a

See also: A and Appendix:Variations of "a"

Translingual

Etymology 1

Modification of capital letter A, from Latin A, from Ancient Greek letter Α (A).

Pronunciation

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

• IPA

  (file)

Letter

a (upper case A)

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

Symbol

a

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

See also

• (Latin script): Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz
• (Variations of letter A): Áá Àà Ââ Ǎǎ Ăă Ãã Ảả Ȧȧ Ạạ Ää Åå Ḁḁ Āā Ąą ᶏ Ⱥⱥ Ȁȁ Ấấ Ầầ Ẫẫ Ẩẩ Ậậ Ắắ Ằằ Ẵẵ Ẳẳ Ặặ Ǻǻ Ǡǡ Ǟǟ Ȁȁ Ȃȃ Ɑɑ ᴀ Ɐɐ ɒ Ａａ Ææ Ǽǽ Ǣǣ Ꜳꜳ Ꜵꜵ Ꜷꜷ Ꜹꜹ Ꜻꜻ
• For more variations, see Appendix:Variations of "a".

Further reading

• a on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 2

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

Symbol

a

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

Etymology 3

From Latin annus.

Symbol

a

1. A year in SI Units, specifically a Julian year or exactly 365.25 days.

Etymology 4

Abbreviation of are, from French are.

Symbol

a

1. An are, a unit of area of which 100 comprise a hectare; ares.

Etymology 5

Abbreviation of acceleration

Symbol

a

1. (physics) acceleration

Other representations of A:

NATO phonetic: Alpha Morse code: ·– Braille: ⠁ ASL Manual: A

Signal flag:

Semaphore:

Gallery

• Letter styles
• 

  Capital and lowercase versions of A, in normal and italic type

• 

  Uppercase and lowercase A in Fraktur

• 

  Approximate form of Greek upper case Α (a, “alpha”) that was the source for both common variants of aA in uncial script

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English

Etymology 1

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

Alternative forms

• (Gregg Shorthand) · (dot)

Pronunciation

• (letter name)
  • (UK, US) IPA^(key): /eɪ/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

  • (General Australian) IPA^(key): /æɪ/
  • Rhymes: -eɪ

  The current pronunciation resulted from the Great Vowel Shift. Before the early part of the 17th century, the pronunciation was similar to that in other languages.

• (phoneme) /æ/, /ɑː/, /eɪ/, ...

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A, plural a's)

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

Usage notes

In English, the letter a usually denotes the near-open front unrounded vowel (/æ/), as in pad, the open back unrounded vowel (/ɑː/) as in father, or, followed by another vowel, the diphthong /eɪ/, as in ace.

a is the third most common letter in English.

Derived terms

• Digraph sequences: ae, ah, ai, au, aw, ay, ea, eau, ia, oa, ua

See also

• (Latin script letters) letter; Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz
• (Latin-script letter names) letter; a, bee, cee, dee, e, ef, gee, aitch, i, jay, kay, el, em, en, o, pee, cue, ar, ess, tee, u, vee, double-u, ex, wye, zee / zed

Numeral

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.

Noun

a (plural aes)

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

See also

• (Latin script letter names) letter; a, bee, cee, dee, e, ef, gee, aitch, i, jay, kay, el, em, en, o, pee, cue, ar, ess, tee, u, vee, double-u, ex, wye, zee/zed ^{(Category: en:Latin letter names)}

Translations

See a/translations § Noun.

Etymology 2

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

Pronunciation

• (stressed) IPA^(key): /eɪ/
• (unstressed) IPA^(key): /ə/

• Audio (US), stressed

  (file)

• Audio (US), unstressed

  (file)

• Homophone: her (non-rhotic, unstressed)

Article

a (indefinite)

1. One; any indefinite example of; used to denote a singular item of a group. [First attested prior to 1150]

   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) …

     Audio (US)

     (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. [First attested between around 1150 and 1350]

   We've received an interesting letter from a Mrs. Miggins of London.

4. The same; one. [16th Century]

   We are of a mind on matters of morals.

5. Any, every; used before a noun which has become modified to limit its scope; also used with a negative to indicate not a single one.

   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; Used before a proper noun to create an example out of it.

   The center of the village was becoming a Times Square.

Usage notes

Main appendix: English articles#Indefinite articles

• 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.

Translations

an — see an

Etymology 3

• From Middle English a, o, from Old English a-, an, on.
• Unstressed form of on.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/

Preposition

a

1. (archaic) To do with position or direction; In, on, at, by, towards, onto. [First attested before 1150]

   Stand a tiptoe.

2. To do with separation; In, into. [First attested before 1150]

   Torn a pieces.

3. To do with time; Each, per, in, on, by. [First attested before 1150]

   I brush my teeth twice a day.

   • 1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, IV-v

     A Sundays

   • 2019 February 3, “UN Study: China, US, Japan Lead World AI Development”, in Voice of America‎^[2], archived from the original on 7 February 2019:

     Patent requests for machine learning activities grew on average by 28 percent a year between 2013 and 2016, the study found.

     Audio (US)

     (file)

4. (obsolete) To do with method; In, with. [First attested before 1150]
   • (Can we date this quote by Christopher Marlowe and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)

     Stands here a purpose.

5. (obsolete) To do with role or capacity; In. [First attested before 1150]

   A God’s name.

6. To do with status; In. [First attested before 1150]

   King James Bible (II Chronicles 2:18)

   To set the people a worke.

7. (archaic) To do with process, with a passive verb; In the course of, experiencing. [First attested before 1150]

   1964, Bob Dylan, The Times They Are a-Changin’

   The times, they are a-changin'.

8. (archaic) To do with an action, an active verb; Engaged in. [16th century]
   • 1605~1608 Shakespeare

     It was a doing.

   1611, King James Bible, Hebrews 11-21

   Jacob, when he was a dying

9. (archaic) To do with an action/movement; To, into. [16th century]

Usage notes

• (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

Etymology 4

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

Alternative forms

• 'a, 'a', ha, ha'

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/

Verb

a (third-person singular simple present -, present participle -, simple past and past participle -)

2. (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.

   • 1604, William Shakespeare, Hamlet

     So would I a done by yonder ſunne

     And thou hadſt not come to my bed.

Derived terms

• coulda
• shoulda
• woulda

 

Usage notes

• Now often attached to preceding auxiliary verb. See -a.

Etymology 5

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 forms

• 'a

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ə/
• (it): (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ə/, /ɑ/

Pronoun

a

1. (obsolete outside England and Scotland dialects) He, or sometimes she, it. [1150-1900]
   • 1599, Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, III-ii:

     a’ brushes his hat o’ mornings.

   • 1874, Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd (Barnes & Noble Classics reprint [reset], 2005, chapter 5, page 117; from "Hardy's 1912 Wessex edition"):

     "And how Farmer James would cuss, and call thee a fool, wouldn't he, Joseph, when 'a seed his name looking so inside-out-like?" continued Matthew Moon, with feeling. / "Ay — 'a would," said Joseph meekly.

   • 1893 February, in Littell's Living Age, page 737:

     Martha quietly finished knitting the white stockings she meant to wear at Harry's and her wedding, knitting the more quickly when the two mothers were most dismal. Harry was hers now, she felt. "He was that set, a wudn't a gived in ef a 'adn't lost a lemb," she thought. And she felt sure she would never have given in; so it was 'all for the best.'

Etymology 6

Variant spelling of ah.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/, /ɑː/

Interjection

a

1. A meaningless syllable; ah.
   • 1623 Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale, IV-iii

     A merry heart goes all the day

     Your sad tires in a mile-a

   • 1936 Avery, I Love to Singa:

     I love to sing-a

     About the moon-a and the June-a and the Spring-a.

Etymology 7

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

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ə/

Preposition

a

2. (archaic or slang) Of.

   The name of John a Gaunt.

   • a. 1597, Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1, I-ii

     What time a day is it?

   • 1598, Ben Jonson, Every man in his humour

     It’s six a clock.

   • 1931, When I'm Gone

     Two bottles 'a whiskey for the way

Usage notes

• Often attached without a hyphen to preceding word.

Alternative forms

• o’, o

Etymology 8

From (Northern dialect) Middle English aw, alteration of all.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɔ/

Alternative forms

• a'

Adverb

a (not comparable)

1. (chiefly Scotland) All. [First attested from 1350 to 1470.]

Adjective

a (not comparable)

1. (chiefly Scotland) All. [First attested from 1350 to 1470.]

Etymology 9

Symbols

Symbol

a

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

Etymology 10

Adverb

a

1. (crosswords) across

   Do you have the answer for 23a?

See also

• For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:a.

References

• “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.
• 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.

Further reading

• a at OneLook Dictionary Search
• a in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

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Abau

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /a/

Noun

a

1. house

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Albanian

Etymology 1

From Proto-Albanian *(h)au, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eu- (“that”). Cognate to Ancient Greek αὖ (aû, “on the other hand, again”). A proclitic disjunctive particle, used with one or more parts of the sentence.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Particle

a

1. or
2. there

Etymology 2

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Particle

a

1. probably, perhaps

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Ama

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ãː/

Noun

a

1. tree

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Aragonese

Etymology

From Latin illa.

Article

a f sg

1. the

   a luenga aragonesa ― the Aragonese language

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Asturian

Etymology

From Latin ad.

Preposition

a

1. to, towards

Derived terms

• al

Noun

a f

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

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Azerbaijani

Pronunciation

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Letter

a lower case (upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin script letters) hərf; Aa, Bb, Cc, Çç, Dd, Ee, Əə, Ff, Gg, Ğğ, Hh, Xx, Iı, İi, Jj, Kk, Qq, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Öö, Pp, Rr, Ss, Şş, Tt, Uu, Üü, Vv, Yy, Zz

---

Bambara

Article

a

1. the (definite article).

Interjection

a

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

Pronoun

a

1. they, them (plural)

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Bavarian

Article

a

1. a

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Catalan

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Derived terms

• no saber ni la a

See also

• (Latin script letters) alfabet català; Aa, Bb, Cc, (Çç), Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, (L·Ll·l), Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz

Etymology 2

From Latin ad, from Proto-Indo-European *ád (“near; at”).

Pronunciation

• (Eastern) IPA^(key): /ə/
• (Western) IPA^(key): /a/

Preposition

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 notes

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 terms

• al
• als
• as
• cap a
• per a

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Chuukese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Pronoun

a

1. he
2. she
3. it

Adjective

a

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

Related terms

		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

---

Cornish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/

Particle

a

1. Marks the following verb to the preceding subject.

Preposition

a

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

Inflection

  Standard Cornish

	Singular	Plural
First person	ahanaf	ahanan
Second person	ahanas	ahanowgh
Third person	anodho (m) anedhy (f)	anodhans, anedha

---

Czech

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *a.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

• audio

  (file)

Conjunction

a

1. and

---

Dalmatian

Etymology

From Latin ad.

Preposition

a

1. to
2. at

---

Danish

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æː/, [ˈæːˀ]
• Rhymes: -æː

• Audio (Copenhagen)

  (file)

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin script letters) bogstav; Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz, Ææ, Øø, Åå

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æː/, [ˈæːˀ]
• Rhymes: -æː

• Audio (Copenhagen)

  (file)

Noun

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

1. The name of the letter A or a.

Inflection

Declension of a

gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	a	a'et	a'er	a'erne
genitive	a's	a'ets	a'ers	a'ernes

Etymology 3

Alternative forms

• à (unofficial but common)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/, [ˈaˀ]
• Rhymes: -a, Rhymes: -æː

• Audio (Copenhagen)

  (file)

Preposition

a

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

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æː/, [ˈæːˀ]
• Rhymes: -æː

• Audio (Copenhagen)

  (file)

Verb

a

1. imperative of ae

---

Dutch

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /aː/

• Audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin script letters) letter; Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz

Etymology 2

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

Alternative forms

• aa (especially in names)
• ie

Noun

a f (plural a's, diminutive aatje n)

1. (archaic) a stream or water

Related terms

• eiland

Etymology 3

From Middle Dutch jou, from Old Dutch *jū, a northern (Frisian?) variant of *iu, from Proto-Germanic *iwwiz, a West Germanic variant of *izwiz. Doublet of u.

Pronoun

a

1. (Brabantian) you

Synonyms

• u
• U

---

Egyptian

Romanization

a

1. Manuel de Codage transliteration of ˤ.

---

Emilian

Etymology

From Latin ego (“I”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɐ/
• Hyphenation: a

Pronoun

a (personal, nominative case)

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

Alternative forms

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

Related terms

Emilian personal pronouns (strong forms)

Number	Person	Gender	Disjunctive (tonic)	Nominative (subject)	Accusative (direct complement)	Dative (indirect complement)	Reflexive (-self)	Comitative (with)
Singular	First	—	mè	a	me			mêg
	Second	—	tè	et	te			têg
	Third	Masculine	ló	al		ge	se	sêg
		Feminine	lê	la
Plural	First	Masculine	nuēter	a	se			nōsk
		Feminine	nuētri
	Second	Masculine	vuēter	a	ve			vōsk
		Feminine	vuētri
	Third	Masculine	lôr	i		ge	se	sêg
		Feminine		el	li

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Esperanto

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /a/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /a/

• Audio

  (file)

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin script letters) litero; Aa, Bb, Cc, Ĉĉ, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Ĝĝ, Hh, Ĥĥ, Ii, Jj, Ĵĵ, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Rr, Ss, Ŝŝ, Tt, Uu, Ŭŭ, Vv, Zz

Noun

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

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

See also

• (Latin script letter names) litero; a, bo, co, ĉo, do, e, fo, go, ĝo, ho, ĥo, i, jo, ĵo, ko, lo, mo, no, o, po, ro, so, ŝo, to, u, ŭo, vo, zo ^{(Category: eo:Latin letter names)}

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Estonian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑː/

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Noun

a

1. Abbreviation of aasta; year

Conjunction

a

1. (colloquial, in fast speech) but

See also

• (Latin-script letters) täht; A a, B b (C c), D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p (Q q), R r, S s, Š š, Z z, Ž ž, T t, U u, V v (W w), Õ õ, Ä ä, Ö ö, Ü ü (X x, Y y)

---

Fala

Etymology 1

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

Article

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

1. feminine singular of definite article o
   • 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, […]

Etymology 2

From Old Portuguese a, from Latin ad (“to”), from Proto-Indo-European *ád (“near, at”).

Preposition

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, […]

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Faroese

Etymology

From Latin a, form of A, from Etruscan 𐌀 (a), from Ancient Greek Α (A, “alpha”), from Phoenician 𐤀‎ (ʾ, “aleph”), from Egyptian 𓃾.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛaː/
• Homophone: æ
• Rhymes: -ɛaː

Letter

a (upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin script letters) bókstavur; Aa, Áá, Bb, Dd, Ðð, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Íí, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Óó, Pp, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Úú, Vv, Yy, Ýý, Ææ, Øø

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Finnish

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

1. The first letter of the Finnish alphabet, called aa and written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) kirjain; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s (Š š), T t, U u, V v (W w), X x, Y y, Z z (Ž ž), Å å, Ä ä, Ö ö

Noun

a

1. (music) A (note)

Usage notes

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.

Declension

Declension of a (type maa) singular plural nominative a a:t genitive a:n a:iden a:itten partitive a:ta a:ita accusative a a:n a:t inessive a:ssa a:issa elative a:sta a:ista illative a:han a:ihin adessive a:lla a:illa ablative a:lta a:ilta allative a:lle a:ille essive a:na a:ina translative a:ksi a:iksi instructive – a:in abessive a:tta a:itta comitative – a:ineen

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French

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Noun

a m or f (plural as)

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

Etymology 2

Quebec eye-dialect spelling of elle.

Pronunciation

• (Canada) IPA^(key): /a/

Pronoun

a f

1. (Quebec, colloquial) alternative form of elle (“she”)

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Etymology 3

Symbol

a

1. are (100 square metres)

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• (France) IPA^(key): /a/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /a/, /ɔ/

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of avoir

   Elle a un chat.

   She has a cat.

See also

• à
• â

Further reading

• “a” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Fula

Etymology 1

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Usage notes

• Common to all varieties of Fula (Fulfulde / Pulaar / Pular).

See also

• (Latin-script letters) karfeeje; ', A a, B b, Mb mb, Ɓ ɓ, C c, D d, Nd nd, Ɗ ɗ, E e, F f, G g, Ng ng, Ɠ ɠ, H h, I i, J j, Nj nj, K k, L l, M m, N n, Ŋ ŋ, Ñ ñ, Ɲ ɲ, O o, P p, R r, S s, T t, U u, W w, Y y, Ƴ ƴ

Etymology 2

Pronoun

a

1. you (second person singular subject pronoun; short form)

Usage notes

• 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 also

• aɗa (second person singular subject pronoun; long form), hiɗa (variant used in the Pular dialect of Futa Jalon)
• aan (emphatic form)

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Galician

Etymology 1

From Latin ad (“to, toward”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /a̝/

Preposition

a

1. to, toward; indicating direction of motion
2. introduces indirect object
3. used to indicate time of an action
4. (with de) to, until; used to indicate the end of a range

   de cinco a oito ― from five to eight

5. by, on, by means of; expresses a mode of action

   a pé ― on foot

6. for; indicates price or cost

Usage notes

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 terms

• á, ás
• ao, aos
• ó, ós

Etymology 2

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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /a̝/

Article

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

1. (definite) the

Usage notes

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.

Derived terms

• á
• coa
• da
• na

 

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈa/

Noun

a m (plural as)

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

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the main entry.

Pronoun

a

1. accusative of ela

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German

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/, /ä/
• Rhymes: -aː

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Noun

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

1. Alternative form of A

Declension

Declension of a

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	a	die	a
genitive	eines	des	a	der	a
dative	einem	dem	a	den	a
accusative	ein	das	a	die	a

Declension of a

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	a	die	as
genitive	eines	des	as	der	as
dative	einem	dem	a	den	as
accusative	ein	das	a	die	as

Usage notes

The genitive and plural forms as are colloquial.

Etymology 2

Noun

a

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

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Gilbertese

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /a/

Numeral

a

1. four

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Gothic

Romanization

a

1. Romanization of 𐌰

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Grass Koiari

Pronoun

a

1. you (singular)

References

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

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Haitian Creole

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /a/

Article

a

1. the: definite article

Usage notes

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 also

• an
• la
• lan
• nan
• yo
• yon

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Hawaiian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /aː/

Conjunction

a

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

Preposition

a

1. of, belonging to

Usage notes

• 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).

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Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɒ]

• Audio

  (file)

Article

a (definite)

1. the

   a hölgy ― the lady

2. (before some time phrases) this

   a héten ― (during) this week

Usage notes

Used before words starting with a consonant.

Related terms

• az, for words starting with a vowel

Pronoun

a (demonstrative)

1. (rare, except before postpositions) that

   A mellett a ház mellett vártam rá. ― I waited for him/her next to that house.

Determiner

a (demonstrative)

1. (very rare, only in some fixed phrases beginning with a consonant, as a counterpart of az, followed by no article) that

   Foglalja össze, miről szóltak az a heti beszédek és leckék. ― Summarize what that week's sermons and lessons were about.

   Meg nem erősített hírek szerint november 12-én, az a havi frissítőkedden jelenhet meg. ― According to unconfirmed reports, it may be released on November 12th, on the Patch Tuesday of that month.

   Kérjük szíves tájékoztatásukat a tekintetben, hogy… (equivalent to abban a tekintetben, see az) ― We kindly request your information in that aspect what…

Further reading

• a in Ittzés, Nóra (ed.). A magyar nyelv nagyszótára (’A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031
• (definite article; pronoun; determiner): a in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh: A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (’The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962.
• (speech sound; letter; first element; abbreviation): a in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh: A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (’The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962.
• (musical sound): a in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh: A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (’The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962.
• (interjection for displeasure, contradiction, surprise, disappointment, or pity): a in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh: A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (’The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962.
• ([dialectal] interjection for emphasis): a in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh: A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (’The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962.

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Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aː/
• Rhymes: -aː

Letter

a (upper case A)

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

Noun

a ?

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) bókstafur; A a, Á á, B b, D d, Рð, E e, É é, F f, G g, H h, I i, Í í, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, Ó ó, P p, R r, S s, T t, U u, Ú ú, V v, X x, Y y, Ý ý, Þ þ, Æ æ, Ö ö

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Ido

Pronunciation

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

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) litero; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

Noun

a (plural a-i)

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

See also

• (Latin script letter names) litero; a, be, ce, che, de, e, fe, ge, he, i, je, ke, le, me, ne, o, pe, que, re, se, she, te, u, ve, we, xe, ye, ze ^{(Category: io:Latin letter names)}

Preposition

a

1. Apocopic form of ad

Related terms

• e (“and”)
• o (“or”)

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Indo-Portuguese

Etymology

From Portuguese a.

Pronunciation

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

Preposition

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.

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Interlingua

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Preposition

a

1. to, at
2. to, for (indicating purpose)

   sala a attender ― waiting room

Derived terms

• a in
• al

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Inupiaq

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Interjection

a

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

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Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/

Etymology 1

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.

Determiner

a (triggers lenition)

1. his, its

   a athair agus a mháthair ― his father and mother

   Chaill an t-éan a chleití.

   The bird lost its feathers.

See also

Irish personal pronouns

Number	Person (and gender)	Conjunctive (emphatic)	Disjunctive (emphatic)	Possessive determiner
Singular	First	mé (mise)		mo L m' before vowel sounds
	Second	tú (tusa)1	thú (thusa)	do L d' before vowel sounds
	Third masculine	sé (seisean)	é (eisean)	a L
	Third feminine	sí (sise)	í (ise)	a H
Plural	First	muid, sinn (muidne, muide), (sinne)		ár E
	Second	sibh (sibhse)1		bhur E
	Third	siad (siadsan)	iad (iadsan)	a E

^L Triggers lenition ^E Triggers eclipsis ^H Triggers h-prothesis

¹ Also used as the vocative

The reflexive is formed by adding féin to the relevant pronoun: e.g. "myself" = mé féin, "yourselves" = sibh féin.

Determiner

a (triggers h-prothesis)

1. her, its

   a hathair agus a máthair ― her father and mother

   Bhris an mheaig a heiteog.

   The magpie broke its wing.

See also

Irish personal pronouns

Number	Person (and gender)	Conjunctive (emphatic)	Disjunctive (emphatic)	Possessive determiner
Singular	First	mé (mise)		mo L m' before vowel sounds
	Second	tú (tusa)1	thú (thusa)	do L d' before vowel sounds
	Third masculine	sé (seisean)	é (eisean)	a L
	Third feminine	sí (sise)	í (ise)	a H
Plural	First	muid, sinn (muidne, muide), (sinne)		ár E
	Second	sibh (sibhse)1		bhur E
	Third	siad (siadsan)	iad (iadsan)	a E

^L Triggers lenition ^E Triggers eclipsis ^H Triggers h-prothesis

¹ Also used as the vocative

The reflexive is formed by adding féin to the relevant pronoun: e.g. "myself" = mé féin, "yourselves" = sibh féin.

Determiner

a (triggers eclipsis)

1. their

   a n-athair agus a máthair ― their father and mother

   a dtithe ― their houses

   a n-ainmneacha ― their names

2. (Connacht) our
3. (Connacht) your pl

See also

Irish personal pronouns

Number	Person (and gender)	Conjunctive (emphatic)	Disjunctive (emphatic)	Possessive determiner
Singular	First	mé (mise)		mo L m' before vowel sounds
	Second	tú (tusa)1	thú (thusa)	do L d' before vowel sounds
	Third masculine	sé (seisean)	é (eisean)	a L
	Third feminine	sí (sise)	í (ise)	a H
Plural	First	muid, sinn (muidne, muide), (sinne)		ár E
	Second	sibh (sibhse)1		bhur E
	Third	siad (siadsan)	iad (iadsan)	a E

^L Triggers lenition ^E Triggers eclipsis ^H Triggers h-prothesis

¹ Also used as the vocative

The reflexive is formed by adding féin to the relevant pronoun: e.g. "myself" = mé féin, "yourselves" = sibh féin.

Determiner

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 2

Pronoun

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 síol ― the man who sows seed

   an síol a chuireann an fear ― the seed that the man sows

   an síol a cuireadh ― the seed that was sown

   nuair a bhí mé óg ― when I was young

   an cat a d'ól an bainne ― the cat that drank the milk

Pronoun

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 air ― the table on which there was a book

   an fear a bhfuil a mhac ag imeacht ― the man whose son is going away

Related terms

• ar (used with the past tense of regular and some irregular verbs)

Pronoun

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 terms

• ar (used with the past tense of regular and some irregular verbs)

Etymology 3

Particle

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 4

Particle

a (triggers h-prothesis)

1. Introduces a numeral

   a haon, a dó, a trí... ― one, two, three...

   Séamas a Dó ― James the Second

   bus a seacht ― bus seven

Etymology 5

Originally a reduced form of do.

Preposition

a (plus dative, triggers lenition)

1. to (used with verbal nouns)

   síol a chur ― to sow seed

   uisce a ól ― to drink water

   an rud atá sé a scríobh ― what he is writing

   D’éirigh sé a chaint.

   He rose to speak.

   Téigh a chodladh.

   Go to sleep.

Mutation

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 reading

• "a" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 a (vocative particle)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “2 a (‘his, her, their’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “3 a (particle used before numerals)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “4 a (‘that which’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

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Istriot

Etymology

From Latin ad.

Preposition

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,

Particle

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,

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Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/, [ä]

• audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: a

Etymology 1

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

Noun

a f (invariable)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) lettera; a, bi, ci, di, e, effe, gi, acca, i, i lunga, kappa, elle, emme, enne, o, pi, cu, erre, esse, ti, u, vu, doppia vu, ics, ipsilon, zeta

Etymology 2

From Latin ad, from Proto-Indo-European *ád (“near; at”). In a few phrases, a stems from Latin a, ab.

Preposition

a

1. in
2. at
3. to
4. Indicates the direct object, mainly to avoid confusion when it, the subject, or both are displaced, or for emphasis

   A me non importa.

   It doesn’t matter to me.

   (literally, “To me it doesn’t matter.”)

   A lei non piace, ma a lui piace molto.

   She doesn't like it, but he likes it very much.

Usage notes

• 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

Etymology 3

Verb

a

1. Misspelling of ha.

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Japanese

Romanization

a

1. Rōmaji transcription of あ
2. Rōmaji transcription of ア

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K'iche'

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aː/

Adjective

a

1. masculine youth indicator

Adverb

a

1. (interrogatory) indicator of question

Pronoun

a

1. your

References

• Allen J. Christenson, Kʼiche-English dictionary, page 7

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Kabyle

Alternative forms

• agi
• agini

Determiner

a

1. this

   a rgaz a

   this man

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Kalasha

Etymology

From Sanskrit अहम् (aham), from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂om.

Pronoun

a

1. I (1st-person personal pronoun)

See also

Kalasha personal pronouns

		singular	plural
1st person		a	ábi
2nd person		tu	ábi
3rd person (near)		ía	émi
3rd person (far)		ása	éḷi
3rd person (absent)		se	te

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Koitabu

Pronoun

a

1. you (singular)

References

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

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Krisa

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /a/

Noun

a m

1. pig

   Nana a doma.

   I shot your pig.

References

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

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Ladin

Etymology

From Latin a.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Preposition

a

1. in
2. at
3. to

Derived terms

• al
• ala
• ai
• ales

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Latgalian

Etymology

Shortened from an older Baltic form *ā, which cognates with Lithuanian o (the same meaning).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Conjunction

a f

1. but, however, while, signal

Particle

a f

1. and, but, so, well

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Latin

Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

(letter name):

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /aː/
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /a/

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

   littera a ― the letter a

Etymology 2

From Etruscan [Term?].

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /aː/
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /a/

Noun

ā f (indeclinable)

1. The name of the letter A.

Coordinate terms

• (Latin-script letter names) littera; ā, bē, cē, dē, ē, ef, gē, hā, ī, kā, el, em, en, ō, pē, kū, er, es, tē, ū, ix / īx / ex, ȳ / ī graeca / ȳpsīlon, zēta

References

• Arthur E. Gordon, The Letter Names of the Latin Alphabet (University of California Press, 1973; volume 9 of University of California Publications: Classical Studies), part III: “Summary of the Ancient Evidence”, page 32
  Clearly there is no question or doubt about the names of the vowels A, E, I, O, U. They are simply long A, long E, etc. (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū). Nor is there any uncertainty with respect to the six mutes B, C, D, G, P, T. Their names are bē, cē, dē, gē, pē, tē (each with a long E). Or about H, K, and Q: they are hā, kā, kū — each, again, with a long vowel sound.

Etymology 3

Shortened form of ab.

Alternative forms

• à (earlier in New Latin)
• ab

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /aː/
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /a/

• Audio (Classical)

  (file)

Preposition

ā (+ ablative)

1. of, from
   • Heauton Timorumenos (“The Self-Tormentor”) by Publius Terentius Afer

     Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto.

     I am a man, I consider nothing that is human alien to me.

Derived terms

• a lacte cunisque

Etymology 4

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

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /aː/
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /a/

Interjection

ā

1. ah

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Latvian

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a]

• Audio

  (file)

Letter

A

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latvian letters) latviešu burti; Aa, Āā, Bb, Cc, Čč, Dd, Ee, Ēē, Ff, Gg, Ģģ, Hh, Ii, Īī, Jj, Kk, Ķķ, Ll, Ļļ, Mm, Nn, Ņņ, Oo, Pp, Rr, Ss, Šš, Tt, Uu, Ūū, Vv, Zz, Žž

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a]

Noun

a m (invariable)

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

See also

• (Latvian letter names) latviešu burtu vārdi; a, garais ā, bē, cē, čē, dē, e, garais ē, ef, gā, ģē, hā, i, garais ī, jē, kā, ķē, el, eļ, em, en, eņ, o, pē, er, es, eš, tē, u, garais ū, vē, zē, žē

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Ligurian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1

Ligurian Definite Articles
	singular	plural
masculine	o	i
feminine	a	e

Article

a f sg (plural e)

1. the

Etymology 2

From Latin ad, from Proto-Indo-European *ád (“near”, “at”).

Preposition

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

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Livonian

Pronunciation

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Letter

a (upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) kēratēḑ; A a, Ā ā, Ä ä, Ǟ ǟ, B b, D d, Ḑ ḑ, E e, Ē ē, F f, G g, H h, I i, Ī ī, J j, K k, L l, Ļ ļ, M m, N n, Ņ ņ, O o, Ō ō, Ȯ ȯ, Ȱ ȱ, Õ õ, Ȭ ȭ, P p, R r, Ŗ ŗ, S s, Š š, T t, Ț ț, U u, Ū ū, V v, Z z, Ž ž

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Louisiana Creole French

Etymology

From French avoir (“to have”)

Verb

a

1. to have

---

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a]

Conjunction

a

1. and

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Malay

Pronunciation

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

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin script letters) Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz

---

Maltese

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) ittra; A a, B b, Ċ ċ, D d, E e, F f, Ġ ġ, G g, Għ għ, H h, Ħ ħ, I i, Ie ie, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Ż ż, Z z

---

Mandarin

Romanization

a (Zhuyin ˙ㄚ)

1. Pinyin transcription of 呵
2. Pinyin transcription of 啊
3. Pinyin transcription of 阿

a

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

Usage notes

• 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.

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Mandinka

Pronoun

a

1. he, him (personal pronoun)

   A m busa ― He/she struck me.

   Y a busa ― They struck him/her.

2. she, her (personal pronoun)
3. it (personal pronoun)

See also

Mandinka personal pronouns

		singular	plural
1st person		nte, n, m	ntolu, ntelu, n
2nd person		ite, i	altolu, altelu, al
3rd person		ate, a	itolu, itelu, y

---

Maori

Particle

a

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

Usage notes

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

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Mezquital Otomi

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /à/

Interjection

a

1. Expresses satisfaction, pity, fright, or admiration.

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

• ʼa (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /à/, /ǎ/

Verb

a

1. (transitive) wake, awaken

Etymology 3

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

Alternative forms

• ʼá (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /á/, /ǎ/

Noun

a

1. flea

Derived terms

• aꞌni
• mfoxꞌa

References

• Andrews, Enriqueta (1950) Vocabulario otomí de Tasquillo, Hidalgo‎^[3] (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)‎^[4] (in Spanish), second edition, Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 3

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Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch ā, from Proto-Germanic *ahwō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ekʷeh₂.

Noun

â f

1. (rare) river, stream, water

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: a

Further reading

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

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Middle English

Etymology 1

Pronoun

a

1. (late) Alternative form of I

References

• “ich (pron.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 5 May 2018.

Etymology 2

Pronoun

a

1. Alternative form of heo

References

• “he, pron. (3)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 10 June 2018.

Etymology 3

Pronoun

a

1. Alternative form of he

References

• “he, pron. (3)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 12 June 2018.

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Middle French

Etymology 1

From Old French [Term?], from Latin ad.

Alternative forms

• à (after 1550)

Preposition

a

1. to; towards

Etymology 2

From Old French [Term?], from Latin habet.

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of avoir

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Middle Welsh

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Particle

a (triggers lenition)

1. O (vocative particle)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Pronoun

a (triggers lenition)

1. who, which, that

Particle

a (triggers lenition)

1. inserted before the verb when the subject of direct object precedes it
   • Pwyll Pendeuic Dyuet:

     Pwyll Pendeuic Dyuet a oed yn arglwyd ar seith cantref Dyuet.

     Pwyll Prince of Dyfed was lord of the seven cantrefs of Dyfed.

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Particle

a (triggers lenition)

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

Etymology 4

Reduction of o (“from”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Preposition

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 5

Alternative forms

• ac

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Conjunction

a (triggers aspiration)

1. and

Etymology 6

Alternative forms

• ac

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Preposition

a (triggers aspiration)

1. with

Etymology 7

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

Alternative forms

• aa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aː/

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of mynet

Mutation

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 Nan

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

---

Mopan Maya

Article

a

1. the

References

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

---

Mountain Koiari

Pronoun

a

1. you (singular)

References

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

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Nauruan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Pronoun

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).

---

Navajo

Letter

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 also

• (Latin-script letters) A a (Á á, Ą ą, Ą́ ą́), B b, Ch ch, Chʼ chʼ, D d, Dl dl, Dzdz, E e (É é, Ę ę, Ę́ ę́), G g, Gh gh, H h, Hw hw, X x, I i (Í í, Į į, Į́ į́), J j, K k, Kʼ kʼ, Kw kw, ʼ, L l, Ł ł, M m, N n (Ń ń), O o (Ó ó, Ǫ ǫ, Ǫ́ ǫ́), S s, Sh sh, T t, Tʼ tʼ, Tł tł, Tłʼ tłʼ, Ts ts, Tsʼ tsʼ, W w, Y y, Z z, Zh zh

---

Neapolitan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1

From Latin de ab.

Preposition

a

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

Etymology 2

From Latin ad.

Preposition

a

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

---

Norman

Verb

a

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

---

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /ɑː/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /ɑː/, /a/

Letter

a (lowercase, uppercase A)

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

See also

• (Latin script letters) Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz, Ææ, Øø, Åå

Noun

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

1. the letter a

   fra a til å

   from beginning to end

Adverb

a

1. short form of anno
2. weakened form of av

Preposition

a

1. to, up to

   ett a to år

   one to two years

2. (Used in Italian expressions) with

   a konto

   payment on account

3. (Used in Latin expressions, before a consonant) from, of

   a priori

Alternative forms

• à

Pronoun

a

1. (dialectal, used enclitically) her; object form of hun (=she)

   hva gjorde du med a?

   what did you do to her?

1. (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!

Interjection

a

1. Expression of surprise or horror

   a, for noe tøv!

   oh, such nonsense!

1. Expression of admiration or happiness

   a, det gjorde godt!

   oh, that felt good!

1. Used with the words yes and no to give a sense of impatience or rejection

   a jo, men hold nå fred!

   oh yes, but keep quiet now

Alternative forms

• å

References

• “a” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “a” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/ (example of pronunciation)

Letter

a (lowercase, uppercase A)

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

See also

• (Latin script letters) Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz, Ææ, Øø, Åå

Noun

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

1. the letter a

---

Novial

Preposition

a

1. to

Usage notes

When followed by the definite article li, a may optionally be combined with the article to give al.

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Occitan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

• Audio (Béarn)

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Latin ad.

Preposition

a

1. to
2. at

Derived terms

• al, als

Etymology 2

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of aver

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Old Danish

Alternative forms

• aa (Jutlandic)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑː/

Etymology 1

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

Noun

ā (genitive ār, plural ār)

1. (Scania) stream, river

Descendants

• Danish: å

Etymology 2

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

Preposition

ā

1. (Scania) on, in, at

Descendants

• Danish: på

Etymology 3

Verb

ā

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

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Old Dutch

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *ahwō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ekʷeh₂.

Noun

ā f

1. river, stream, water

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Alternative forms

• aha

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: â
  • Dutch: a

Further reading

• “ā, ē”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

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Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *aiwaz (“eternity, age”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyu- (“vitality”). Cognate with Old Saxon eo, Old High German io, eo (German je), Old Norse ei, ey (English aye), Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐍅 (aiw).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑː/

Adverb

ā

1. ever, always

Descendants

• English: ay, aye
• Scots: ay, aye

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Old French

Etymology 1

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Etymology 2

From Latin ad.

Alternative forms

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

Preposition

a

1. to
2. towards
3. belonging to

   fil a putain ― son of a whore

Derived terms

• al
• au
• aux

Descendants

• French: à

Etymology 3

From the verb avoir, aveir.

Alternative forms

• ad

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of avoir

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Old Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *sindom (“this”).

Alternative forms

• (relative pronoun): an

Article

a

1. nominative/accusative singular neuter of in
   • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 15b28

     A mbás tiagme-ni do·áirci bethid dúib-si.

     The death to which we go causes life unto you.

Pronoun

a (triggers eclipsis, takes a leniting relative clause)

1. that which, what
   • c. 875, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 112b13

     Is demniu liunn a n-ad·chiam hua sulib ol·daas an ro·chluinemmar hua chluasaib.

     What we see with the eyes is more certain for us than what we hear with the ears.

Descendants

• Irish: a

Etymology 2

Conjunction

a (triggers eclipsis, takes a nasalizing relative clause)

1. when
   • c. 875, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 55d11

     Ícaid-som didiu anisin, a n-as·mbeir “iudicia Domini abyssus multa”.

     He solves that then, when he says “iudicia Domini abyssus multa”.

   • c. 875, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 112b17

     a nonda imbide

     and when you sg are hedged in

Etymology 3

From Proto-Celtic *esyo (m and n), *esyās (f), and *esōm (pl); 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 forms

• á, ha

Determiner

a (predicative aí 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
   • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 5a23

     Cossóit a thuaithe fri Dia inso.

     This is a slandering of his folk before God.

   • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 5d10

     Bad hi forcitul .i. a chomalnad condib desimrecht do chách.

     Let it be in teaching, that is, to fulfill it [lit. "its fulfillment"] so that he may be an example to everyone.

2. her, its
   • c. 845, St. Gall Glosses on Priscian, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1975, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. II, pp. 49–224, Sg. 32b6

     A mmuntar-sidi ad·rothreb-si lee, it he con·rótgatar in cathraig.

     Her folk whom she had with her, it is they who built the city.

3. their
   • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 24a38

     Ní epur a n-anman sund.

     I do not say their names here.

Descendants

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

Etymology 4

From Proto-Celtic *ō (compare Welsh a, from Proto-Indo-European *ō (compare Ancient Greek ὦ (ô), Latin ō).

Alternative forms

• á

Particle

a (triggers lenition)

1. O (vocative particle)
   • c. 875, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 134d3

     Ar·troídfe-siu inna drochdaíni, a Dǽ, dia n-anduch, air is fechtnach a n-andach mani erthroítar húa Día.

     Thou wilt restrain the evil men, O God, from their iniquity, for their iniquity is prosperous if it be not restrained by God.

Descendants

• Irish: a

Etymology 5

Particle

a (triggers an unwritten prothetic /h/ before a vowel)

1. introduces a numeral

   a deich ― ten

Descendants

• Irish: a

Etymology 6

From Proto-Celtic *exs, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs.

Preposition

a (combined with plural article asnaib, combined with 1st singular possessive determiner asmo, combined with 3rd person possessive determiner assa)

1. out of
   • c. 875, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 127d6

     in tan ro·mmemaid re n-Abrachan forsna coíc riga bertar Loth a Sodaim

     when the five kings who carried Lot out of Sodom had been routed by Abraham

Inflection

Inflection of a

Person	Normal	Emphatic
1st person sing.	asum
2d person sing.	essiut
3d sing. masc./neut., dative	as(s), es
3d sing. masc./neut., accusative
3d sing. fem., dative	e(i)ssi, esse	essisi
3d sing. fem., accusative
1st person pl.
2d person pl.
3d person pl., dative	es(s)ib, eissib
3d person pl., accusative

Related terms

• ess-

Descendants

• Irish: as
• Manx: ass
• Scottish Gaelic: à

References

• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 a (vocative particle)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “2 a (‘his, her, their’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “3 a (particle used before numerals)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “4 a (‘that which’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “7 a (‘out of’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 in (definite article)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

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Old Portuguese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1

From Latin ad (“to”), from Proto-Indo-European *ád (“near; at”).

Preposition

a

1. to; towards
   • 13th century, attributed to Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, E codex, cantiga 14 (facsimile):

     fugiu con el a Egipto. terra de Reẏ Faraon.

     ran away with him to Egypt, land of the Pharaoh king.

Descendants

• Fala: a
• Galician: a
• Portuguese: a
  • Indo-Portuguese: a

Etymology 2

Article

a

1. Alternative spelling of á

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Polish

Etymology

Probably from Proto-Slavic *a (“and, but”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ōd (presumed to be the ablative of *éy, h₁e). Cognate with Lithuanian õ (“and, but”), Russian а (a, “and, but”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

• audio

  (file)

Conjunction

a

1. and; but

   A ty? ― And you?

   Wolisz tabletki, a ja wolę zastrzyki. ― You prefer pills and I prefer injections.

2. and

   walka między dobrem a złem ― battle between good and evil

Further reading

• a in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• a in Polish dictionaries at PWN

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Portuguese

Pronunciation

letter

• IPA^(key): /a/
  • Homophones: há, à
• Hyphenation: a

• Audio

  (file)

article, pronoun

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɐ/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /a/
• Hyphenation: a

Etymology 1

From Latin a, form of A, from Etruscan 𐌀 (a), from Ancient Greek Α (A, “alpha”), from Phoenician 𐤀‎ (ʾ, “aleph”), from Egyptian 𓃾.

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

2. The first letter of the Portuguese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) letra; A a (Á á, À à,  â, àã), B b, C c (Ç ç), D d, E e (É é, Ê ê), F f, G g, H h, I i (Í í), J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o (Ó ó, Ô ô, Õ õ), P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u (Ú ú), V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

Noun

a m (plural as)

2. Alternative spelling of á

Quotations

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:a.

Related terms

• with diacritics: ã, â, à, á

Etymology 2

From Old Portuguese a, from Latin illa (with the disappearance of an initial l; compare Spanish la).

Article

a

2. feminine singular of o
   • 2005, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe [Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince] (Harry Potter; 6), Rio de Janeiro: Rocco, →ISBN, page 219:

     Então, como foi a última festinha de Slughorn?

     So, how was the last Slughorn's little party?

   • 2007, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter e as Relíquias da Morte [Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows] (Harry Potter; 7), Rio de Janeiro: Rocco, →ISBN, page 147:

     Entregou a foto rasgada, [...]

     He handed over the torn photograph, [...]

Quotations

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:o.

See also

Portuguese articles (edit)
	Singular		Plural
	Masculine	Feminine	Masculine	Feminine
Definite articles (the)	o	a	os	as
Indefinite articles (a, an; some)	um	uma	uns	umas

Pronoun

a f (third-person singular)

2. Her, it (as a direct object; as an indirect object, see lhe; after prepositions, see ela).

   Encontrei-a na rua. ― I met her/it on the street.

Usage notes

• Becomes -la after verb forms ending in -r, -s, or -z, the pronouns nos (“us”) and vos (“plural you”), and the adverb eis (“here is; behold”); the final letter causing the change disappears.

  After ver (“to see”): Posso vê-la? — “May I see her/it?”|inline=1}}

  After pôs (“he/she/it put”): Ele pô-la ali. — “He put her/it there.”

  After fiz (“I made; I did”): Fi-la ficar contente. — “I made her/it become happy.”

  After nos (“us”): Ela deu-no-la relutantemente. — “She gave her/it to us reluctantly.”

  After eis (“here is; behold”): Ei-la! — “Behold her/it!”

• Becomes -na after a nasal vowel or diphthong: -ão, -am [ɐ̃w̃], -õe [õj̃], -em, -êm [ẽj̃].

  Detêm-na como prisioneira. — “They detain her/it as a prisoner.”

• In informal Brazilian Portuguese, the nominative form ela (“she”) is more commonly used.

  Eu a vi. → Eu vi ela.: “I saw her/it.”

Quotations

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:a.

See also

Portuguese personal pronouns (edit)
Number	Person	Nominative (subject)		Accusative (direct object)		Dative (indirect object)	Prepositional		Prepositional with com		Non-declining
		m	f	m	f	m and f	m	f	m	f	m	f
Singular	First	eu		me			mim		comigo
	Second	tu		te			ti		contigo		você
											o senhor	a senhora
	Third	ele	ela	o (lo, no)	a (la, na)	lhe	ele	ela	com ele	com ela	o mesmo	a mesma
				se (reflexive)			si (reflexive)		consigo (reflexive)
Plural	First	nós		nos			nós		connosco (Portugal) conosco (Brazil)		a gente
	Second	vós		vos			vós		convosco		vocês
											os senhores	as senhoras
	Third	eles	elas	os (los, nos)	as (las, nas)	lhes	eles	elas	com eles	com elas	os mesmos	as mesmas
				se (reflexive)			si (reflexive)		consigo (reflexive)
Indefinite				se (reflexive)			si (reflexive)		consigo (reflexive)

Etymology 3

From Old Portuguese a, from Latin ad (“to”) and ab (“from, away, by”).

Preposition

a

2. to (introduces the indirect object)
   • 2005, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe [Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince] (Harry Potter; 6), Rio de Janeiro: Rocco, →ISBN, page 143:

     Deixe-me mostrar a você...

     Let me show it to you...

   • 2007, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter e as Relíquias da Morte [Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows] (Harry Potter; 7), Rio de Janeiro: Rocco, →ISBN, page 516:

     Não é bonito dizer isso a uma pessoa.

     It's not nice to say that to a person.

   Dê-o a mim. ― Give it to me.

   Meu coração pertence a você. ― My heart belongs to you.

   Synonym: para

4. to; towards (indicates destination)

   Vamos a Paris! ― Let’s go to Paris!

   Synonyms: para, até

6. away (indicates a physical distance)

   A vila fica a onze milhas ― The village is eleven miles away.

   Comunicação à distância. ― Communication at a distance.

8. with; by means of (using as an instrument or means)

   Mataram o cão a pauladas. ― They bludgeoned the dog to death. (literally: they killed the dog with bludgeonings)

   A cavalo. ― On horseback.

   Livro escrito a lápis. ― A book written with a pencil.

   Synonyms: com, por meio de

10. with; on (using as a medium or fuel)

    Quadro pintado a óleo. ― A painting painted with oil.

    Fornalha a carvão. ― Coal furnace.

12. by (using the specified measurement; in the specified quantity)

    É mais barato comprar comida ao quilo. ― It is cheaper to by food by the kilogram.

    Os fracassos ocorrem às dezenas. ― Failures occur by the dozen.

14. (preceded and followed by the same word) by (indicates a steady progression)

    Calma lá. Resolva o problema passo a passo. ― Easy there. Solve the problem step by step.

    Synonym: por

16. in the style or manner of; a la

    Ele puxou o temperamento ao pai. ― He inherited his temperament from his father.

    Camarão à grega. ― Greek-style shrimp.

    Synonym: ao modo de

18. (limited use, see usage notes) at (during the specified period)

    Dormimos à noite. ― We sleep at night.

    O filme começa às duas horas. ― The film starts at two o’clock.

    Synonyms: em, de

20. (rare except in set terms) at; in (indicates a location or position)

    Isso fica à frente do altar. ― This stays in front of the altar.

    Synonym: em

22. indicates the direct object, mainly to avoid confusion when it, the subject, or both are displaced, or for emphasis

    A mim ele não engana. ― He doesn’t deceive me. (literally, “To me he doesn’t deceive.”)

24. (Portugal, followed by a verb in the infinitive form) forms the present participle; in Brazil, the gerund is used instead

    Estou a preparar a canja ― I am preparing the chicken soup

26. (followed by an infinitive or present passive) to (forms the future participle)

    Um trabalho a ser feito. ― A job to be done.

    Nada a fazer. ― Nothing to be done.

    Synonyms: para, por

Usage notes

When followed by a definite article, a is combined with the article to give the following combined forms:

• a + o → ao
• a + os → aos
• a + a → à
• a + as → às

In the sense of to (“introducing the indirect object”), usage with a personal pronoun can be replaced with an indirect pronoun (me, nos, te, vos, lhe, lhes):

• Deram um livro a ele. → Deram-lhe um livro.

In the sense of at (“during the specified period”), it can be used with:

• noite (“night”)
• noitinha (“evening”)
• tarde (“afternoon”)
• meio-dia (“noon”)
• meia-noite (“midnight”)
• specific hours

Dia (“day”), manhã (“morning”), madrugada (“early morning”) use de (“of”) instead, which can optionally be used for tarde, noitinha and noite as well. Names of months, days of the month and of the week use em (“in”).

Quotations

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:a.

Descendants

• Indo-Portuguese: a

See also

• em
• para

Etymology 4

Interjection

a

2. oh (expression of mild surprise)

   A, tudo bem então.

   Oh, all right then.

Quotations

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:a.

Etymology 5

From homophone há

Verb

a

1. Misspelling of há.

Quotations

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:a.

Etymology 6

From homophone à

Contraction

a

1. Misspelling of à.

Quotations

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:a.

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Rapa Nui

Particle

a

1. possessive particle marking an alienable possession; of

Usage notes

Inserted before the relevant pronoun. Only for possessions like houses or beliefs that have the ability to no longer be yours; otherwise, use ,.

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Romani

Interjection

a

1. oh, ah

References

• Yūsuke Sumi (2018), “a”, in ニューエクスプレス　ロマ（ジプシー）語 [New Express Romani (Gypsy)] (in Japanese), Tokyo: Hakusuisha, →ISBN, page 134

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Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Ă ă,  â, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, Πî, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, Ș ș, T t, Ț ț, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

Etymology 1

Article

a (feminine singular possessive article)

1. of

   sora mea și a lui Alexandru

   my and Alexandru's sister

   cartea este a mea

   the book is mine

   Coordinate terms: al (masculine/neuter singular), ai (masculine plural), ale (feminine/neuter plural)

Etymology 2

From Latin ad, from Proto-Indo-European *ád (“near; at”).

Preposition

a

1. (used with infinitive verbs) the infinitive marker: to

   A fi.

   To be.

2. (archaic) at (now almost completely replaced by la)
3. (used only with a few perception verbs like suna, mirosi, arăta) like

Etymology 3

From proto-Romanian, from a late , from .

Verb

1. (he/she) has...

Usage notes

is used instead of to form the third-person singular perfect compus.

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Satawalese

Pronoun

(third-person singular)

1. he
2. she
3. it

References

Kevin M. Roddy (2007), "A Sketch Grammar Of Satawalese, The Language Of Satawal Island, Yap State, Micronesia"

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Scots

Etymology 1

Letter

1. The letter of the alphabet, called [[aw#|aw]] and written in the Latin script.

Etymology 2

From , from .

Article

1. a, an

Usage notes

• Unlike English, this form can be used before both consonant and vowel sounds.

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Scottish Gaelic

Pronoun

1. his
2. her
3. its
4. who, which, that

Usage notes

• As his/its lenites the following word.

• As his/its is omitted if the following word begins with a vowel or fh followed by a vowel.

  athair - a father or his father

Particle

1. to

2. Used before cardinal numbers which are not followed by a noun.

3. Used before the vocative form.

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Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

See Translingual section.

Letter

1. The 1st letter of the Serbo-Croatian Latin alphabet (gajica), followed by .

Etymology 2

From , from .

Conjunction

1. but, and (compare )

2. while (on the contrary), whereas

3. without (usually after negative verbs)

4. ( ) and yet

5. ( ) not to mention, let alone

6. ( + + ) even if

7. ( + ) and so, and also, and too

Etymology 3

Attested since the 15th century. Probably of onomatopoeic origin. Compare , , , and . These could all derive from Proto-Indo-European interjection , but each form in individual languages could easily be an independent, expressive formation.

Interjection

1. oh, ah

References

• “a” in Hrvatski jezični portal
• “a” in Hrvatski jezični portal
• Skok, Petar (1971) (in ), volume 1, Zagreb: JAZU, page 1

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Skolt Sami

Letter

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

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Slovak

Etymology 1

From , form of , from , from , from , from .

Letter

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

Etymology 2

From , from , from . Cognates include |tr=a, and .

Conjunction

1. and

Further reading

• a in Slovak dictionaries at korpus.sk

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Slovene

Etymology 1

Letter

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

See also

• (Latin script letters) Aa, Bb, Cc, Čč, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Rr, Ss, Šš, Tt, Uu, Vv, Zz, Žž

Interjection

1. oh

Etymology 2

Conjunction

1. but

Particle

1. , particle used to form a yes- no question.

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Spanish

Pronunciation

• Audio (Latin America)

  (file)

• Audio (Spain)

  (file)

Etymology 1

Letter

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

Noun

See also

• (Latin script letter names) letra; a, be, ce, de, e, efe, ge, hache, i, jota, ka, ele, eme, ene, eñe, o, pe, cu, ere, ese, te, u, ve, ve doble/uve doble, equis, ye, zeta ^{(Category: es:Latin letter names)}

Etymology 2

From , from .

Preposition

1. to
   • 1605, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quijote de la Mancha¹, Chapter I:

     Tenía en su casa una ama que pasaba de los cuarenta y una sobrina que no llegaba a los veinte, y un mozo de campo y plaza que así ensillaba el rocín como tomaba la podadera.

     He had in his house a housekeeper past forty, a niece under twenty, and a lad for the field and market-place, who used to saddle the hack as well as handle the billhook.

2. by
3. at

Usage notes

• Personal is not translated into English.

See also

• Wikipedia article covering “personal a”

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Sranan Tongo

Noun

1. it

<span id="attentionseekingsrn" class="attentionseeking" lang="srn" title="">

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Swahili

This section is transcluded from a/sw to work around Lua module out-of-memory errors. Please click the link to a/sw if there are Lua out-of-memory errors on this page.

Particle

1. The genitive particle; adjectival particle; of

Usage notes

1. This particle agrees in class with the noun preceding it
2. When used as an adjectival particle, the particle itself is untranslated:

• (lit. "laundry clothing")

1. When used as a genitive particle, the particle is sometimes untranslated:

Inflection

Inflected forms of

Noun class	singular	plural
M-wa class
M-mi class
Ma class
Ki-vi class
N class
U class
Pa class
Ku class
Mu class

See also

• : the ornative particle

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Swedish

Preposition

1. from

Usage notes

• Only used in the noun a dato (from this day) and the adverb a priori (beforehand, in advance).

Letter

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

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Tagalog

Interjection

1. ah:

Letter

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

<span id="attentionseekingtl" class="attentionseeking" lang="tl" title="">

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Tarantino

Preposition

1. in
2. at
3. to

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Tok Pisin

Etymology

Imitative or onomatopoeia.

Interjection

1. eh?

This entry has fewer than three known examples of actual usage, the minimum considered necessary for clear attestation, and may not be reliable. is subject to a special exemption for languages with limited documentation. If you speak it, please consider editing this entry or adding citations. See also Help and the Community Portal.

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Turkish

Letter

1. The letter of the alphabet, called [[a#|a]] and written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin script letters) harf; Aa, Bb, Cc, Çç, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Ğğ, Hh, Iı, İi, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Öö, Pp, Rr, Ss, Şş, Tt, Uu, Üü, Vv, Yy, Zz

Noun

See also

• (Latin script letter names) harf; a, be, ce, çe, de, e, fe, ge, yumuşak ge, he, ı, i, je, ke, le, me, ne, o, ö, pe, re, se, şe, te, u, ü, ve, ye, ze ^{(Category: tr:Latin letter names)}

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Turkmen

Letter

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

---

Upper Sorbian

Conjunction

1. and
2. the

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Vietnamese

Etymology 1

Borrowed from

Letter

1. The letter of the alphabet, called [[a#|a]] and written in the Latin script.

Noun

1. The name of the Latin-script letter [[A#|A]].

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Votic

Etymology 1

Letter

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

Etymology 2

Interjection

1. ah!, oh!
2. oops!
3. ouch!

Etymology 3

Conjunction

1. but (Following a negative clause or sentence) On the contrary, but rather
2. However, although, nevertheless, on the other hand

Etymology 4

Interjection

1. ah!, oh!
2. oops!
3. ouch!

See also

• aa
• aah
• ah
• haa

References

• "" in

---

Walloon

Etymology

From , from .

Preposition

1. at

---

Welsh

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

• :
• :
• :

Letter

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

Derived terms

• Digraph sequences: , , ,

Etymology 3

From , from , from (compare and ).

Conjunction

1. and

Etymology 4

Pronoun

1. that, which, who (used in 'direct' relative clauses, i.e. where the pronoun refers to the subject or the direct object of an inflected verb (as opposed to a periphrastic construction with bod, to be)).

Usage notes

1. a is not used with the third person singular present of the verb bod, where the relative verb form sydd is used instead

   Not *Y dyn a yw'n ifanc but Y dyn sydd yn ifanc

2. a is not used in indirect relative clauses, where the pronoun is part of a genitive or periphrastic construction. Instead the second relative pronoun y is used

   "The man whose sister was here": not *Y dyn a oedd ei chwaer yma but Y dyn yr oedd ei chwaer yma

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Yoruba

Pronoun

1. : we

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Zazaki

Letter

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

Pronoun

1. she

---

Zhuang

Etymology

Compare .

Noun

1. crow

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Zou

Noun

1. hen
2. brother

References

• http://www.languageinindia.com/feb2013/zouphonologyfinal.pdf

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Zulu

Letter

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