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an

See also: Appendix:Variations of "an"

Contents

EnglishEdit

 
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

PronunciationEdit

  • (stressed)
    • IPA(key): /æn/
    • Audio (US)
      		(file)
    • Rhymes: -æn
  • (unstressed)
    • IPA(key): /ən/
    • Audio (US), unstressed in the phrase "an egg"
      		(file)
  • Homophone: in (in some accents)

Etymology 1Edit

From Old English ān.

ArticleEdit

an (indefinite)

  1. Form of a (all article senses).
    1. Used before a vowel sound.
      • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 2, in The Celebrity:
        Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. He was dressed out in broad gaiters and bright tweeds, like an English tourist, and his face might have belonged to Dagon, idol of the Philistines.
    2. (now quite rare) Used before /h/ in an unstressed syllable.
    3. (nonstandard) Used before /h/ in a stressed syllable.
  2. (nonstandard, Britain, West Country) a, used before consonants.

NumeralEdit

an

  1. (nonstandard, Britain, West Country) one
Usage notesEdit
Main appendix: English articles#Indefinite articles
  • In standard English, the article an is used before vowel sounds, while a is used before consonant sounds. Alternatively, an can be found before an unstressed syllable beginning with an h-sound, as in an historic. The h may then become silent or is at least very weakly articulated. This usage is favoured by only 6% of British speakers, and is only slightly more common in writing.[1]
  • In the other direction, a can rarely be found before a vowel in nonstandard (often dialectal) speech and written representations thereof, as in "ain't this a innerestin sitchation" (Moira Young, Blood Red Road).
  • The various article senses of a are all senses of an.
TranslationsEdit
indefinite article

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage (2015, →ISBN, page 2: "Before words beginning with h [...] the standard modern approach is to use a (never an) together with an aspirated h [...], but not to demur if others use an with minimal or nil aspiration given to the following h (an historic /әn (h)ɪsˈtɒrɪk/, an horrific /әn (h)ɒˈrɪfɪk/, etc.)." Fowler's goes on to source the 6% figure to Wells (third edition, 2008).

Etymology 2Edit

From Middle English an.

ConjunctionEdit

an

  1. (archaic) If
    • 1596-97, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act I Scene 2:
      […] An the worst fall that ever fell, I hope I shall make shift to go without him.
    • 1886-88, Richard F. Burton, The Supplemental Nights to the Thousand Nights and a Night:
      Thereupon, quoth he, "O woman, for sundry days I have seen thee attend the levée sans a word said; so tell me an thou have any requirement I may grant."
  2. (archaic) So long as.
    An it harm none, do what ye will.
  3. (archaic) As if; as though.
TranslationsEdit

Etymology 3Edit

Borrowed from Georgian ან (an).

NounEdit

an (plural ans)

  1. The first letter of the Georgian alphabet, ა (Mkhedruli), Ⴀ (Asomtavruli) or ⴀ (Nuskhuri).

Etymology 4Edit

From the Old English an, on (preposition).

PrepositionEdit

an

  1. In each; to or for each; per.
    I was only going twenty miles an hour.
Usage notesEdit
  • This is the same as the word a in such contexts, modified because of preceding an unpronounced h. The train was speeding along at a mile a minute.
SynonymsEdit
TranslationsEdit

ReferencesEdit

AnagramsEdit

AlbanianEdit

EtymologyEdit

Possibly a metaphorical use of anë (“vessel”).

NounEdit

an m (definite singular ani)

  1. (anatomy) womb, caul
    Synonym: mitër
  2. (anatomy) joint
  3. (dialectal) room, vessel
  4. (dialectal, Italy) ship

Related termsEdit

ArinEdit

NounEdit

an

  1. haunch

AromanianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin annus. Compare Daco-Romanian an.

NounEdit

an n (plural anji)

  1. year

BambaraEdit

PronunciationEdit

PronounEdit

an

  1. we

BourguignonEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Latin annus.

NounEdit

an m (plural ans)

  1. year
Derived termsEdit

Etymology 2Edit

From Latin in

PrepositionEdit

an

  1. in
SynonymsEdit

Etymology 3Edit

From Latin inde

PronounEdit

an

  1. used to indicate an indefinite quantity, of it, of them
    J'an veus deus
    I want two of them
    J'an seus seur
    I am sure of it

BretonEdit

Alternative formsEdit

ArticleEdit

an

  1. the

ChuukeseEdit

DeterminerEdit

an

  1. third person singular possessive; his, hers, its (used with general-class objects)

Related termsEdit

Chuukese possessive determiners
Small objects, concepts Large objects, living things Suffix
Singular First person ai nei -ei
Second person omw, om noum -om
Third person an noun -an
Plural First person äm (exclusive)
ach (inclusive)		 nöu̇m (exclusive)
nöüch (inclusive)		 -em (exclusive)
-ach (inclusive)
Second person ämi, ami noumi -emi
Third person ar nour -er


NounEdit

an

  1. path, road

CimbrianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Middle High German ein, from Old High German ein, from Proto-Germanic *ainaz. Cognate with German ein, Dutch een, English one, Icelandic einn.

ArticleEdit

an

  1. (Sette Comuni) a, an
    an gamègalndar mann ― a married man

DeclensionEdit

Cimbrian indefinite articles
Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative an an an
Accusative an an an
Dative aname anara aname

ConjunctionEdit

an

  1. (Sette Comuni) that (introduces a subordinate clause)
    Khömme an dar sbaighe.
    Tell him that he needs to shut up.

ReferencesEdit

  • “an” in Martalar, Umberto Martello; Bellotto, Alfonso (1974) Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo

CornishEdit

ArticleEdit

an

  1. the (definite article)

Crimean TatarEdit

NounEdit

an

  1. moment

DeclensionEdit

Declension of an
nominative an
genitive anniñ
dative ange
accusative anni
locative ande
ablative anden

ReferencesEdit

  • Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎[1], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN

DanishEdit

VerbEdit

an

  1. imperative of ane

ElfdalianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old Norse hann. Cognate with Swedish han.

PronounEdit

an m

  1. he

EmilianEdit

 
Emiliano-Romagnolo Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia eml

NounEdit

an m

  1. year

FrenchEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old French, from Latin annus, from Proto-Italic *atnos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂et-no-, probably from *h₂et- (“to go”).

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

an m (plural ans)

  1. A year

SynonymsEdit

Further readingEdit

AnagramsEdit

FriulianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin annus.

NounEdit

an m (plural agns)

  1. year

FulaEdit

DeterminerEdit

an (singular)

  1. (possessive) Alternative form of am (my).

Usage notesEdit

ReferencesEdit

FuyugEdit

NounEdit

an (plural aning)

  1. man

ReferencesEdit

  • Robert L. Bradshaw, Fuyug grammar sketch (2007)

GermanEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old High German ana.

PronunciationEdit

PrepositionEdit

an (+ dative)

  1. (local) on; upon; at; in; against
    Das Bild hängt an der Wand. ― The picture hangs on the wall.
  2. by; near; close to; next to
  3. (temporal) on; in; at
    Am Dienstag. ― On Tuesday.
  4. (temporal) a; per; only used with the word Tag (“day”), otherwise use in
    zweimal am Tag ― twice a day

an (+ accusative)

  1. on; onto
    Ich hänge das Bild an die Wand. ― I hang the picture on the wall.
  2. at; against
    Schauen Sie an die Tafel. ― Look at the blackboard.
  3. to; for
    Ein Brief an Anna. ― A letter for Anna.

Usage notesEdit

  • Usually used to refer to something being on a vertical surface, as opposed to auf, which usually points to a horizontal surface.
  • When followed by the masculine/neuter definite article in the dative case (i.e. dem (“the”)), the two words can contract to am (“on the”).
  • When followed by the neuter definite article in the accusative case (i.e. das (“the”)), the two words can contract to ans (“on the”).

AdverbEdit

an

  1. onward; on
    von heute an ― from today on

Derived termsEdit

AnagramsEdit

GirawaEdit

NounEdit

an

  1. water

Further readingEdit

  • Patricia Lillie, Girawa Dictionary

GothicEdit

RomanizationEdit

an

  1. Romanization of 𐌰𐌽

Haitian CreoleEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From French un.

ArticleEdit

an

  1. the (definite article)
Usage notesEdit

Use this word when:

  • It modifies a singular noun, and
  • It is preceded by a word that ends with either:

See alsoEdit

Etymology 2Edit

From French an (“year”)

NounEdit

an

  1. year
SynonymsEdit

IdoEdit

EtymologyEdit

Borrowed from English on, German an. Decision no. 759, Progreso V.

PronunciationEdit

PrepositionEdit

an

  1. at, on (indicates contiguity, juxtaposition)
    Me pendis pikturi an la parieto. ― I hung paintings on the wall.

Derived termsEdit

ReferencesEdit

  • Progreso IV (in Ido), 1911–1912, pages 409, 523, 591, 622
  • Progreso V (in Ido), 1912–1913, page 659

IrishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old Irish in, from Proto-Celtic *sindos.

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): /ənˠ/, (between consonants) /ə/, (before a/á, o/ó, u/ú) /ə.nˠ-/, (before e/é, i/í) /ə.n̠ʲ-/

ArticleEdit

an

  1. the
    an t-uisce ― the water
    an bhean ― the woman
    an pháiste ― of the child
    ag an gcailín/chailín ― at the girl
DeclensionEdit
Case Masculine singular Feminine singular Plural
Nominative anT anL naH
Genitive anL naH naE
Dative anD anD naH
D: Triggers lenition after de, do, and i (except of d, t; s lenites to ts; s always lenites with feminine nouns,
even with prepositions that normally trigger eclipsis, but does not lenite at all with masculine nouns)
and eclipsis otherwise (varies by dialect)
E: Triggers eclipsis
H: Triggers h-prothesis
L: Triggers lenition (except of d, t; s lenites to ts)
T: Triggers t-prothesis

Etymology 2Edit

From Old Irish in.

PronunciationEdit

  • (preverbal particle): IPA(key): (before a consonant) /ə/, (before a/á, o/ó, u/ú) /ə.nˠ-/, (before e/é, i/í) /ə.n̠ʲ-/
  • (copular particle): IPA(key): /ənˠ/, (before é, ea, í, iad) /ə.n̠ʲ-/

Particle 1Edit

an (triggers eclipsis; takes the dependent form of irregular verbs if available; not used in the past tense except of some irregular verbs)

  1. Used to form direct and indirect questions
    An bhfuil tú ag éisteacht? ― Are you listening?
    Níl a fhios agam an bhfuil sé anseo. ― I don’t know if/whether he is here.
Related termsEdit
  • ar (used with the past tense of regular and some irregular verbs)

Particle 2Edit

an

  1. used to introduce copular questions, both direct and indirect, in the present/future tense
    An maith leat bainne? ― Do you like milk?
    Níl a fhios agam an é Conchúr a chonaic mé. ― I don’t know if it’s Connor whom I saw.
Related termsEdit
Irish copular forms
Simple copular forms
Present/future
Affirmative Negative Interrogative Neg. inter.
Main clauses is ní an nach
Direct relative clauses nach
Indirect relative clauses ar, arbv
Other subordinate clauses gur, gurbv an nach
Past/conditional
Affirmative Negative Interrogative Neg. inter.
Main clauses ba, b’v níor, níorbhv ar, arbhv nár, nárbhv
Direct relative clauses ba, abv nár, nárbhv
Indirect relative clauses ar, arbhv
Other subordinate clauses gur, gurbhv ar, arbhv nár, nárbhv
Present subjunctive
Affirmative Negative
gura, gurabv nára, nárabv
     Compound copular forms
Base word Present/future Past/conditional
má más má ba, má b’v
ó (“since”) ós ó ba, ó b’v
dá dá mba, dá mb’v
mura mura, murabv murar, murarbhv
cé cér, cérbv cér, cérbhv
cá cár, cárbv cár, cárbhv
de/do dar, darbv dar, darbhv
faoi faoinar, faoinarbv faoinar, faoinarbhv
i inar, inarbv inar, inarbhv
le lenar, lenarbv lenar, lenarbhv
ó (“from”) ónar, ónarbv ónar, ónarbhv
trí trínar, trínarbv trínar, trínarbhv
v Used before vowel sounds

Etymology 3Edit

VerbEdit

an (present analytic anann, future analytic anfaidh, verbal noun anacht, past participle anta)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) Alternative form of fan (“stay, wait, remain”)
ConjugationEdit
First Conjugation (A)
singular plural relative autonomous
first second third first second third
indicative present anaim anann tú;
anair†		 anann sé, sí anaimid anann sibh anann siad;
anaid†		 a anann; a anas /
a n-anann*; a n-anas* 		antar
past d'an mé; d'anas /
an mé‡; anas‡ 		d'an tú; d'anais /
an tú; anais‡ 		d'an sé, sí /
an sé, sí‡ 		d'anamar; d'an muid /
anamar; an muid‡ 		d'an sibh; d'anabhair /
an sibh;
anabhair‡ 		d'an siad; d'anadar /
an siad; anadar‡ 		a d'an /
ar an* 		anadh;
hanadh†
past habitual d'anainn /
anainn‡; n-anainn‡‡ 		d'antá /
antá‡; n-antᇇ 		d'anadh sé, sí /
anadh sé, sí‡; n-anadh sé, s퇇 		d'anaimis; d'anadh muid /
anaimis; anadh muid‡; n-anaimis‡‡; n-anadh muid‡‡ 		d'anadh sibh /
anadh sibh‡; n-anadh sibh‡‡ 		d'anaidís; d'anadh siad /
anaidís; anadh siad‡; n-anaidís‡‡; n-anadh siad‡‡ 		a d'anadh /
a n-anadh* 		d'antaí /
antaí‡; n-anta퇇
future anfaidh mé;
anfad 		anfaidh tú;
anfair†		 anfaidh sé, sí anfaimid;
anfaidh muid 		anfaidh sibh anfaidh siad;
anfaid†		 a anfaidh; a anfas /
a n-anfaidh*; a n-anfas* 		anfar
conditional d'anfainn / anfainn‡; n-anfainn‡‡ d'anfá / anfá‡; n-anfᇇ d'anfadh sé, sí / anfadh sé, sí‡; n-anfadh sé, s퇇 d'anfaimis; d'anfadh muid / anfaimis‡; anfadh muid‡; n-anfaimis‡‡; n-anfadh muid‡‡ d'anfadh sibh / anfadh sibh‡; n-anfadh sibh‡‡ d'anfaidís; d'anfadh siad / anfaidís‡; anfadh siad‡; n-anfaidís‡‡; n-anfadh siad‡‡ a d'anfadh /
a n-anfadh* 		d'anfaí / anfaí‡; n-anfa퇇
subjunctive present go n-ana mé;
go n-anad†		 go n-ana tú;
go n-anair†		 go n-ana sé, sí go n-anaimid;
go n-ana muid 		go n-ana sibh go n-ana siad;
go n-anaid†		 — go n-antar
past dá n-anainn dá n-antá dá n-anadh sé, sí dá n-anaimis;
dá n-anadh muid 		dá n-anadh sibh dá n-anaidís;
dá n-anadh siad 		— dá n-antaí
imperative anaim an anadh sé, sí anaimis anaigí;
anaidh†		 anaidís — antar
verbal noun anacht
past participle anta

* Indirect relative
† Archaic or dialect form
‡ Dependent form
‡‡ Dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis (except an)

Etymology 4Edit

ParticleEdit

an

  1. Alternative form of a (used before numbers when counting)

MutationEdit

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

Further readingEdit

JapaneseEdit

RomanizationEdit

an

  1. Rōmaji transcription of あん

KurdishEdit

ConjunctionEdit

an

  1. or

SynonymsEdit

  • yan (after a vowel-ending word)

LadinEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin annus.

NounEdit

an m (plural ani)

  1. year

LatinEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Italic *an, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en. Cognate with Lithuanian angu (“or”), Gothic 𐌰𐌽 (an, “so? now?”). May also be related to Ancient Greek ἄν (án, particle), Sanskrit अना (anā́), Avestan 𐬀𐬥𐬁‎ (anā), Lithuanian anàs, Proto-Slavic *onъ.[1]

PronunciationEdit

ConjunctionEdit

an

  1. or, or whether (A conjunction that introduces the second part of a disjunctive interrogation, or a phrase implying doubt.)
    1. in disjunctive interrogations
      1. direct
        1. (introduced by utrum (“whether”))
        2. (introduced by -ne (interrogative enclitic))
        3. (introduced by nonne (“[is it] not”))
        4. (introduced by num (interrogative particle))
        5. (without an introductory particle)
      2. indirect
        1. (introduced by utrum (“whether”))
        2. (introduced by -ne, interrogative enclitic)
        3. (introduced by an)
        4. (without an introductory particle)
      3. or rather, or on the contrary (where the opinion of the speaker or the probability inclines to the second interrogative clause, and this is made emphatic, as a corrective of the former)
        1. hence, in the comic poets, as an potius
      4. or, or rather, or indeed, or perhaps (where, as is frequent, the first part of the interrogation is not expressed, but is to be supplied from the context, an begins the interrogation, but it does not begin an absolute – i.e., non-disjunctive – interrogation)
      5. (in the phrase an nōn) or not
        1. in direct questions
        2. in indirect questions
      6. (in the phrase an ne) pleonastic usage for an
        1. in direct questions
        2. in indirect questions
    2. (in disjunctive clauses that express doubt) or
      1.  ?
      2. denoting uncertainty by itself, without a verb of doubting
      3. (chiefly in and after the Augustean period) standing for sīve
      4. where the first disjunctive clause is to be supplied from the general idea or where an stands for utrum or necne
      5. Since in such distributive sentences expressive of doubt, the opinion of the speaker or the probability usually inclines to the second, i.e. to the clause beginning with an, the expressions haud sciō an, nesciō an, and dubitō an incline to an affirmative signification, “I almost know”, “I am inclined to think”, “I almost think”, “I might say”, “I might assert that”, etc., for “perhaps”, “probably”.
      6. Sometimes the distributive clause beginning with an designates directly the opposite, the more improbable, the negative; in which case nesciō an, haud sciō an, etc., like the English I know not whether, signify “I think that not”, “I believe that not”, etc.

Usage notesEdit

  • Used with utrum (“whether”) in the construction utrum...an (“whether...or”):
    Nescio quid intersit, utrum nunc veniam, an ad decem annos.
    I know not what matter it is, whether I come now or after ten years.

Derived termsEdit

ReferencesEdit

  • ăn in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • an in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
  • Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎[2], London: Macmillan and Co.
    • to offer a person the alternative of... or..: optionem alicui dare, utrum...an
    • it is a debated point whether... or..: in contentione ponitur, utrum...an
    • it is a difficult point, disputed question: magna quaestio est (followed by an indirect question)
    • to keep, celebrate a festival: diem festum agere (of an individual)
  1. ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill

LoniuEdit

NounEdit

an

  1. fresh water

ReferencesEdit

  • Malcolm Ross, Andrew Pawley, Meredith Osmond, The Lexicon of Proto-Oceanic →ISBN, 2007)
  • Blust's Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (as ʔan)

Low GermanEdit

PronunciationEdit

  • Rhymes: -an
  • IPA(key): /an/, /aːn/, /ɒːn/, /ɔːn/

PrepositionEdit

an

  1. on
  2. to, at

InflectionEdit

Pronominal adverbs of an
preposition an
postpositional adv. an
+ her (hither) ran
+ düt (this) hieran
+ dat (that) doran
+ wat (what) woran
+ wat (something) enerwegens an
+ nix (nothing) nargens an
+ allens (everything) överall an

Neither the spelling nor grammar of these forms applies to all, or even necessarily the majority, of dialects.

AdverbEdit

an

  1. on

See alsoEdit

LuxembourgishEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old High German indi.

ConjunctionEdit

an

  1. and

Etymology 2Edit

From Proto-Germanic *in.

PrepositionEdit

an

  1. in

MandarinEdit

RomanizationEdit

an

  1. Nonstandard spelling of ān.
  2. Nonstandard spelling of án.
  3. Nonstandard spelling of ǎn.
  4. Nonstandard spelling of àn.

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.

Middle DutchEdit

PronunciationEdit

PrepositionEdit

an

  1. Alternative form of āne

Middle EnglishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old English in.

PrepositionEdit

an

  1. Alternative form of in

Etymology 2Edit

From Old English and.

ConjunctionEdit

an

  1. Alternative form of and

Etymology 3Edit

From Old English an.

NumberEdit

an

  1. Alternative form of oon

Middle FrenchEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old French an, from Latin annus.

NounEdit

an m (plural ans)

  1. year

DescendantsEdit

  • French: an

Middle WelshEdit

PronunciationEdit

DeterminerEdit

an

  1. Alternative form of yn

MirandeseEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin in.

PrepositionEdit

an

  1. in
  2. on

NormanEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old French an, from Latin annus.

PronunciationEdit

  • Audio (Jersey)
    		(file)

NounEdit

an m (plural ans)

  1. (Guernsey, Jersey) year

SynonymsEdit

Derived termsEdit

NovialEdit

PrepositionEdit

an

  1. at, on, next to or contiguous with something

OccitanEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old Occitan an, from Latin annus.

NounEdit

an m (plural ans)

  1. year

Usage notesEdit

  • Also used with the verb aver (“to have”) to indicate age

Etymology 2Edit

See the etymology of the main entry.

VerbEdit

an

  1. third-person plural present indicative of aver

Old EnglishEdit

Alternative formsEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Germanic *ainaz, from Proto-Indo-European *óynos. Germanic cognates include Old Frisian ān, Old Saxon ēn, Dutch een, Old High German ein (German ein), Old Norse einn (Swedish en), Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃 (ains). The Indo-European root is also the source of Latin ūnus, Ancient Greek οἶος (oîos), Old Irish oen.

PronunciationEdit

NumeralEdit

ān

  1. one
    • c. 893 C.E., Alfred the Great (uncertain), transl., chapter IX, in Joseph Bosworth, editor, King Alfred’s Anglo-Saxon Version of The Compendious History of the World, London: Longman, translation of Historiae Adversus Paganos by Orosius, published 1859, book IV, page 92:
      […] án wæs on Ispania ; oþer on Mæcedonia ; þridde on Capadotia ; feorðe æt ham wið Hannibal ; and hí eac oftost geflymde wurdon, and gesbismrade.
      One was in Spain; another in Macedonia; a third in Cappadocia; a fourth at home against Hannibal; and they were also very often put to flight and disgraced.

DeclensionEdit

Declension of ān
Singular Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative ān ān ān
Accusative ānne, ǣnne āne ān
Genitive ānes ānre ānes
Dative ānum ānre ānum
Instrumental āne ānre āne
Plural
Nominative āne
Accusative āne
Genitive ānra
Dative ānum
Instrumental ānum

Usage notesEdit

As in modern English, usage doubles as both a numeral and a pronoun.

ArticleEdit

ān

  1. a; an (indefinite article)

AdjectiveEdit

ān

  1. only
  2. alone

Derived termsEdit

Related termsEdit

DescendantsEdit

Old FrenchEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin annus.

NounEdit

an m (oblique plural anz, nominative singular anz, nominative plural an)

  1. year

Related termsEdit

DescendantsEdit

  • Middle French: an
    • French: an
  • Norman: an

Old IrishEdit

PronounEdit

an (triggers eclipsis, takes a leniting relative clause)

  1. Alternative form of a
    • 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.

Old OccitanEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin annus (“year”).

NounEdit

an m (oblique plural ans, nominative singular ans, nominative plural an)

  1. year

DescendantsEdit

Old SaxonEdit

PrepositionEdit

an

  1. on, in

RomanianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin annus (“year”), from Proto-Italic *atnos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂et-no-, probably from *h₂et- (“to go”).

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

an m (plural ani)

  1. year

DeclensionEdit

declension of an
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) an anul (niște) ani anii
genitive/dative (unui) an anului (unor) ani anilor
vocative anule anilor

Derived termsEdit

RomanschEdit

Alternative formsEdit

  • (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Surmiran) onn
  • (Sutsilvan, Vallader) on

EtymologyEdit

From Latin annus.

NounEdit

an m (plural ans)

  1. (Puter) year

ScotsEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old English and, ond, end (“and”), from Proto-Germanic *andi, *anþi, *undi, *unþi (“and, furthermore”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti (“facing opposite, near, in front of, before”). Cognate with English and, North Frisian en (“and”), West Frisian en, in (“and”), Low German un (“and”), Dutch en (“and”), German und (“and”), Danish end (“but”), Swedish än (“yet, but”), Icelandic enn (“still, yet”), Albanian edhe (“and”) (dialectal ênde, ênne), ende (“still, yet, therefore”), Latin ante (“opposite, in front of”), and Ancient Greek ἀντί (antí, “opposite, facing”).

Alternative formsEdit

ConjunctionEdit

an

  1. and

Derived termsEdit

Scottish GaelicEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old Irish a.

PronounEdit

an

  1. their
Usage notesEdit
  • This form of possessive pronoun is not used before nouns beginning with b, f, m or p, where am is used instead.

Etymology 2Edit

From Old Irish i, from Proto-Celtic *en.

PrepositionEdit

an

  1. in
Usage notesEdit
  • This form is not used before nouns beginning with b, f, m or p, where ann am is used instead.
SynonymsEdit
Derived termsEdit
  • The following prepositional pronouns (or ‘conjugated prepositions’):
Person Number Prepositional pronoun Prepositional pronoun (emphatic)
Singular 1st annam annamsa
2nd annad annadsa
3rd m ann annsan
3rd f innte inntese
Plural 1st annainn annainne
2nd annaibh annaibhse
3rd annta anntasan

Etymology 3Edit

From Old Irish in.

ArticleEdit

an

  1. the
Usage notesEdit

This is the most common singular form. The most common plural form is na. For other forms and their specific uses, see pages listed in "See also" below.

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

SirayaEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Austronesian *-an.

NounEdit

an

  1. place

SwedishEdit

AdverbEdit

an

  1. used as a verb particle, similar to German preposition an (“at, in, on, to”)

Related termsEdit

PrepositionEdit

an

  1. (accounting) to

Torres Strait CreoleEdit

EtymologyEdit

From English hand.

NounEdit

an

  1. hand, lower arm
  2. flipper

TurkishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Arabic آن‎ (ʾān).

NounEdit

an (definite accusative anı, plural anlar)

  1. moment
DeclensionEdit
Inflection
Nominative an
Definite accusative anı
Singular Plural
Nominative an anlar
Definite accusative anı anları
Dative ana anlara
Locative anda anlarda
Ablative andan anlardan
Genitive anın anların
Possessive forms
Singular Plural
1st singular anım anlarım
2nd singular anın anların
3rd singular anı anları
1st plural anımız anlarımız
2nd plural anınız anlarınız
3rd plural anları anları

Etymology 2Edit

VerbEdit

an

  1. second-person singular imperative of anmak

VietnameseEdit

EtymologyEdit

Sino-Vietnamese word from 安 (“tranquil”).

PronunciationEdit

AdjectiveEdit

an

  1. (only in compounds) safe, secure

Derived termsEdit

Derived terms

Further readingEdit

VilamovianEdit

PronunciationEdit

ConjunctionEdit

an

  1. and

Related termsEdit

NumeralEdit

ān

  1. one

Related termsEdit

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