarium packet gives one only a small fraction of the data desirable for sound conclusions. Herbarium material does not, indeed, allow one to extrapolate safely: what you see is what you get []
    • 2005, Emily Kingsley (lyricist), Kevin Clash (voice actor), “A Cookie is a Sometime Food”, Sesame Street, season 36, Sesame Workshop:
      Hoots the Owl: Yes a, fruit, is a [sic], any, time, food!
    • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
      Anna, do you have a pen? — Yes. I have a pen in my bag. I have a (stressed) …
      (file)
  2. Used in conjunction with the adjectives score, dozen, hundred, thousand, and million, as a function word.
    I've seen it happen a hundred times.
  3. One certain or particular; any single. [from ca. 1150—1350][2]
    We've received an interesting letter from a Mrs. Miggins of London.
  4. The same; one. [16th Century][2]
    We are of a mind on matters of morals.
  5. Any, every; used before a noun which has become modified to limit its scope;[1] also used with a negative to indicate not a single one.[3]
    A man who dies intestate leaves his children troubles and difficulties.
    He fell all that way, and hasn't a bump on his head?
  6. Used before plural nouns modified by few, good many, couple, great many, etc.
  7. Someone or something like; similar to;[3] Used before a proper noun to create an example out of it.
    The center of the village was becoming a Times Square.
Usage notesEdit
  • In standard English, the article a is used before consonant sounds, while an is used before vowel sounds; for more, see the usage notes about an.
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
See alsoEdit

Etymology 3Edit

PronunciationEdit

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. To do with separation; In, into. [from before 1150][2]
    Torn a pieces.
  2. To do with time; Each, per, in, on, by. [from before 1150][2]
    I brush my teeth twice a day.
  3. To do with status; In. [from before 1150][2]
  4. (archaic) To do with position or direction; In, on, at, by, towards, onto. [from before 1150][2]
    Stand a tiptoe.
  5. (archaic) To do with process, with a passive verb; In the course of, experiencing. [from before 1150][2]
  6. (archaic) To do with an action, an active verb; Engaged in. [16th c.][2]
  7. (archaic) To do with an action/movement; To, into. [16th c.][2]
  8. (obsolete) To do with method; In, with. [from before 1150][2]
  9. (obsolete) To do with role or capacity; In. [from before 1150][2]
Usage notesEdit
  • (position, direction): Can also be attached without a hyphen, as aback, ahorse, afoot. See a-
  • (separation): Can also be attached without hyphen, as asunder. See a-
  • (status): Can also be attached without hyphen, as afloat, awake. See a-.
  • (process): Can also be attached with or without hyphen, as a-changing
See alsoEdit

Etymology 4Edit

From Middle English a, ha contraction of have, or haven.

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

VerbEdit

a

  1. (archaic or slang) Have. [between 1150 and 1350, continued in some use until 1650; used again after 1950]
    I'd a come, if you'd a asked.
    Oi'd a gen im a clout, if oi'd been theer.
    from Robert Holland, M.R.A.C., A Glossary of Words Used in the County of Chester, Part I--A to F., English Dialect Society, London, 1884, 1
Usage notesEdit
  • Now often attached to preceding auxiliary verb. See -a.
Derived termsEdit

Etymology 5Edit

From Middle English a, a reduced form of he (he)/ha (he), heo (she)/ha (she) and ha (it) (as well as of hie, hie (they)).

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

PronounEdit

a

  1. (obsolete outside England and Scotland dialects) He, or sometimes she, it. [1150–1900][2] (clarification of this definition is needed)

Etymology 6Edit

From Middle English of, with apocope of the final f and vowel reduction.

Alternative formsEdit

  • o', o (preposition)

PronunciationEdit

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. (archaic or slang) Of.
    The name of John a Gaunt.
Usage notesEdit
  • Often attached without a hyphen to preceding word.

Etymology 7Edit

From Northern Middle English aw, alteration of all.

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

AdverbEdit

a (not comparable)

  1. (chiefly Scotland) All. [from ca. 1350—1470]

AdjectiveEdit

a (not comparable)

  1. (chiefly Scotland) All. [from ca. 1350—1470]

Etymology 8Edit

Symbols

SymbolEdit

a

  1. Distance from leading edge to aerodynamic center.
  2. specific absorption coefficient
  3. specific rotation
  4. allele (recessive)

Etymology 9Edit

AdverbEdit

a

  1. (crosswords) across
    Do you have the answer for 23a?
  2. (chiefly US) Alternative spelling of a.m. (ante meridiem) or am

Etymology 10Edit

ParticleEdit

a

  1. Alternative form of -a (empty syllable added to songs, poetry, verse and other speech)
    • 2001, Louis F. Newcomb, Car Salesman: A Legacy, iUniverse (→ISBN), page 91:
      “I show a you right a here I can fuck a you.” “Is she crazy?” I asked Wyman.

Etymology 11Edit

Borrowed from Russian а (a).

NounEdit

a

  1. The name of the Cyrillic script letter А / а.

Etymology 12Edit

InterjectionEdit

a

  1. ah; er (sound of hesitation)
    • 1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair [], London: Bradbury and Evans [], published 1848, →OCLC:
      "We will resume yesterday's discourse, young ladies," said he, "and you shall each read a page by turns; so that Miss a—Miss Short may have an opportunity of hearing you"; and the poor girls began to spell a long dismal sermon delivered at Bethesda Chapel, Liverpool, on behalf of the mission for the Chickasaw Indians.

Etymology 13Edit

Abbreviations.

  1. (stenoscript) a word-initial letter ⟨a⟩.
  2. (stenoscript) the long vowel /eɪ/ at the end of a word, or before a final consonant that is not /dʒ, v, z/. (Note: the final consonant is not written; [ɛə˞] counts as /eɪr/.)
    Thus the word a, plus its inflection an.
  3. (stenoscript) the word a.m.
  4. (stenoscript) the prefix ad-.

QuotationsEdit

Additional quotations for any terms on this page may be found at Citations:a.

ReferencesEdit

  • Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief; William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “a”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford; New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 1.
  • Philip Babcock Gove (editor), Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 [1909], →ISBN)
  • “a” in Christine A. Lindberg, editor, The Oxford College Dictionary, 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: Spark Publishing, 2002, →ISBN, page 1.
  1. 1.0 1.1 Gove, Philip Babcock, (1976)
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 Brown, Lesley, (2003)
  3. 3.0 3.1 Lindberg, Christine A. (2007)

Further readingEdit

AbauEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA(key): /a/

NounEdit

a

  1. house

AfarEdit

PronunciationEdit

DeterminerEdit

á

  1. this, these (masculine)

See alsoEdit

See Template:aa-demonstrative determiners.

ReferencesEdit

  • E. M. Parker; R. J. Hayward (1985), “a”, in An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN
  • Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2015) L’afar: description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Ethiopie)[4], Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis)

AlbanianEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronunciationEdit

ConjunctionEdit

a

  1. or
  2. there

Etymology 2Edit

From Proto-Albanian *(h)an, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en (there). Cognate with Latin an (yes, perhaps). Interrogative particle, usually used proclitically in simple sentences.

PronunciationEdit

ParticleEdit

a

  1. probably, perhaps
  2. whether

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Standard Albanian Latin-script alphabet.

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ Orel, Vladimir (1998), “a part. ('whether'), conj. ('or')”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 1

AmaEdit

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

a

  1. tree

AnguthimriEdit

VerbEdit

a

  1. (transitive, Mpakwithi) to pull

ReferencesEdit

  • Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 184

AragoneseEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin illa.

ArticleEdit

a f sg

  1. the
    a luenga aragonesathe Aragonese language

AsturianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin ad.

PronunciationEdit

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. to, towards

Derived termsEdit

NounEdit

a f

  1. a (the name of the letter A, a)

AzerbaijaniEdit

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Azerbaijani alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See alsoEdit

BambaraEdit

ArticleEdit

a

  1. the (definite article).

InterjectionEdit

a

  1. ah (expression of surprise)
  2. eh (expression of reluctance)

PronounEdit

a

  1. they, them (plural)
  2. he, she, they (singular)

SynonymsEdit

  • (they): u

BasqueEdit

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Basque alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See alsoEdit

NounEdit

a (indeclinable)

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter A.

See alsoEdit

BavarianEdit

Etymology 1Edit

Cognate with German ein and eine.

PronunciationEdit

ArticleEdit

a

  1. a
See alsoEdit
  • oa (“one”, determiner)

Etymology 2Edit

Unstressed form of ea

PronunciationEdit

PronounEdit

a

  1. he
See alsoEdit

Etymology 3Edit

Cognate with German auch.

AdverbEdit

a

  1. Alternative form of aa: also, too, as well

Belizean CreoleEdit

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. of

ReferencesEdit

  • Crosbie, Paul, ed. (2007), Kriol-Inglish Dikshineri: English-Kriol Dictionary. Belize City: Belize Kriol Project, p. 19.

Big NambasEdit

PronunciationEdit

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. in

ReferencesEdit

Cameroon PidginEdit

PronounEdit

a

  1. Alternative spelling of I (1st person singular subject personal pronoun)

CatalanEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Catalan alphabet, written in the Latin script.
Derived termsEdit
See alsoEdit

Etymology 2Edit

From Latin ad.

PronunciationEdit

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. in, at; indicating a particular time or place
    Sóc a Barcelona.
    I am in Barcelona.
  2. to; indicating movement towards a particular place
    Vaig a Barcelona.
    I'm going to Barcelona.
  3. to; indicating a target or indirect object
    Escric una carta a la meva àvia.
    I'm writing my grandmother a letter.
  4. per
  5. by
    dia a dia.
    day by day.
Usage notesEdit

When the preposition a is followed by a masculine definite article, el or els, it is contracted with it to the forms al and als respectively. If el would be elided to the form l’ because it is before a word beginning with a vowel, the elision to a l’ takes precedence over contracting to al.

The same occurs with the salat article es, to form as except where es would be elided to s’.

Derived termsEdit

Chayuco MixtecEdit

EtymologyEdit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

ConjunctionEdit

a

  1. or

ReferencesEdit

  • Pensinger, Brenda J. (1974) Diccionario mixteco-español, español-mixteco (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 18)‎[5] (in Spanish), México, D.F.: El Instituto Lingüístico de Verano en coordinación con la Secretaría de Educación Pública a través de la Dirección General de Educación Extraescolar en el Medio Indígena, pages 3, 110

ChibchaEdit

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

a

  1. open mouth
  2. smell, taste

ReferencesEdit

  • Gómez Aldana D. F., Análisis morfológico del Vocabulario 158 de la Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia. Grupo de Investigación Muysccubun. 2013.

ChoctawEdit

ConjunctionEdit

a

  1. yes

ChuukeseEdit

PronunciationEdit

PronounEdit

a

  1. he
  2. she
  3. it

AdjectiveEdit

a

  1. he is
  2. she is
  3. it is

Related termsEdit

Present and past tense Negative tense Future Negative future Distant future Negative determinate
Singular First person ua use upwe usap upwap ute
Second person ka, ke kose, kese kopwe, kepwe kosap, kesap kopwap, kepwap kote, kete
Third person a ese epwe esap epwap ete
Plural First person aua (exclusive)
sia (inclusive)
ause (exclusive)
sise (inclusive)
aupwe (exclusive)
sipwe (inclusive)
ausap (exclusive)
sisap (inclusive)
aupwap (exclusive)
sipwap (inclusive)
aute (exclusive)
site (inclusive)
Second person oua ouse oupwe ousap oupwap oute
Third person ra, re rese repwe resap repwap rete


CimbrianEdit

Alternative formsEdit

  • an (Sette Comuni)

EtymologyEdit

From Middle High German ein, from Old High German ein, from Proto-West Germanic *ain.

ArticleEdit

a (oblique masculine an)

  1. (Luserna) a, an
    Maria iz a lavròunaren.Maria is a Lavaronese.

ReferencesEdit

Coatepec NahuatlEdit

NounEdit

a

  1. water

CornishEdit

PronunciationEdit

ParticleEdit

a

  1. Marks the following verb to the preceding subject.

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. of (expressing separation, origin, composition/substance or a quality)
  2. of (between a preceding large number and a following plural noun to express quantity)
  3. from (indicating provenance)

InflectionEdit

CorsicanEdit

EtymologyEdit

From the earlier la.

PronunciationEdit

ArticleEdit

a f (masculine u, masculine plural i, feminine plural e)

  1. the (feminine)

Usage notesEdit

  • Before a vowel, a turns into l'

PronounEdit

a f

  1. her, it (direct object)

Usage notesEdit

  • Before a vowel, a turns into l'

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

  • a” in INFCOR: Banca di dati di a lingua corsa

CzechEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old Czech a, from Proto-Slavic *a, from Proto-Balto-Slavic .

PronunciationEdit

ConjunctionEdit

a

  1. and

Further readingEdit

  • a in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
  • a in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

DalmatianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin ad.

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. to
  2. at

DanishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Danish alphabet, written in the Latin script.
See alsoEdit

Etymology 2Edit

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

a n (singular definite a'et, plural indefinite a'er)

  1. The name of the letter A or a.
InflectionEdit

Etymology 3Edit

Alternative formsEdit

  • à (unofficial but common)

PronunciationEdit

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. of, of...each, each containing
  2. at
  3. to, or

Etymology 4Edit

PronunciationEdit

VerbEdit

a

  1. imperative of ae

DutchEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Dutch alphabet, written in the Latin script.
See alsoEdit

Etymology 2Edit

From Middle Dutch â, from Old Dutch ā, from Proto-Germanic *ahwō.

Alternative formsEdit

  • aa (especially in names)
  • ie

NounEdit

a f (plural a's, diminutive aatje)

  1. (archaic) a stream or water
Related termsEdit

Further readingEdit

Etymology 3Edit

From Middle Dutch jou, from Old Dutch

PronounEdit

a

  1. (Brabant) you
SynonymsEdit

EgyptianEdit

RomanizationEdit

a

  1. Manuel de Codage transliteration of .

EmilianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin ego (I).

PronunciationEdit

PronounEdit

a (personal, nominative case)

  1. I
  2. we
  3. you (plural)

Alternative formsEdit

  • Becomes aj- before a vowel (proclitic).
  • Becomes -ja when acting as an enclitic.

Related termsEdit

EsperantoEdit

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Esperanto alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See alsoEdit

NounEdit

a (accusative singular a-on, plural a-oj, accusative plural a-ojn)

  1. The name of the Latin script letter A/a.

See alsoEdit

EstonianEdit

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Estonian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

NounEdit

a

  1. Abbreviation of aasta; year

ConjunctionEdit

a

  1. (colloquial, in fast speech) but

See alsoEdit

Further readingEdit

FalaEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old Portuguese á, from Latin illa (that).

ArticleEdit

a f sg (plural as, masculine u or o, masculine plural us or os)

  1. Feminine singular definite article; the
    • 2000, Domingo Frades Gaspar, Vamus a falal: Notas pâ coñocel y platical en nosa fala, Editora regional da Extremadura, Chapter 1: Lengua Española:
      A grandeda da lengua española é indiscotibli, i sei estudio, utilización defensa debin sel algo consostancial a nos, []
      The greatness of the Spanish language is unquestionable, and its study, use and defense must be something consubstantial to us, []

PronounEdit

a

  1. Third person singular feminine accusative pronoun; her
See alsoEdit

Etymology 2Edit

From Old Portuguese a, from Latin ad (to).

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. to
    • 2000, Domingo Frades Gaspar, Vamus a falal: Notas pâ coñocel y platical en nosa fala, Editora regional da Extremadura, Chapter 1: Lengua Española:
      A grandeda da lengua española é indiscotibli, i sei estudio, utilización defensa debin sel algo consostancial a nos, []
      The greatness of the Spanish language is unquestionable, and its study, use and defense must be something consubstantial to us, []

ReferencesEdit

  • Valeš, Miroslav (2021) Diccionariu de A Fala: lagarteiru, mañegu, valverdeñu [Fala Dictionary]‎[6], CIDLeS, →ISBN, page 36

FaroeseEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin a.

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

a (upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Faroese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See alsoEdit

FinnishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Finnish alphabet, written in the Latin script.
See alsoEdit

Etymology 2Edit

NounEdit

a

  1. (music) A (note)
Usage notesEdit

Capitalized for the great octave or any octave below that, or in names of major keys; not capitalized for the small octave or any octave above that, or in names of minor keys.

DeclensionEdit

FrenchEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the French alphabet, written in the Latin script.

NounEdit

a m or f (plural as)

  1. a, the name of the Latin-script letter A

Derived termsEdit

Etymology 2Edit

Quebec eye-dialect spelling of elle.

PronunciationEdit

PronounEdit

a f

  1. (Quebec, colloquial) alternative form of elle (she)
    C'te fille-là, a'a l'air cute.
    This girl, she looks cute.

Etymology 3Edit

PronunciationEdit

VerbEdit

a

  1. third-person singular present indicative of avoir
    Elle a un chat.
    She has a cat.

See alsoEdit

Further readingEdit

FulaEdit

Etymology 1Edit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Fula alphabet, written in the Latin script.
Usage notesEdit
See alsoEdit

Etymology 2Edit

PronounEdit

a

  1. you (second person singular subject pronoun; short form)
Usage notesEdit
  • Common to all varieties of Fula (Fulfulde / Pulaar / Pular).
  • Used in all conjugations except the affirmative non-accomplished, where the long form is used instead.
See alsoEdit
  • aɗa (second person singular subject pronoun; long form), hiɗa (variant used in the Pular dialect of Futa Jalon)
  • aan (emphatic form)

GalicianEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Latin ad (to, toward).

PronunciationEdit

IPA(key): /a̝/

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. to, toward; indicating direction of motion
  2. introducing an indirect object
  3. used to indicate the time of an action
  4. (with de) to, until; used to indicate the end of a range
    de cinco a oitofrom five to eight
  5. by, on, by means of; expresses a mode of action
    aon foot
  6. for; indicates price or cost
Usage notesEdit

The preposition a regularly forms contractions when it precedes the definite article o, a, os, and as. For example, a o ("to the") contracts to ao or ó, and a a ("to the") contracts to á.

Derived termsEdit
at/to + the table
- Singular Plural
Masculine ao (ó) aos (ós)
Feminine á ás

Etymology 2Edit

From Old Portuguese a, from Latin illa, feminine of ille (that).

PronunciationEdit

IPA(key): /a̝/

ArticleEdit

a f (masculine singular o, feminine plural as, masculine plural os)

  1. (definite) the
Usage notesEdit

The definite article o (in all its forms) regularly forms contractions when it follows the prepositions a (to), con (with), de (of, from), and en (in). For example, con a (with the) contracts to coa, and en a (in the) contracts to na.

Also, the definite article presents a second form that could be represented as <-lo/-la/-los/-las>, or either lack any specific representation. Its origin is in the assimilation of the last consonant of words ended in -s or -r, due to sandhi, with the /l/ present in the article in pre-Galician-Portuguese period. So Vou comer o caldo or Vou come-lo caldo are representations of /ˈβowˈkomelo̝ˈkaldo̝/ ("I'm going to have my soup"). This phenomenon, rare in Portuguese, is already documented in 13th century Medieval Galician texts, as the Cantigas de Santa Maria.[1]

Derived termsEdit

Etymology 3Edit

PronunciationEdit

IPA(key): /ˈa/

NounEdit

a m (plural as)

  1. a (name of the letter A, a)

Etymology 4Edit

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

PronounEdit

a

  1. accusative of ela

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ Vaz Leão, Ângela (2000), “Questões de linguagem nas Cantigas de Santa Maria, de Afonso X”, in Scripta[1], volume 4, issue 7, →DOI, retrieved 16 November 2017, pages 11-24

GermanEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the German alphabet, written in the Latin script.

NounEdit

a n (strong, genitive a or as, plural a or as)

  1. Alternative form of A

Etymology 2Edit

NounEdit

a

  1. Abbreviation of a-Moll.
  2. Abbreviation of Ar.

GilberteseEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Oceanic *pat, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *əpat, from Proto-Austronesian *Səpat.

PronunciationEdit

IPA(key): /a/

NumeralEdit

a

  1. four

GothicEdit

RomanizationEdit

a

  1. Romanization of 𐌰

Grass KoiariEdit

PronounEdit

a

  1. you (singular)

ReferencesEdit

  • 2010, Terry Crowley & Claire Bowern, An Introduction to Historical Linguistics, fourth edition, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 142.

GunEdit

EtymologyEdit

Cognates include Fon à

PronunciationEdit

PronounEdit

à

  1. you (second-person singular subject pronoun)

See alsoEdit

Gungbe personal pronouns
Number Person Emphatic Pronoun Subject Pronoun Object Pronoun Possessive Determiner
Singular First nyɛ́, yẹ́n ùn, n mi , ṣié
Second jɛ̀, jẹ̀, yẹ̀, hiẹ̀ à tòwè
Third éɔ̀, úɔ̀, éwọ̀ é è étɔ̀n, étọ̀n
Plural First mílɛ́, mílẹ́ mítɔ̀n, mítọ̀n
Second mìlɛ́, mìlẹ́ mìtɔ̀n, mìtọ̀n
Third yélɛ́, yélẹ́ yétɔ̀n, yétọ̀n

Haitian CreoleEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA(key): /a/

ArticleEdit

a

  1. the, definite article

Usage notesEdit

This term only follows words that end with an oral (non-nasal) consonant and an oral vowel in that order, and can only modify singular nouns.

See alsoEdit

HawaiianEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA(key): /aː/

ConjunctionEdit

a

  1. and (used between sentences)
  2. until, up to

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. of, belonging to

Usage notesEdit

  • Used for acquired possessions, while o is used for possessions that are inherited, out of personal control, and for things that can be got into (houses, clothes, cars).

HungarianEdit

Etymology 1Edit

See az.

PronunciationEdit

ArticleEdit

a (definite)

  1. the
    a hölgythe lady
  2. (before some time phrases) this
    a héten(during) this week
Usage notesEdit

Used before words starting with a consonant.

Related termsEdit
  • az (for words starting with a vowel sound)

PronounEdit

a (demonstrative)

  1. (in reduplicated constructions formed with postpositions) that
    A mellett a ház mellett vártam rá.I waited for him/her next to that house.

DeterminerEdit

a (demonstrative)

  1. (rare, only in consonant-initial fixed phrases, with zero article) Alternative form of az (that).
    Foglalja össze, miről szóltak az a heti beszédek és leckék.[1]Summarize what that week’s sermons and lessons were about.
    November 12-én, az a havi frissítőkedden jelenhet meg.It may be released on November 12th, on the Patch Tuesday of that month.
    Kérjük szíves tájékoztatásukat a tekintetben, hogy… (abban a tekintetben, see az)We kindly request your information in that [= the] aspect…
    amondó vagyok, hogy…I am of the opinion that…, what/all I can / want to say is that… (literally, “I am that-sayer/-saying…”)

Etymology 2Edit

PronunciationEdit

  • (letter or phoneme itself): IPA(key): [ˈɒː][2]
  • (identifier or musical note): IPA(key): [ˈaː] (in the names of minor scales; see also A)

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Hungarian alphabet, written in the Latin script.
  2. (music) designation of the sixth note from C and the corresponding tone
Derived termsEdit

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ a heti at e-nyelv.hu
  2. ^ Siptár, Péter and Miklós Törkenczy. The Phonology of Hungarian. The Phonology of the World’s Languages. Oxford University Press, 2007. →ISBN, p. 280

Further readingEdit

IcelandicEdit

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

a (upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Icelandic alphabet, written in the Latin script.

NounEdit

a ?

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter A.

See alsoEdit

IdoEdit

PronunciationEdit

  • (context pronunciation, letter name) IPA(key): /a/

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Ido alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See alsoEdit

NounEdit

a (plural a-i)

  1. The name of the Latin script letter A/a.

See alsoEdit

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. Apocopic form of ad

Related termsEdit

  • e (“and”)
  • o (“or”)

IgboEdit

LetterEdit

a (upper case A, lower case a)

  1. The first letter of the Igbo alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Etymology 1Edit

Alternative formsEdit

  • e (neutral tongue position)

PronunciationEdit

PronounEdit

a

  1. (indefinite) somebody, one, they, people (an unspecified individual).
    A gwara ya ka ọ bịa.
    He/she was told to come.
Usage notesEdit
  • Often gets translated into English with the passive voice.
See alsoEdit

Etymology 2Edit

PronunciationEdit

DeterminerEdit

a

  1. this.
Related termsEdit

Indo-PortugueseEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Portuguese a.

PronunciationEdit

  • (Sri Lankan Creole) IPA(key): /a/, /ə/

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. to
    • 1883, Hugo Schuchardt, Kreolische Studien, volume 3 (in German):
      [] , que da-cá su quião que ta pertencê a êll.
      [] , to give him his share which belongs to him.

IndonesianEdit

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Indonesian alphabet, called id and written in the Latin script.

See alsoEdit

IngrianEdit

EtymologyEdit

Borrowed from Russian а (a).

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): /ˈɑ/, [ˈɑ]
  • Hyphenation: a

ConjunctionEdit

a

  1. and, but
    • 1936, N. A. Iljin and V. I. Junus, Bukvari iƶoroin șkouluja vart, Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 17:
      A siä Jaakko, kuhu määt?
      And you Jaakko, where are you going?
    • 1936, L. G. Terehova; V. G. Erdeli, Mihailov and P. I. Maksimov, transl., Geografia: oppikirja iƶoroin alkușkoulun kolmatta klaassaa vart (ensimäine osa), Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-Pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 7:
      keskipäivääl hää [päivyt] on kaikkiin ylemmääl, a siis alkaa laskiissa.
      on midday it [the Sun] is highest, and then it starts to descend.

ReferencesEdit

  • Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 1

InterlinguaEdit

PronunciationEdit

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. to, at
  2. to, for (indicating purpose)
    sala a attenderwaiting room

Derived termsEdit

InupiaqEdit

PronunciationEdit

InterjectionEdit

a

  1. listen, hark
  2. oops (used to acknowledge an error)
  3. oh (used to express surprise)

IrishEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old Irish a, from Proto-Celtic *esyo (the final vowel triggering lenition), feminine Proto-Celtic *esyās (the final -s triggering h-prothesis), plural Proto-Celtic *eysom (the final nasal triggering eclipsis), all from the genitive forms of Proto-Indo-European *éy. Cognate with Welsh ei.

DeterminerEdit

a (triggers lenition)

  1. his, its
    a athair agus a mháthairhis father and mother
    Chaill an t-éan a chleití.
    The bird lost its feathers.

DeterminerEdit

a (triggers h-prothesis)

  1. her, its
    a hathair agus a máthairher father and mother
    Bhris an mheaig a heiteog.
    The magpie broke its wing.

DeterminerEdit

a (triggers eclipsis)

  1. their
    a n-athair agus a máthairtheir father and mother
    a dtithetheir houses
    a n-ainmneachatheir names
  2. (Connacht) our
  3. (Connacht) your (plural)
See alsoEdit

DeterminerEdit

a (triggers lenition)

  1. how (used with an abstract noun)
    A ghéire a labhair sí!
    How sharply she spoke!
    A fheabhas atá sé!
    How good it is!

Etymology 2Edit

A reduced form of older do (itself a reanalysis of do used in past tenses, and also present in early modern verbs like do-bheirim (I give), do-chím (I see)), or from the preverb a- in early modern verbs like a-tú (I am), a-deirim (I say) in relative clauses.

ParticleEdit

a (triggers lenition except of d’ and of past autonomous forms)

  1. introduces a direct relative clause, takes the independent form of an irregular verb
    an fear a chuireann síolthe man who sows seed
    an síol a chuireann an fearthe seed that the man sows
    an síol a cuireadhthe seed that was sown
    nuair a bhí mé ógwhen I was young
    an cat a d'ól an bainnethe cat that drank the milk

ReferencesEdit

  • Gerald O’Nolan (1920) Studies in Modern Irish[7], volume 1, pages 89, 93–94

Etymology 3Edit

From Old Irish a (that, which the relative particle used after prepositions), reanalyzed as an independent indirect relative particle from forms like ar a (on which, on whom), (to which, to whom), or early modern le a (with which, with whom), agá (at which, at whom) when prepositional pronouns started to be repeated in such clauses (eg. don té agá mbíon cloidheamh (…) aige, daoine agá mbíonn grádh aco do Dhia). Compare the forms used in Munster instead: go (from agá (at which)) and na (from i n-a (in which), go n-a (with which), ria n-a (before which) and later lena (with which), tréna (through which)).

ParticleEdit

a (triggers eclipsis, takes the dependent form of an irregular verb; not used in the past tense except with some irregular verbs)

  1. introduces an indirect relative clause
    an bord a raibh leabhar airthe table on which there was a book
    an fear a bhfuil a mhac ag imeachtthe man whose son is going away
Related termsEdit
  • ar (used with the past tense of regular and some irregular verbs)

PronounEdit

a (triggers eclipsis, takes the dependent form of an irregular verb; not used in the past tense except with some irregular verbs)

  1. all that, whatever
    Sin a bhfuil ann.
    That's all that is there.
    An bhfuair tú a raibh uait?
    Did you get all that you wanted?
    Íocfaidh mé as a gceannóidh tú.
    I will pay for whatever you buy.
Related termsEdit
  • ar (used with the past tense of regular and some irregular verbs)

ReferencesEdit

  • Nicholas Williams (1994), “Na Canúintí a Theacht chun Solais”, in Kim McCone, Damian McManus, Cathal Ó Háinle, Nicholas Williams, Liam Breatnach, editors, Stair na Gaeilge: in ómós do P[h]ádraig Ó Fiannachta (in Irish), Roinn na Sean-Ghaeilge, Coláiste Phádraig, Maigh Nuad, →ISBN, page 464: “Tháinig nós chun cinn sa 17ú haois freisin an réamhfhocal a dhúbláil: don té agá mbíonn cloidheamh..aige; daoine agá mbíonn grádh aco do Dhia (Ó Cuív, 1952b, 177), an tí ag a bhfuil a bheag do chuntabhairt aige (Williams, 1986, 155).”
  • Gerald O’Nolan (1934) The New Era Grammar of Modern Irish, The Educational Company of Ireland Ltd., page 56

Etymology 4Edit

ParticleEdit

a (triggers lenition)

  1. introduces a vocative
    A Dhia!
    O God!
    A dhuine uasail!
    Sir!
    Tar isteach, a Sheáin.
    Come in, Seán.
    A amadáin!
    You fool!

Etymology 5Edit

ParticleEdit

a (triggers h-prothesis)

  1. introduces a numeral
    a haon, a dó, a trí...one, two, three...
    Séamas aJames the Second
    bus a seachtbus seven

Etymology 6Edit

Originally a reduced form of do.

PrepositionEdit

a (plus dative, triggers lenition)

  1. to (used with verbal nouns)
    síol a churto sow seed
    uisce a ólto drink water
    an rud atá sé a scríobhwhat he is writing
    D’éirigh sé a chaint.
    He rose to speak.
    Téigh a chodladh.
    Go to sleep.

MutationEdit

Irish mutation
Radical Eclipsis with h-prothesis with t-prothesis
a n-a ha not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further readingEdit

IstriotEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin ad.

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. at
    • 1877, Antonio Ive, Canti popolari istriani: raccolti a Rovigno, volume 5, Ermanno Loescher, page 99:
      A poûpa, a prùa a xì doûto bandere,
      At the stern, at the bow everything is flags,

ParticleEdit

a

  1. emphasises a verb; mandatory with impersonal verbs
    • 1877, Antonio Ive, Canti popolari istriani: raccolti a Rovigno, volume 5, Ermanno Loescher, page 99:
      A poûpa, a prùa a xì doûto bandere,
      At the stern, at the bow everything is flags,

ItalianEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Latin ā (the name of the letter A).

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

a f or m (invariable, lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Italian alphabet, called a and written in the Latin script.

NounEdit

a f (invariable)

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter A/a.; a
See alsoEdit

Etymology 2Edit

From Latin ad. In a few phrases, a stems from Latin a, ab.

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. indicates the indirect object; to
    Porta questo cesto alla nonna.
    Bring this basket to grandma.
    Ai gatti piacciono i pesci.
    Cats like fish.
    (literally, “Fish are pleasable to cats.”)
    E lo chiedi a me?
    You're asking that to me?
  2. indicates the place, used in some contexts, in others in is used; in, to
    Andiamo a casa?
    Can we go home?
    (literally, “Can we go to home?”)
    Ora sto a Palermo, a Roma ci torno domani.
    I'm in Palermo now, I'll go back to Rome tomorrow.
  3. denotes the manner; with
    appena, a nuoto, a piedi, a caso
  4. forms adverbs meaning "in a manner related or resembling ~"
    a cappella, a bestia, a braccio, a pennello, etc.
  5. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation.
    A domani![See you] tomorrow!
    A dopo![See you] later!
    Al prossimo Natale![See you] next Christmas!
  6. introduces the ingredients of a dish, perfume, etc.; with
    pasta all'uovopasta with eggs
    cornetto al cioccolatochocolate croissant
    shampoo al limonelemon shampoo
    patatine alla pizzapizza-flavoured/flavored crisps
  7. (central-southern Italy) denotes the direct object, but only if it's not preceded by articles
    Chiama a Paolo.
    Call Paolo.
    E non ci avevi visto a noi?
    And you didn't see us?
    the "us" here is repeated twice for emphasis
    Ascolti a me, signó!
    Listen to me, ma'am!
  8. (followed by the definite article) Forms an interjection that gives an instruction or calls attention to something.
    Al ladro!Thief!
    Al fuoco!Fire!
    Al lupo!Wolf!
    All'attacco!Attack!
    All'arrembaggio!Assault! (yelled by pirates)
Usage notesEdit
  • When followed by a word that begins with a vowel sound, the form ad is used instead.
  • When followed by the definite article, a combines with the article to produce the following combined forms:
a + article Combined form
a + il al
a + lo allo
a + l' all'
a + i ai
a + gli agli
a + la alla
a + le alle
DescendantsEdit
  • Norwegian Bokmål: a (learned)

Etymology 3Edit

VerbEdit

a

  1. Misspelling of ha.

ReferencesEdit


Further readingEdit

JapaneseEdit

RomanizationEdit

a

  1. Rōmaji transcription of
  2. Rōmaji transcription of

Jersey DutchEdit

PronunciationEdit

  • (phoneme): IPA(key): /ʊ/, /ɑ/

LetterEdit

a

  1. A letter of the Jersey Dutch alphabet, written in the Latin script.

K'iche'Edit

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

a

  1. masculine youth indicator

AdverbEdit

a

  1. (interrogatory) indicator of a question

PronounEdit

a

  1. your

ReferencesEdit

KabuverdianuEdit

LetterEdit

a (uppercase A)

  1. The first letter of the Kabuverdianu alphabet, written in the Latin script.

KabyleEdit

Alternative formsEdit

DeterminerEdit

a

  1. this
    a rgaz a
    this man

KalashaEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Sanskrit अहम् (ahám).

PronounEdit

a (Arabic آ)

  1. I (1st-person personal pronoun)

See alsoEdit

KayanEdit

LetterEdit

a

  1. a the first letter of Kayan alphabet.

PronounEdit

a

  1. used for he, she, third person.

KoitabuEdit

PronounEdit

a

  1. you (singular)

ReferencesEdit

  • Terry Crowley, Claire Bowern, An Introduction to Historical Linguistics

KrisaEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA(key): /a/

NounEdit

a m

  1. pig
    Nana a doma.
    I shot your pig.

ReferencesEdit

  • Donohue, Mark and San Roque, Lila. I'saka: a sketch grammar of a language of north-central New Guinea. (Pacific Linguistics, 554.) (2004).

LadinEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin a.

PronunciationEdit

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. in
  2. at
  3. to

Derived termsEdit

LashiEdit

PronunciationEdit

AdverbEdit

a

  1. not

ReferencesEdit

  • Hkaw Luk (2017) A grammatical sketch of Lacid[8], Chiang Mai: Payap University (master thesis)

LatgalianEdit

EtymologyEdit

Ultimately from Proto-Balto-Slavic . The source is not clear:

  • Probably borrowed from a Slavic language (compare Russian а (a) and Belarusian а (a)).
  • Alternatively, irregularly shortened from *ā, inherited from .

Compare Lithuanian o.

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): /ˈa/
  • Hyphenation: a

ConjunctionEdit

a f

  1. and, but

ReferencesEdit

  • A. Andronov; L. Leikuma (2008) Latgalīšu-Latvīšu-Krīvu sarunu vuordineica, Lvava, →ISBN

LatinEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Ancient Greek Α (A, alpha), likely through Etruscan.

PronunciationEdit

(letter name):

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. (sometimes with littera) the first letter of the Latin alphabet.
    littera athe letter a

Etymology 2Edit

From Etruscan.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

ā f (indeclinable)

  1. The name of the letter A.
Coordinate termsEdit

Etymology 3Edit

Alternative form of ab by apocope (not used before a vowel or h).

Alternative formsEdit

  • à (earlier in New Latin)
  • ab

PronunciationEdit

PrepositionEdit

ā (+ ablative)

  1. (indicating ablation): from, away from, out of
  2. (indicating ablation): down from
  3. (indicating agency): (source of action or event) by, by means of
  4. (indicating instrumentality): (source of action or event) by, by means of, with
  5. (indicating association): to, with
  6. (indicating location): at, on, in
  7. (time) after, since
Usage notesEdit

Used in conjunction with passive verbs to mark the agent.

  • Liber ā discipulō aperītur.
    The book is opened by the student.
Derived termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
  • Italian: a
  • Norwegian Bokmål: a (learned)
  • Norwegian Bokmål: a (learned)

Etymology 4Edit

Expressive.

PronunciationEdit

InterjectionEdit

ā

  1. ah

LatvianEdit

EtymologyEdit

Proposed in 1908 as part of the new Latvian spelling by the scientific commission headed by K. Mīlenbahs, which was accepted and began to be taught in schools in 1909. Prior to that, Latvian had been written in German Fraktur, and sporadically in Cyrillic.

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

 
A

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Latvian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See alsoEdit

NounEdit

a m (invariable)

  1. The name of the Latin script letter A/a.

See alsoEdit

Further readingEdit

LazEdit

DeterminerEdit

a

  1. Latin spelling of (a)

LetterEdit

a

  1. The first letter of the Laz alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See alsoEdit

NumeralEdit

a

  1. Latin spelling of (a)

LigurianEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

Ligurian Definite Articles
singular plural
masculine o i
feminine  a e

ArticleEdit

a f sg (plural e)

  1. the

Etymology 2Edit

From Latin ad.

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. in
  2. at
  3. to
    Vàddo a câza.I'm going home. (literally, “I go to home.”)
  4. indicates the direct object, mainly to avoid confusion when it, the subject, or both are displaced, or for emphasis
    A mæ seu ghe fa mâ 'n bràsso.My sister's arm hurts. (literally, “To my sister an arm hurts.”)
a + article Combined form
a + o a-o
a + a a-a
a + i a-i
a + e a-e

LivonianEdit

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

a (upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Livonian alphabet, written in the Latin script.


Louisiana CreoleEdit

EtymologyEdit

From French avoir (to have).

VerbEdit

a

  1. to have

Lower SorbianEdit

PronunciationEdit

ConjunctionEdit

a

  1. and

Further readingEdit

  • Muka, Arnošt (1921, 1928), “a”, in Słownik dolnoserbskeje rěcy a jeje narěcow (in German), St. Petersburg, Prague: ОРЯС РАН, ČAVU; Reprinted Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag, 2008
  • Starosta, Manfred (1999), “a”, in Dolnoserbsko-nimski słownik / Niedersorbisch-deutsches Wörterbuch (in German), Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag

LushootseedEdit

LetterEdit

a

  1. The second letter of the Lushootseed alphabet, pronounced as an open back unrounded vowel.

MalayEdit

PronunciationEdit

(letter name): IPA(key): /a/

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Malay alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See alsoEdit

MalteseEdit

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): /a/ (short phoneme)
  • IPA(key): /aː/ (long phoneme)

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Maltese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See alsoEdit

MandarinEdit

RomanizationEdit

a (a5 / a0, Zhuyin ˙ㄚ)

  1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of .
  2. Hanyu Pinyin reading of .
  3. Hanyu Pinyin reading of .

a

  1. Nonstandard spelling of ā.
  2. Nonstandard spelling of á.
  3. Nonstandard spelling of ǎ.
  4. Nonstandard spelling of à.

Usage notesEdit

  • English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

MandinkaEdit

PronounEdit

a

  1. he, him (personal pronoun)
    A m busaHe/she struck me.
    Y a busaThey struck him/her.
  2. she, her (personal pronoun)
  3. it (personal pronoun)

See alsoEdit

MaoriEdit

ParticleEdit

a

  1. of
  2. (determinative particle for names)
  3. (particle for pronouns when succeeding ki, i, kei, and hei)

Usage notesEdit

  • When used in the sense of of, suggests that the possessor has control of the relationship (alienable possession).

Mezquital OtomiEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronunciationEdit

InterjectionEdit

a

  1. expresses satisfaction, pity, fright, or admiration

Etymology 2Edit

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

VerbEdit

a

  1. (transitive) wake, awaken

Etymology 3Edit

From Proto-Otomi *ʔɔ, from Proto-Otomian *ʔɔ.

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

a

  1. flea
Derived termsEdit

ReferencesEdit

  • Andrews, Enriqueta (1950) Vocabulario otomí de Tasquillo, Hidalgo[9] (in Spanish), México, D.F.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, page 1
  • Hernández Cruz, Luis; Victoria Torquemada, Moisés (2010) Diccionario del hñähñu (otomí) del Valle del Mezquital, estado de Hidalgo (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 45)‎[10] (in Spanish), second edition, Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 3

Middle DutchEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old Dutch ā, from Proto-Germanic *ahwō.

NounEdit

â f

  1. (rare) river, stream, water

InflectionEdit

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

DescendantsEdit

  • Dutch: a

Further readingEdit

  • a (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000

Middle EnglishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronounEdit

a

  1. Alternative form of an (mainly preconsonantal)

Etymology 2Edit

PronounEdit

a

  1. (Late Middle English) Alternative form of I (I)

Etymology 3Edit

PronounEdit

a

  1. Alternative form of heo (she)

Etymology 4Edit

PronounEdit

a

  1. Alternative form of he (he)

Etymology 5Edit

PronounEdit

a

  1. Alternative form of he (they)

Etymology 6Edit

NumeralEdit

a

  1. (Northern, Early Middle English) Alternative form of oo (one)

Middle FrenchEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old French a, from Latin ad.

Alternative formsEdit

  • à (after 1550)

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. to; towards

Etymology 2Edit

From Old French, from Latin habet.

VerbEdit

a

  1. third-person singular present indicative of avoir

Middle WelshEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronunciationEdit

ParticleEdit

a (triggers lenition)

  1. O (vocative particle)

Etymology 2Edit

PronunciationEdit

PronounEdit

a (triggers lenition)

  1. who, which, that

ParticleEdit

a (triggers lenition)

  1. inserted before the verb when the subject of direct object precedes it

Etymology 3Edit

PronunciationEdit

ParticleEdit

a (triggers lenition)

  1. used to introduce a direct question
  2. whether, used to introduce an indirect question

Etymology 4Edit

Reduction of o (from).

PronunciationEdit

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. used between a focused adjective and the noun it modifies
    • Pwyll Pendeuic Dyuet:
      bychan a dial oed yn lloski ni, neu yn dienydyaw am y mab
      it will be small vengeance if we are burnt or put to death because of the child

Etymology 5Edit

From Old Welsh ha.

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

ConjunctionEdit

a (triggers aspiration)

  1. and

Etymology 6Edit

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

PrepositionEdit

a (triggers aspiration)

  1. with

Etymology 7Edit

From Proto-Celtic *ageti, third-person singular present indicative of *ago-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-.

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

VerbEdit

a

  1. third-person singular present indicative of mynet

MutationEdit

Middle Welsh mutation
Radical Soft Nasal H-prothesis
a unchanged unchanged ha
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Min NanEdit

For pronunciation and definitions of a – see .
(This character, a, is the Pe̍h-ōe-jī form of .)

MòchenoEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Middle High German ein, from Old High German ein, from Proto-West Germanic *ain, from Proto-Germanic *ainaz (one, a).

ArticleEdit

a (oblique masculine an)

  1. a, an

ReferencesEdit

Mopan MayaEdit

ArticleEdit

a

  1. the

ReferencesEdit

  • Hofling, Charles Andrew (2011). Mopan Maya–Spanish–English Dictionary, University of Utah Press.

Mountain KoiariEdit

PronounEdit

a

  1. you (singular)

ReferencesEdit

  • Terry Crowley, Claire Bowern, An Introduction to Historical Linguistics

Murui HuitotoEdit

AdverbEdit

a

  1. Alternative spelling of aa ()

ReferencesEdit

  • Shirley Burtch (1983) Diccionario Huitoto Murui (Tomo I) (Linguistica Peruana No. 20)‎[11] (in Spanish), Yarinacocha, Peru: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, page 19

NauruanEdit

PronunciationEdit

PronounEdit

a

  1. I (first person singular pronoun)
    • 2000, Lisa M Johnson, Firstness of Secondness in Nauruan Morphology (in English):
      a pudun
      1sing fall+Vn
      I fell
      []
      a nuwawen
      1pers.sing. go+Vn
      I did go. (I left.)
      []
      a kaiotien aem
      [1pers.sing.] [hear+Vn] [your words]
      I hear what you said.
      []
      a nan imoren
      1pers.sing. FUT health+Vn
      I shall be cured (get better).

NavajoEdit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Navajo alphabet, written in the Latin script.
    a = /a˨/
    ą = /ã˨/
    á = /a˥/
    ą́ = /ã˥/
    aa = /aː˨˨/
    ąą = /ãː˨˨/
    áa = /aː˥˨/
    ą́ą = /ãː˥˨/
    aá = /aː˨˥/
    ąą́ = /ãː˨˥/
    áá = /aː˥˥/
    ą́ą́ = /ãː˥˥/

See alsoEdit

NeapolitanEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Latin de ab.

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. from (referring to a place)
  2. by (introducing the actor in the passive voice)
  3. to (implying necessity)

Etymology 2Edit

From Latin ad.

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. in (locative: staying in a place of relative width)
  2. to (locative: moving towards a place of relative width)
  3. to (dative)

NiasEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.

VerbEdit

a (imperfective manga)

  1. (transitive) to eat

ReferencesEdit

  • Sundermann, Heinrich. 1905. Niassisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Moers: Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen, p. 15.

NormanEdit

VerbEdit

a

  1. (Guernsey) third-person singular present indicative of aver

Norwegian BokmålEdit

 
The letter a from the Norwegian alphabet.

Etymology 1Edit

From Latin a, from Ancient Greek Α (A, alpha), likely through the Etruscan language, from Phoenician 𐤀 (ʾ), from Proto-Canaanite  , from Proto-Sinaitic  , from Egyptian 𓃾, representing the head of an ox.

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

a (uppercase A)

  1. The first letter of the Norwegian Bokmål alphabet, written in the Latin script.
See alsoEdit

NounEdit

a m (definite singular a-en, indefinite plural a-er, definite plural a-ene)

  1. the letter a, the first letter of the Norwegian alphabet
    • 1999, Lars Roar Langslet, I kamp for norsk kultur, page 234:
      bruken av a i bestemt form i hunkjønnsord
      the use of a in the definite form of feminine words
    har man sagt a, må man si bif you have said A, you should say B
  2. indicates the first or best entry of a list, order or rank
    • 1919, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Samlede digter-verker I [Collected poetic works 1], page 454:
      [bokstavene begynte] at gaa sammen, to og to: a stod og hvilte under et træ, som hedte b
      [the letters began] to go together, two by two: a stood and rested under a tree called b
    • 1920, Jonas Lie, Samlede Digterverker V, page 389:
      begynde paa Ø istedet for A
      start with Ø instead of A
    • 1886, Arne Garborg, Mogning og manndom I, page 172:
      jeg traf sammen med et par generalbanditter, gamle gutter, storartede ranglefanter, 1ste klasse 1 A med stjerne, deilige herremænd
      I met a couple of general bandits, old boys, great revelers, 1st class 1 A with a star, lovely gentlemen
    • 1939, Knut Hamsun, Artikler, page 99:
      historie er hvad A mener til forskel fra B, og hvad C igen mener til forskel baade fra A og B om den samme sag
      story is what A thinks differently from B and what C again thinks differently from both A and B about the same case
    oppgang Aapartment entrance A
    blodgruppe Ablood group A
    førerkort i klasse A(motorcycle) driver's license in class A
    øl i klasse Abeer in class A (with 0,0-0,7 volume percent alcohol)
    A postA post / priority mail
    A-aksjeclass A-share
    hepatitt Ahepatitis A
    Synonyms: A-, a-
  3. the highest grade in a school or university using the A-F scale
    • 2019, Helene Uri, Stillheten etterpå, page 14:
      jeg har gode karakterer. Bare A-er og B-er
      I have good grades. Only A's and B's
    få A til eksamen
    receive an A on an exam
  4. (music) designation of the sixth note from C and the corresponding tone
    • 1944, Børre Qvamme, Musikk, page 10:
      synge en riktig A uten hjelp av et instrument eller stemmegaffel
      sing a correct A without the aid of an instrument or tuning fork
    • 1973, Finn Havrevold, Avreisen, page 127:
      han slår énstrøken a på klaveret
      he strikes one stroke A on the piano
    • 1997, Tove Nilsen, G for Georg, page 42:
      så gal at man virkelig tror at svaler er g-nøkler og bass-nøkler og a’er og c’er som svever rundt hverandre og lager konsert i himmelen
      so crazy that you really think swallows are g-keys and bass-keys and a's and c's floating around each other and making a concert in the sky
    A-dur
    A major
    A-moll
    A minor
  5. (physics) symbol for ampere
  6. (physics) symbol for nucleon number
  7. (horology) symbol for avance
  8. symbol for anno
  9. short form of atom-
    a-bombe
    atom bomb (a-bomb)
    Synonym: a-

Derived termsEdit

Etymology 2Edit

Abbreviation of atto- (atto-).

SymbolEdit

a

  1. atto-, prefix for 10-18 in the International System of Units.

Etymology 3Edit

Abbreviation of ar (are).

SymbolEdit

a

  1. an are, a unit of area one hundredth of a hectare; ares
    Synonym: ar

Etymology 4Edit

From French à (to, on, in).

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. Alternative spelling of à ()
Alternative formsEdit

Etymology 5Edit

From Latin ā (from, away from, out of), alternative form of ab (from, away from, out of, down from).

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. (used in Latin expressions, before a consonant) from, of
    a posteriori, a prima vista, a priori, a tempo, a verbo, a viso, a vista
Alternative formsEdit

Etymology 6Edit

From Italian a (in, at, to).

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. (used in Italian expressions, before a consonant) from, of, with
    a battuta, a cappella, a due, a dato, a konto
  2. weak form of av (of)

Etymology 7Edit

From Old Norse hana (her), accusative form of hón (she), from Proto-Norse [script needed] (*hān-), from a prefixed form of Proto-Germanic *ainaz (one; some), from Proto-Indo-European *óynos (one; single).

PronounEdit

a

  1. (dialectal, used enclitically after a conjunction or subjunction) she
    • 1948, Helge Krog, Skuespill I, page 43:
      jagu slår a ja. Og det så det kjens. Forleden dag ga hun meg en knallende ørefik
      she can certainly punch. And so you feel it. The other day she gave me a popping slap to the ear
    • 1989, Bergljot Hobæk Haff, Den guddommelige tragedie:
      hu kunne ikke henge på seg så mye som et enrada perlebånd, uten at a måtte skotte opp i skyene for å høre hva den aller høyeste mente
      she could not put on as much as a single string of pearls, without having to shoot up into the clouds to hear what the very highest one meant
  2. (dialectal, about grammatically feminine animals or objects) it, she
    • 1899, Sfinx, Vi og Voreses, page 45:
      hos Hansens laa dem te klokka var ni, og 10 var a mange ganger ogsaa
      at Hansen's they laid until nine o'clock, and 10 she was many times too
    • 1954, Agnar Mykle, Lasso rundt fru Luna, page 476:
      hvor ligger a [duskeluen] henne?
      where is the hat?
    hvor er a katta di?
    where is your cat?
    Synonym: hun
  3. (dialectal, used enclitically) her; object form of hun (=she)
    hva gjorde du med a?
    what did you do to her?
    • 1847–1868, Halfdan Kjerulf, Av hans efterladte papirer, page 245:
      jeg [skrev] klaverstykker … en lille scherzo med nordisk motiv … «gjenta» og «Jørgen Matros», som gjør kur til ’a og «Ola Spelman» som hun foretrækker
      I [wrote] piano pieces… a small scherzo with a Nordic motif… «gjenta» and «Jørgen Matros», which makes cure for her and «Ola Spelman» which she prefers
    • 1875, Alexander Erbe, Fra skjærgaarden, page 23:
      [klokkeren] skulle da koste paa a amen
      [the clockmaker] would then cost her amen
    • 1921, Sigrid Undset, Samlede romaner og fortællinger fra nutiden I, page 6:
      jeg kan da gjerne skjære litt mat til a
      I could happily cut some food for her
    • 1931, Aksel Sandemose, En sjømann går i land, page 19:
      han stakk henne med kniven, riktig kylt’n midt i magan på a
      he stabbed her with the knife, really threw in the middle of her stomach
    • 2010, Helene Guåker, Kjør!:
      flere enn deg i hvert fall, di lørje, svarte jeg og så a midt i aua
      more than you at least, you skank, I answered and looked her in the eye
  4. (dialectal, about grammatically feminine animals or objects) it, her
    hvis katta stikker av, må du fange a!
    if the cat runs away, you need to catch her!
    • 1895, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Over Ævne II, page 136:
      naar kjærka ikke kan holde arbejderne i ave [age], aa faen skal vi saa me’a
      when the church can not keep the workers in duty, what the hell do we do with her then
    Synonym: henne
  5. (dialectal, used proclitically with a woman's name or female relation) she, her
    • 1921, Sigrid Undset, Samlede romaner og fortællinger fra nutiden V, page 96:
      ta a Guldborg
      consider Guldborg
    • 1921, Sigrid Undset, Samlede romaner og fortællinger fra nutiden V, page 64:
      har du glemt a mamma
      did you forget about mom
    • 2015, Rudolf Nilsen, Samlede dikt, page 88:
      a Paula kom plystrende hjem
      Paula came home whistling
    • 2015 March 12, Gerd Nyland, “Fire år uten radio”, in Oppland Arbeiderblad[12], archived from the original on 2023-01-28:
      a tante Karen, mor hennes Reidun, hadde ordne med sengeplasser i stua, Booken på en divan og a Rita på flatseng på golvet
      aunt Karen, her mother Reidun, had arranged beds in the living room, Booken on a daybed and Rita on a flat bed on the floor

Etymology 8Edit

From Danish ah (oh), likely from German ach (oh), from Middle High German ach, from Old High German ah. Also see ah and akk.

InterjectionEdit

a

  1. expression of surprise or horror
    • 1888, Herman Colditz, Kjærka, et Atélierinteriør:
      a, det er bare noe drit til han terracottaen
      oh, that is just some crap for that terracotta guy
    a, for noe tøv!
    oh, such nonsense!
  2. expression of admiration or happiness
    • 1897, Fridtjof Nansen, Fram over Polhavet I, page 345:
      a, kunde vi bare gi «Fram» slige vinger
      oh, if only we could give "Fram" wings like that
    a, det gjorde godt!
    oh, that felt good!
  3. used with the words yes and no to give a sense of impatience or rejection
    • 1874, Henrik Ibsen, Fru Inger til Østråt, page 99:
      a nej, det kan være det samme
      oh no, it does not matter
    • 1874-1878, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Brytnings-år I, page 25:
      a ja, lad Schirmer tegne staburet
      oh yes, let Schirmer draw the storehouse
    • 1988, Arild Nyquist, Giacomettis forunderlige reise:
      verden er vakker, bestemor. Selv når det regner og blåser. A ja da.
      the world is beautiful, grandma. Even when it's raining and windy. Oh yes.
    a jo, men hold nå fred!
    oh yes, but keep quiet now

Etymology 9Edit

Mostly likely from Norwegian ad (against, on), from Danish ad (by, at), from Old Danish at, from Old Norse at (at, to), from Proto-Germanic *at (at, toward, to), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd (to, at).

InterjectionEdit

a

  1. expression of anger or sorrow, especially with a personal pronoun
    uff a meg!
    oh, my!
    huff a meg!
    oh, no!
Alternative formsEdit

ReferencesEdit

  • “a” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
  • “a” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
  • a” in Store norske leksikon
  •   a on the Norwegian Bokmål Wikipedia.Wikipedia nb

AnagramsEdit

Norwegian NynorskEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

a (lowercase, uppercase A)

  1. The first letter of the Norwegian Nynorsk alphabet, written in the Latin script.
See alsoEdit

NounEdit

a m (definite singular a-en, indefinite plural a-ar, definite plural a-ane)

  1. the letter a

Etymology 2Edit

InterjectionEdit

a

  1. ah!
    Synonyms: ah, å

Etymology 3Edit

From Old Norse af, from Proto-Germanic *ab, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó.

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. (dialect) alternative form of av
    • c. 1700, Kolsrud, Sigurd, quoting Jacob Rasch, “Eldste nynorske bibeltekst: Jacob Rasch c. 1700”, in Syn og Segn, volume 56, published 1950, page 110:
      fre a Gud okka far aa Jesu Christo den herræ.
      peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

ReferencesEdit

NupeEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronunciationEdit

  • (phoneme): IPA(key): /a/, (after /n/ or /m/) /ã/

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Nupe alphabet, written in the Latin script.
See alsoEdit

Etymology 2Edit

PronunciationEdit

ParticleEdit

à

  1. not (placed at the end of a clause to negate it)
    Mi de eshìgi à, mi ma de dàǹgi à.I don't have a dog, and I don't have a cat.

Etymology 3Edit

Clipping of

PronunciationEdit

ParticleEdit

á

  1. Marks the perfective aspect, for actions that are completed
Usage notesEdit

á, which is derived from the verb (to take), functions like a verb so that the word order in the present perfect tense is that of a serial verb construction.

  • Musa shi dùkùnMusa bought a pot
  • Musa á dùkùn shi.Musa has bought a pot. (literally, “Musa took a pot to buy”)

Etymology 4Edit

Clipping of

PronunciationEdit

ParticleEdit

à

  1. Used to express the future tense (placed before verbs)
    A à lá èbi be nakànThey will use a knife to cut the meat

OccitanEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Latin ad.

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. to
  2. at
Derived termsEdit

Etymology 2Edit

NounEdit

a f (plural as)

  1. a (the letter a)

Etymology 3Edit

VerbEdit

a

  1. third-person singular present indicative of aver

Old DanishEdit

Alternative formsEdit

  • aa (Jutlandic)

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old Norse á, from Proto-Germanic *ahwō.

NounEdit

ā (genitive ār, plural ār)

  1. (Scania) stream, river
DescendantsEdit
  • Danish: å

Etymology 2Edit

From Old Norse á, from Proto-Germanic *ana.

PrepositionEdit

ā

  1. (Scania) on, in, at
DescendantsEdit

Etymology 3Edit

VerbEdit

ā

  1. first/third-person singular present indicative of ēgha

Old DutchEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-West Germanic *ahu.

NounEdit

ā f

  1. river, stream, water

InflectionEdit

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Alternative formsEdit

DescendantsEdit

  • Middle Dutch: â

Further readingEdit

  • ā, ē”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

Old EnglishEdit

Alternative formsEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-West Germanic *aiw, from Proto-Germanic *aiwaz (eternity, age).

PronunciationEdit

AdverbEdit

ā

  1. ever, always

DescendantsEdit

Old FrenchEdit

Etymology 1Edit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Old French alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Etymology 2Edit

From Latin ad.

Alternative formsEdit

  • ad
  • à (not in manuscripts; occasionally used by scholars to differentiate between the preposition and the verb form)

PrepositionEdit

a

  1. to
  2. towards
  3. belonging to
    fil a putainson of a whore
Derived termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
  • French: à
    • Danish: à
    • Dutch: à
    • German: à
    • Hungarian: à
    • Norwegian Bokmål: à, a
    • Swedish: à

Etymology 3Edit

Alternative formsEdit

VerbEdit

a

  1. third-person singular present indicative of avoir

Old IrishEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Proto-Celtic *sosim (this).

Alternative formsEdit

  • (relative pronoun): an

ArticleEdit

a

  1. nominative/accusative singular neuter of in

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

PronounEdit

a (triggers eclipsis, takes a leniting relative clause using a deuterotonic or absolute verb form)

  1. that which, what

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

DescendantsEdit
  • Irish: a
  • Scottish Gaelic: a

Further readingEdit

Etymology 2Edit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

ConjunctionEdit

a (triggers eclipsis, takes a nasalizing relative clause)

  1. when

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

Etymology 3Edit

From Proto-Celtic *esyo (m and n), *esyās (f), and *esōm (pl), from Proto-Indo-European *ésyo, genitive singular of *ís and *íd; compare Welsh ei (his, her, its), eu (their); Old High German iro (their); and Sanskrit अस्य (asyá, his, its), अस्यास् (asyā́s, her), and एषाम् (eṣā́m, their).

Alternative formsEdit

DeterminerEdit

a (predicative or áe) (triggers lenition in the masculine and neuter singular, an unwritten prothetic /h/ before a vowel in the feminine singular, and eclipsis in the plural)

  1. his, its
  2. her, its
  3. their

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

DescendantsEdit
  • Irish: a (his, her, its, their)
  • Scottish Gaelic: a (his, her, its); an (“their”)

Further readingEdit