a

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

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

Character variations

ᵃ U+1D43, ᵃ MODIFIER LETTER SMALL A ← ᵂ [U+1D42] Phonetic Extensions ᵄ → [U+1D44]

ａ U+FF41, ａ FULLWIDTH LATIN SMALL LETTER A ← ｀ [U+FF40] Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms ｂ → [U+FF42]

Some typefaces have a single-story form of a. This has a dedicated Unicode character ⟨ɑ⟩ for IPA use.

Languages (175)

Translingual • English

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Page categories

Translingual

Etymology 1

Modification of capital A.

Pronunciation

• Pronunciation of IPA [aː]:

  (file)

Letter

a (upper case A)

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

   (superscript) See ª.

Symbol

a

1. (IPA, phonetics) an open front or central unrounded vowel.
2. (IPA, superscript ⟨ᵃ⟩) [a]-coloring or a weak, fleeting, epenthetic or echo [a].
3. (international standards) transliterates Indic अ (or equivalent).

See also

• (Latin script):  Aa  Bb  Cc  Dd  Ee  Ff  Gg  Hh  Ii  Jj  Kk  Ll  Mm  Nn  Oo  Pp  Qq  Rr  Sſs  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
• open front unrounded vowel on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 2

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

Symbol

a

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

Etymology 3

From Latin annum or annus.

Symbol

a

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

Etymology 4

Abbreviation of are, from French are.

Symbol

a

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

Etymology 5

Abbreviation of English acceleration.

Symbol

a

1. (physics) acceleration

Etymology 6

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “from annuity?”)

Symbol

a

1. (actuarial notation) Annuity; (specifically) annuity-immediate.

   a_x:n̅| ― n-year annuity-immediate to a person currently age x

   a_x ― life annuity-immediate to a person currently age x

Other representations of A:

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

Signal flag:

Semaphore:

Gallery

• Letter styles
• 
  Uppercase and lowercase versions of A, in normal and italic type
• 
  Uppercase and lowercase A in Fraktur
• 
  Approximate form of Greek uppercase Α (a, “alpha”), the source of both common variants of a A in uncial script

English

Etymology 1

The letter name is from Middle English ā, from Old French, ultimately from Latin ā. Use of the Latin letter in (Old) English displaced the futhorc letter ᚪ (a) beginning in the 7th century, and partially also ᚫ (æ).

Pronunciation

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

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

  • (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈæɪ/
  • (Canada) IPA^(key): [ˈeː]
  • 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) IPA^(key): /æ/, /ɑː/, /eɪ/, /ə/, etc.

Letter

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

1. The first letter of the English alphabet, written in the Latin script.
   • 1917, John Wesley Young, Frank Millett Morgan, Elementary Mathematical Analysis, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, page 487:

     This expression is zero, for we have replaced the column of a's by the column of b's and hence the determinant has two columns identical.

   • 1926, George Kelly, Craig's Wife, Act I, page 5:

     Passmore. Capital P-a-double s-m-o-r-e.

   • 1974, Ervin A. Dennis, John D. Jenkins, “A Font of Type”, in Comprehensive Graphic Arts, Indianapolis, I.N.: Howard W. Sams & Co., Inc., →ISBN, page 26, column 2:

     Note that with 18-point type, fifteen capital A's, twenty-five lowercase a's, and twelve 1's are obtained with one font. With this information, it is possible to refer to Table 10-1 which gives the number of characters for each letter, punctuation mark, or figure.

   • 2013, Margaret McPhee, Mistress to the Marquis, Toronto, Ont.: Harlequin Historical, →ISBN, page 249:

     Across every sheet of paper were lines and lines of letters of the alphabet. A row of a's followed by a row of b's and so on, pages of them, like pages from a copy book, crudely formed as if from the hand of a young child.

   • 2014 February 23, Rivka Galchen, “What’s Become of the So-Called Literary Bad Boy?”, in The New York Times‎^[2], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2014-02-19:

     In the seventh grade I admired a charismatic, witty girl who had a particular way of writing her lowercase a's. After some practice, I took to writing my lowercase a's in the same fashion.

Usage notes

• In English, the letter a usually denotes the near-open front unrounded vowel (IPA^(key): /æ/), as in pad, the open back unrounded vowel (IPA^(key): /ɑː/) as in father, the mid-central vowel (IPA^(key): /ə/) when unstressed as in about, or, when followed by another vowel, the diphthong IPA^(key): /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

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 a's or (rare) aes)

1. The name of the Latin script letter A / a.
   • 1816, William Young Ottley, An Inquiry Into the Origin and Early History of Engraving […], volume II, London: […] John and Arthur Arch, […] by J. M'Creery, page 621:

     This piece somewhat resembles an a. On the left is a man seated on the ground, with a dog between his legs, and a large bird of prey in his hands, which appears to be biting his head.

   • 1842, Alfred Tennyson, “The Epic”, in Poems. […], volume II, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 2:

     But with some prelude of disparagement, / Read, mouthing out his hollow oes and aes, / Deep-chested music, and to this result.

   • [1906, Leigh H[adley] Irvine, “Abbreviations in General”, in The Magazine Style Code: A Manual For The Guidance Of Authors, Reporters And All Who Write, San Francisco, C.A.: Crown Publishing Company, pages 15–16:

     Letters should be spelled as follows; aes, bees, cees, dees, ees, efs, gees, aitches, ies, jays, kays, els, ems, ens, oes, pees, ques, ars, esses, tees, ues, vees, ws or dubleyuz, exes, wyes, zees.]

   • 1993, Frank Pagden, “Teaching”, in The Gospel According to St. Lynas, Tunbridge Wells: Mitre, →ISBN, unnumbered page:

     St Lynas was chatting with a group of rebellious young college students one day, who decried the moral standards of the past. ¶ So St Lynas drew an 'a' on some paper, and asked them what it was. ¶ 'A' they said.

   • 2023, Amanda Stevens, Secret of Shutter Lake, Toronto, Ont.: Harlequin Intrigue, →ISBN, page 237:

     Compare Lydia's signature on some of the work orders with the warning notes. The loop through the lowercase a is similar. See what I mean?

Alternative forms

• ay

 

Derived terms

• A-okay

 

Translations

See a/translations § Noun.

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)}

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *éy?

Proto-Indo-European *-nós?

Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos

Proto-Germanic *ainaz

Proto-West Germanic *ain

Old English ān

Middle English an

Middle English a

English a

From Middle English a, an, from Old English ān (“one; a; lone; sole”). More at one. The "n" was gradually lost before consonants in almost all dialects by the 15th century. Cognate with Alemannic German a (“a, an”), East Franconian a (“a, an”).

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (US, stressed form):

  (file)

• Audio (US, unstressed form):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪ
• Homophone: her (non-rhotic, unstressed form)

Article

a

1. An unspecified example of (something); the indefinite article. [from before 1150]

   There was a man here looking for you yesterday.

   • 1835, [Washington Irving], chapter XX, in A Tour on the Prairies (The Crayon Miscellany; no. 1), Philadelphia, Pa.: [Henry Charles] Carey, [Isaac] Lea, & Blanchard, →OCLC, page 151:

     He had another formidable difficulty in getting him across the river, where both horses stuck for a time in the mire, and Beatte was nearly unseated from his saddle by the force of the current and the struggles of his captive.

   • 1859 December 13, Charles Dickens, “The Mortals in the House”, in Charles Dickens, editor, The Haunted House. The Extra Christmas Number of All the Year Round […], volume II, London: […] C[harles] Whiting, […], →OCLC, page 6, column 1:

     The young man thanked me, and took his leave with some little precipitation, after declining a glass of liquor.

   • 1868 January 4 – June 6, [William] Wilkie Collins, “(please specify the page) [Fourth Narrative. Extracted from the Journal of Ezra Jennings.]”, in The Moonstone. A Romance. […], volume III, London: Tinsley Brothers, […], published 1868, →OCLC, page 185:

     Speaking as a servant, I am deeply indebted to you. Speaking as a man, I consider you to be a person whose head is full of maggots, and I take up my testimony against your experiment as a delusion and a snare.

   • 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, “Preface”, in The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →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)

   • 2023 March 9, Moya Lothian-Mclean, “A nose ring, a bicycle, a Radiohead album: I'm becoming a total cliche – and I quite like it”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎^[3], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-05-11:

     In retrospect, I realise, I had been unconsciously devoting a large amount of energy to negative choice, a concept I'm borrowing and adapting from sociologist Eva Illouz's 2019 treatise, The End of Love (by way of a viral Paris Review essay).

   • 2024 May 21, Sarah Larson, “When the C.I.A. Turned Writers Into Operatives”, in The New Yorker‎^[4], New York, N.Y.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-05-21:

     The C.I.A. infiltrated not just magazines, radio, and movies but youth organizations and movements like Abstract Expressionism; all were meant to inspire a reverence for democracy and freedom, a project that, in Walker's telling, often tips into absurdity.

2. One; used before score, dozen, hundred, thousand, million, etc.

   I've seen it happen a hundred times.

   • 1945, Peter Cheyney, Sinister Errand, London: Collins, published 1952, page 8:

     Everybody drinks a lot in wartime, but it seemed to me that I must have drunk enough to float a couple of battleships.

   • 1999, Sara Hylton, Separate Lives, London: Piatkus, →ISBN, page 93:

     You've seen it a dozen times already.

   • 2024 February 27, “The economics of skiing in America”, in The Economist‎^[5], London: The Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 8 May 2024:

     By the time he gets onto a chair, the pristine powder snow below the lift has already been chopped up by a hundred tracks, and the line to get back up stretches the length of a football field.

3. Used in some phrases denoting quantity, such as a few, a good many, a couple, a little, a bit, etc.

   He's a bit thick, isn't he?

   They asked me a few questions.

   • 1869, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, “My Lord and Lady”, in Little Women: […], part second, Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, →OCLC, page 315:

     But I was going to say, that while I was dawdling about abroad, I saw a good many talented young fellows making all sorts of sacrifices, and enduring real hardships, that they might realize their dreams. Splendid fellows, some of them, working like heroes, poor and friendless, but so full of courage, patience and ambition, that I was ashamed of myself, and longed to give them a right good lift.

   • 1989, Robert T. Michael, Heidi I[rmgard] Hartmann, Brigid O'Farrell, editors, Pay Equity: Empirical Inquiries, Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, →ISBN, page 3, column 2:

     The main influence here is job tenure—the men had been at their specific jobs a good while longer than the women.

   • 2024 February 13, René M. van Westen, Henk A. Dijkstra, Michael Kliphuis, “If the Atlantic Ocean Loses Circulation, What Happens Next?”, in Scientific American‎^[6], New York, N.Y.: Springer Nature America, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 13 February 2024:

     Twenty years after the movie's release, we know a lot more about the Atlantic Ocean's circulation. Instruments deployed in the ocean starting in 2004 show that the Atlantic Ocean circulation has observably slowed over the past two decades, possibly to its weakest state in almost a millennium.

   1. Used before a numeral.

      There are a few hundred orders that need to be fulfilled by tomorrow.

      • 1934, Alan Villiers, Whalers of the Midnight Sun: […], New York, N.Y., London: Charles Scribner's Sons, page 154:

        The blues were eating leisurely, swimming about and opening their great mouths, spouting and filling their enormous stomachs with intense satisfaction. They had no idea of danger. There must have been about fifteen of them, peacefully feeding. One of them, its belly gorged probably with a few trillion plankton, seemed to be lying asleep on the surface.

      • 2020 July 31, Brian Friedberg, “The Dark Virality of a Hollywood Blood-Harvesting Conspiracy”, in Wired‎^[7], San Francisco, C.A.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-05-15:

        The impact of hidden virality can't be stopped by retroactively banning a few thousand Twitter accounts; it is an iterative, memetic phenomenon that outpaces terms of service.

      • 2023, Don Winslow, City of Dreams, London: HarperCollins Publishers, →ISBN, page 332:

        That was on the first day's walk. It took him until day three, after a good ten miles, to ask her out.

4. Used in some adverbial phrases denoting the degree or extent of an action, such as a little, a bit, a lot, etc.

   The door was opened a little.

   • 1978, Deane H. Shapiro, Jr., Precision Nirvana, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, Inc., →ISBN, page 104:

     If, for example, you ask a child what he likes to do, he may say he doesn't know. However, if you watch him during free time, and note that he plays basketball a lot, you may infer that this is a high-probability behavior, and he finds it reinforcing.

   • 2009, James H. S. McGregor, Paris From the Ground Up, Cambridge, M.A., London: Belknap Press, →ISBN, page 163:

     The bridge was shifted a bit to the east and rebuilt, this time with the shops of money-changers along both sides.

   • 2023 January 13, Dana G. Smith, “Even a Little Alcohol Can Harm Your Health, Research Shows”, in The New York Times‎^[8], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-05-10:

     You don't need to go cold turkey to help your health. Even reducing a little bit can be beneficial, especially if you currently drink over the recommended limits.

5. The same; one and the same. Used in phrases such as of a kind, birds of a feather, etc.

   We are of a mind on matters of morals.

   They're two of a kind.

6. Any; every; used before a noun which has become modified to limit its scope.

   A man who dies intestate leaves his children troubles and difficulties.

7. Any; used with a negative to indicate not a single one.

   It was so dark that we couldn't see a thing.

   He fell all that way, and hasn't a bump on his head?

   • 2001, Stephen Lawhead, The Mystic Rose Book (Celtic Crusades; III), London,  […]: BCA, page 180:

     No, it is impossible. My conscience would give me not a moment's peace if I let you go. I would never forgive myself.

   • 2014, Sherry D. Ficklin, Queen of Someday: A Stolen Empire Novel, [Colony, T.X.]: Clean Teen Publishing, →ISBN, page 116:

     When had my own feelings become so muddled and complicated? Before I take a single step, he catches my arm, turning me to him.

   • 2016, Daphna Rabinovitch, “Fudge Truffle Tart”, in The Baker in Me, Vancouver, B.C.: Whitecap Books, →ISBN, page 204:

     My friend Cindy's husband, Michael Zahavi, a true chocoholic if there ever was one, adores this tart. In fact, when I visited their cottage up in Muskoka, Ontario one summer and brought this along as a treat, he got up in the middle of the night to nosh away at it, leaving us sleepyheads with nary a crumb the next day.

8. Used before an adjective that modifies a noun (singular or plural) delimited by a numeral.

   The lottery jackpot is worth a staggering three hundred million dollars.

   The holidays are a mere one week away.

9. One; someone named; used before a person's name, suggesting that the speaker knows little about the person other than the name.

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

10. Used before an adjective modifying a person's name, typically used to emphasize that person's current condition or emotional state.
    • 1963, Robert Hancock, Ruth Ellis: The Last Woman To Be Hanged, London: Orion, published 1993, →ISBN, page 35:

      At Waterloo she asked George for £5 and said that she would go home by tube, and a relieved George watched her descend the Underground steps.

    • 2016, David J. Bailey, The Storm, London: Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd., →ISBN, page 147:

      "There, I think that's done it," declared a triumphant John, "we just need to try it with the bar now, where is it?"

    • 2018, “Rwandan court drops all charges against opposition figure”, in Associated Press:

      "I will continue my campaign to fight for the rights of all Rwandans," a surprised but happy Rwigara told reporters after celebrating.

11. 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.

    The man is a regular Romeo.

    • 1987, Frederic V. Grunfeld, Rodin: A Biography, New York, N.Y.: Henry Holt and Company, →ISBN, page 88:

      [Jules] Pécher actually sculpted a sort of Statue of Liberty for the centerpiece of the monument, but for the rest he thought it advisable to call in Van Rasbourgh, and Rodin thus became a ghost sculptor to a ghost sculptor.

    • 2009, Ed Macy, Hellfire, London: Harper Press, →ISBN, page 134:

      Billy fancied himself as a bit of a Han Solo, but he shook his head. 'Stop being a wuss.' He grinned. 'Your go.'

    • 2020, Laura Erickson, The Love Lives of Birds: Courting and Mating Rituals, North Adams, M.A.: Storey Publishing, →ISBN, page 81:

      For the first 5 or 6 days after the eggs hatch, the mother spends most of her time keeping the chicks warm while the father provides most of their meals. All that work may be what prompts the female to leave the family. They share feeding duties more equally during the next week or 10 days, until the young leave the nest. Producing a second batch is easier if she skips the last grueling week or two of provisioning fledglings. She can recharge her batteries by moseying off and, while on vacation, looking for a new Casanova.

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.

Derived terms

• a few
• a great many

 

Translations

See an/translations § Article.

See also

• 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. To do with separation; In, into. [from before 1150]

   torn a pieces

2. To do with time; Each, per, in, on, by. Often occurs between two nouns, where the first noun occurs at the end of a verbal phrase.[from before 1150]

   I brush my teeth twice a day.

   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene v]:

     A Sundays

   • 2019 February 3, “UN Study: China, US, Japan Lead World AI Development”, in Voice of America‎^[9], 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)

3. To do with status; In. [from before 1150]
   • King James Bible (II Chronicles 2:18)

     To set the people a worke.

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

   stand a tiptoe

5. (archaic) To do with process, with a passive verb; In the course of, experiencing. [from before 1150]
   • 1964, Bob Dylan (lyrics and music), “The Times They Are a-Changin'”:

     The times, they are a-changin'.

6. (archaic) To do with an action, an active verb; Engaged in. [16th c.]
   • c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:

     It was a doing.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Hebrews 11:21:

     Jacob, when he was a dying

7. (archaic) To do with an action/movement; To, into. [16th c.]
8. (obsolete) To do with method; In, with. [from before 1150]
   • c. 1589–1590 (date written), Christopher Marlo[we], edited by Tho[mas] Heywood, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Iew of Malta. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Nicholas Vavasour, […], published 1633, →OCLC, (please specify the page):

     Stands here a purpose.

9. (obsolete) To do with role or capacity; In. [from before 1150]

   a God’s name

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

See also

• on
• a-

Etymology 4

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

Alternative forms

• 'a, 'a', ha, ha'

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/

Verb

a

2. (dialectal or slang) Have (auxiliary verb).

   I'd a come, if you'd a asked.

   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shake-speare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (First Quarto), London: […] [Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and Iohn Trundell, published 1603, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene v], signature H2, recto:

     So would I a done, by yonder Sunne, / If thou hadſt not come to my bed.

   • 1863 May 22 – 1863 June 26, L[ouisa] M[ay] Alcott, “A Day”, in Hospital Sketches, Boston, Mass.: James Redpath, […], published August 1863, →OCLC, page 36:

     "Well, I reckon it did, marm, for that shot would a gone a couple a inches deeper but for my old mammy's camphor bag," answered the cheerful philosopher.

   • 1884 December 10, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter VII, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade) […], London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC, page 54:

     He dropped below me, with the current, and by-and-by he come a-swinging up shore in the easy water, and he went by so close I could a reached out the gun and touched him.

   • [1886, Robert Hollan, “A, prep.”, in A Glossary of Words Used in the County of Chester (English Dialect Society; XVI), London: Trübner & Co.:

     Oi'd a gen im a clout, if oi'd been theer.]

   • 1964, John Ehle, The Land Breakers, New York, N.Y. […]: Harper & Row, Publishers, page 53:

     They live in the river bottom. Don't you know a thing? I thought you must a seen them, since they was here all winter, cutting at the woods and burning brush.

   • 2013, William Brodrick, The Discourtesy of Death, London: Little, Brown, →ISBN, page 247:

     'I never told him, pleaded Liam. 'If I 'ad a done, he'd a taken the rifles, wouldn't he? Thing is, I wanted to fire a gun for real. See what it felt like. So I just borrowed it and went out on me own to have a go. But I didn't get the chance because I came across a patrol and I panicked and chucked the thing in a bin.'

3. (dialectal or slang, rare) had (auxiliary verb).
   • 1887 October, Octave Thanet [pseudonym; Alice French], “The Mortgage on Jeffy”, in Scribner's Magazine, volume II, number 4, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner's Sons, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 478, column 1:

     I wisht you a seen 'im; fust he looked mighty gubious; then he begins ter laff. He'll git likened ter ridin' mighty briefly."

Usage notes

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

Derived terms

• coulda
• shoulda
• woulda

 

Etymology 5

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

Alternative forms

• 'a

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ʌ/
• (it): (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ʌ/, /ɑ/
• Rhymes: -ʌ, -ɑ

Pronoun

a

1. (obsolete outside England and Scotland dialects) He, she, they: the third-person singular or plural nominative.
   • 1855, Kingsley, W. Ho!, page 120 (edition of 1889):

     He've a got a great venture on hand, but what a [it] be he tell'th no man.

   • 1864, Tennyson, N. Farmer, Old Style, st. 2:

     Doctors, they knaws nowt, fur a [they] says what's nawways true.

   1. (obsolete outside England and Scotland dialects) He, the third-person singular nominative.
      • 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:

        a’ brushes his hat o’ mornings.

      • 1795, Peter Pindar, The Royal Visit to Exeter, a Political Epistle: by John Ploughshare ... published by Peter Pindar, Esq, page 5:

        Well! in a come [in he came]—KING GEORGE to town, / With doust and zweat az netmeg brown, / The hosses all in smoke;

      • 1860, Kite, Sng. Sol., ii, 16:

        A do veed amang th' lilies.

      • 1864, Tennyson, N. Farmer, Old Style, st. 7, version of 1917, Raymond Macdonald Alden, Alfred Tennyson, how to Know Him, page 226:

        "The amoighty's a taakin' o' you to 'issén, my friend," a said, […]

   2. (obsolete outside England and Scotland dialects) She, the third-person singular nominative.
      • 1790, Grose, MS. add. (M.):

        A wanted me to go with her.

      • 1876, Bound, Prov.:

        Did a do it!

      • 1883, Hardy, Tover, page 124 (edition of 1895):

        A's getting wambling on her pins [shaky on her legs].

Etymology 6

Etymology tree

Proto-West Germanic *ab

Old English æf

Old English of

Middle English of

English a

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

Alternative forms

• o', o

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ə/

Preposition

a

2. (archaic or slang) Of.

   The name of John a Gaunt.

   • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:

     What time a day is it?

   • 1598, Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Euery Man in His Humour. A Comœdie. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     It’s six a clock.

   • 1931, A. P. Carter, "When I'm Gone"^[10]:

     Two bottles 'a whiskey for the way

   • 2006, Noire [pseudonym], Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 152:

     Isis rode my mug like she was on a ten-inch dick, and as soon as she nutted I tossed her ass off a me and flipped her on her back, then fucked the shit outta her cause it was payback time.

Usage notes

• Often attached without a hyphen to preceding word.

Etymology 7

From Northern Middle English aw, alteration of all.

Alternative forms

• a'

Pronunciation

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

Adverb

a (not comparable)

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

Adjective

a (not comparable)

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

Etymology 8

Alternative forms

• 'a

Particle

a

2. Pronunciation spelling of to.
   • 1923 January, “The Sunshine of Childhood (Contributed)”, in Benedict Brown, editor, The Grail, volume 4, number 9, St. Meinrad, Ind.: The Abbey Press, page 284, column 2:

     James was going with his mother to attend the ceremonies at which his oldest sister in the convent would make perpetual vows. Being asked where he was going, he answered, “I’m goin’ a see my sister make percapital vowels.”

   • 2007, BK Loren, “Got Tape?”, in Barry Lopez, editor, The Future of Nature: Writing on a Human Ecology from Orion Magazine, Minneapolis, Minn.: Milkweed Editions, →ISBN, page 43:

     The man walks toward me. “I met that asshole. He’s tryin’ a sell us a bag a bullshit.”

   • 2012 October 23, Tom Wolfe, Back to Blood: A Novel, Large Print edition, New York, N.Y.: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 66:

     Don’tcha try deny it, / ’Cause Hose knows you dyin’ a try it— […] Knows you out tryin’ a buy it, / But Hose only gives it free

Related terms

• gonna
• gotta
• oughta
• tryna
• wanna

 

Etymology 9

Contraction of gonna, itself a reduction of going to; see Etymology 8 above (“to”).

Contraction

a

1. (African-American Vernacular) Used to express a future action; going to.

   I'm a go see what's going on out there.

   • 2010, Todd Bridges, Killing Willis: From Diff'rent Strokes to the Mean Streets to the Life I Always Wanted, New York, N.Y.: Touchstone Books, →ISBN, page 146:

     "Sure, Billy, I'm a run downstairs to the machine and get me a pack of bigarettes," he said, taking off with his Melody.

   • 2012, Bertrand E. Brown, Sylvia's Dilemma: A Novel, →ISBN, page 95:

     Ain't nothin' in the house to eat and now that we has Mr. Alex staying with us a few days I'm a need to buy some groceries so yous two can have the house to yo'self 'til I get back.

   • 2018, Monica Jeremie, Married to a Dade County Bully 2, Urban Chapters Publications, →ISBN, page 85:

     I'm a head out there now and take a look.

   • 2021, Ioan Grillo, Blood Gun Money: How America Arms Gangs and Cartels, New York, N.Y. […]: Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 141:

     "The Glock 26 and the motherfucking, uh, the Hi-Point. I'm a try to get the both of them," another said.

Usage notes

• Mainly used in the phrase I'm a, which is usually spelled Imma.

Related terms

• Imma
• I'm 'onna

 

Etymology 10

Contraction of and.

Conjunction

a

1. (obsolete, dialectal, rare) Contraction of and.
   • 1655, William Barton, Man's Monitor, or, the Free-school of Virtue; Holding Forth the Duties Required and Sins Forbidden in the Two Tables of the Law., London: W.D. for T. Underhill, unnumbered page; republished in Early English Books Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: Text Creation Partnership, p. 2011:

     By cock a pie and Mous-foot Dent bring's in, / Examples to express forbidden Sin:

   • 1746, “Exmoor Scolding: Or, a Devonſhire Dialogue:”, in The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle, volume XVI, London: Edw. Cave, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 353, column 2:

     Thee lace ma? Chem a laced well-a-fine aready.—Zey wone word more, and chell breſh tha, chell make thy boddize pilmee.

   • 1823, Edward Moor, Suffolk Words and Phrases: Or, An Attempt to Collect the Lingual Localisms of that County, London: J. Loder, page 2:

     4. as if. "I'll gi ye a dunt i' the hid 'a ye dew so no more." This is equivalent to the "an if" of some of our old writers.

Usage notes

• The Oxford English Dictionary notes: "The form is not common in any period, and some of the earlier examples could instead show a transmission error for an in its abbreviated form (i.e. ā, with mark of suspension)."

Etymology 11

Symbol

a

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

Etymology 12

Adverb

a

1. (crosswords) across

   Do you have the answer for 23a?

2. (chiefly US) Alternative spelling of a.m. (“ante meridiem”) or am

Etymology 13

Particle

a

1. Alternative form of -a (“empty syllable added to songs, poetry, verse and other speech”)
   • 2001, Louis F. Newcomb, Car Salesman: A Legacy, iUniverse (→ISBN), page 91:

     “I show a you right a here I can fuck a you.” “Is she crazy?” I asked Wyman.

Etymology 14

Borrowed from Russian а (a).

Noun

a

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

Translations

See a/translations § Cyrillic.

Etymology 15

Interjection

a

1. ah; er (sound of hesitation)
   • 1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC:

     "We will resume yesterday's discourse, young ladies," said he, "and you shall each read a page by turns; so that Miss a—Miss Short may have an opportunity of hearing you"; and the poor girls began to spell a long dismal sermon delivered at Bethesda Chapel, Liverpool, on behalf of the mission for the Chickasaw Indians.

Etymology 16

Abbreviations.

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

   Thus the word a, plus its inflection an.

3. (stenoscript) the word a.m.
4. (stenoscript) the prefix ad-.

Quotations

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

References

• Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “a”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 1.
• Philip Babcock Gove (editor), Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 [1909], →ISBN)
• “a” in Christine A. Lindberg, editor, The Oxford College Dictionary, 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: Spark Publishing, 2002, →ISBN, page 1.
• “a, adj.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023.

Further reading

• “a”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “a”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Abau

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /a/

Noun

a

1. house

Afar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʌ/

Determiner

á

1. this, these (masculine)

Derived terms

• ánnah

 

See also

See Template:aa-demonstrative determiners.

References

• E. M. Parker, R. J. Hayward (1985) “a”, in An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN
• Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2015) L’afar: description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Ethiopie)‎^[11], Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis)

Albanian

Etymology 1

• According to Orel, the particle and conjunction are etymologically identical. From Proto-Albanian *a and cognate to Ancient Greek ἦ (ê, “indeed”).

• 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.

Alternative forms

• ha (archaic, Buzuku)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Conjunction

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
2. whether

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) shkronjë; A a, B b, C c, Ç ç, D d, Dh dh, E e, Ë ë, F f, G g, Gj gj, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, Ll ll, M m, N n, Nj nj, O o, P p, Q q, R r, Rr rr, S s, Sh sh, T t, Th th, U u, V v, X x, Xh xh, Y y, Z z, Zh zh

Further reading

• “a”, in FGJSSH: Fjalor i gjuhës së sotme shqipe [Dictionary of the modern Albanian language]‎^[12] (in Albanian), 1980
• “a”, in FGJSH: Fjalor i gjuhës shqipe [Dictionary of the Albanian language] (in Albanian), 2006

Ama

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ãː/

Noun

a

1. tree

Anguthimri

Verb

a

1. (transitive, Mpakwithi) to pull

References

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

Aragonese

Etymology

From Latin illa.

Article

a f sg

1. the

   a luenga aragonesa ― the Aragonese language

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin ad.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/, [a]

Preposition

a

1. to, towards

Derived terms

• al

Noun

a f

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

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)
2. he, she, they (singular)

Synonyms

• (they): u

Basque

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/, [a]

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• see other Basque letters

Noun

a (indeclinable)

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

See also

• see other Basque letter names

Bavarian

Etymology 1

Cognate with German ein, eine, Yiddish אַ (a), אַן (an).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɐ/

Article

a

1. a

See also

Bavarian articles

		m		n		f		pl
		stressed	unstressed	stressed	unstressed	stressed	unstressed	stressed	unstressed
definite	nominative	der, da	—	das, es, des	's	de	d'	de	d'
	accusative	en, den	'n
	dative	em, dem	'm	em, dem	'm	der, da	—
	genitive1	des		des		der, da		der, da
indefinite	nominative	a	—	a	—	a	—
	accusative	an	'n
	dative	am	'm	am	'm	a, ana	'na

¹) higher, formal register

• oa (“one”, determiner)

Etymology 2

Unstressed form of ea

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɐ/

Pronoun

a

1. he

See also

Bavarian personal pronouns

		nominative		accusative		dative
		stressed	unstressed	stressed	unstressed	stressed	unstressed
1st person singular		i	—	mi	—	mia (mir)	ma
2nd person singular (informal)		du	—	di	—	dia (dir)	da
2nd person singular (formal)		Sie	—	Eahna	—	Eahna	—
3rd person singular	m	er	a	eahm	'n	eahm	'n
	n	es, des	's	des	's
	f	se, de	's	se	's	ihr	—
1st person plural		mia (mir)	ma	uns	—	uns	—
2nd person plural		eß, ihr	—	enk, eich	—	enk, eich	—
3rd person plural		se	's	eahna	—	eahna	—

Etymology 3

Cognate with German auch.

Adverb

a

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

Belizean Creole

Preposition

a

1. of

References

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

Big Nambas

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/
• Rhymes: -a

Preposition

a

1. in

References

• Big Nambas Grammar Pacific Linguistics - G.J. Fox

Breton

Etymology 1

From Proto-Brythonic *o, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂pó.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Preposition

a (triggers soft mutation)

1. from (expresses origin)

   tud a Vrest ― people from Brest

2. of (indicates an amount)

   un tamm brav a gig ― a nice piece of meat

3. of (expresses a quality)

   ur plac’h a enor ― a girl of honour

4. after certain adjectives or adverbs expressing quantity

   ur voutailh leun a sistr ― a bottle full of cider

5. after ordinal numbers with a plural noun

   tri a vugale ― three children

6. used in negative sentences with the grammatical object

   nʼem eus ket ken a vutun ― I donʼt have any more tobacco

7. before the infinitive after certain verbs like paouez, mirout, diwall, c'hwitañ

   paouezet eo ar glav a gouezhañ ― it has stopped raining [lit. the rain has stopped falling]

8. after substantivized adjectives used as nouns

   ur vrav a blacʼh ― a pretty girl

9. combined with a personal pronoun

   gwelet em boa acʼhanout ― I saw you

   an den a gomzan anezhañ ― the man Iʼm talking about

Inflection

  Personal forms of a  

singular		plural
1	ac'hanon	1	ac'hanomp
2	ac'hanout	2	ac'hanoc'h
3 m	anezhañ	3	anezho
3 f	anezhi
imp.	ac'hanor

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Particle

a (triggers soft mutation)

1. preverbal particle used when
   1. the subject precedes the verb

      ar mor a zo glas ― the sea is blue

   2. the object precedes the verb

      an den-se a glevan ― I hear that man

Pronoun

a (triggers soft mutation)

1. (relative) 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)

   an hini a garan ― the one whom I love

Cameroon Pidgin

Pronoun

a

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

Catalan

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/
• Rhymes: -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

• see other Catalan letters

Etymology 2

From Latin ad.

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

Chayuco Mixtec

Etymology

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

Conjunction

a

1. or

References

• Pensinger, Brenda J. (1974) Diccionario mixteco-español, español-mixteco (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 18)‎^[13] (in Spanish), México, D.F.: El Instituto Lingüístico de Verano en coordinación con la Secretaría de Educación Pública a través de la Dirección General de Educación Extraescolar en el Medio Indígena, pages 3, 110

Chibcha

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Noun

a

1. open mouth
2. smell, taste

References

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

Choctaw

Conjunction

a

1. yes

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

Cimbrian

Alternative forms

• an (Sette Comuni)

Etymology

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

Article

a (oblique masculine an)

1. (Luserna) a, an

   Maria iz a lavròunaren. ― Maria is a Lavaronese.

References

• Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

Coatepec Nahuatl

Noun

a

1. water

Cora

Particle

a

1. outside
2. out of view (from the speaker)
3. entering a shallow domain; entering a domain in a shallow or restricted manner

   atyásuuna káasu hece

   The water is pouring into the (shallow) pan.

Antonyms

• u (“inside; within view”)

References

• Eugene Casad, Ronald Langacker (1985) “'Inside' and 'outside' in Cora grammar”, in International Journal of American Linguistics

Cornish

Etymology 1

Onomatopoeic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aː/

Interjection

a

1. ah

Etymology 2

Compare Welsh a

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Particle

a (triggers soft mutation)

1. Inserted before the verb when a subject or direct object precedes the verb

Etymology 3

From Proto-Brythonic *o, from Proto-Celtic *ɸo, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂pó.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Preposition

a (triggers soft mutation)

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

Inflection

  Standard Cornish

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

Corsican

Etymology

From the earlier la.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa/
• Homophones: à, hà

Article

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

1. the (feminine)

Usage notes

• Before a vowel, a turns into l'

Pronoun

a f

1. her, it (direct object)

Usage notes

• Before a vowel, a turns into l'

See also

Corsican personal pronouns

		Nominative	Dative	Accusative	Disjunctive
Singular	1st person	eiu	mi		mè
	2nd person	tù	ti		tè
	3rd person m	ellu	li	u, l'	ellu
	3rd person f	ella		a, l'	ella
Plural	1st person	noi	ci		noi
	2nd person	voi	vi		voi
	3rd person m	elli	li	i, l'	elli
	3rd person f	elle		e, l'	elle

References

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

Czech

Etymology

Inherited from Old Czech a, from Proto-Slavic *a, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈa]

• Audio:

  (file)

Conjunction

a

1. and

Further reading

• “a”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “a”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Dakota

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /a/

Letter

a (uppercase A)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a (Á á), B b, Č č, Čh čh, Čʼ čʼ, D d, E e (É é), G g, Ǧ ǧ, H h, Ȟ ȟ, I i (Í í), K k, Kh kh, Kȟ kȟ, Kʼ kʼ, M m, N n, ŋ, O o (Ó ó), P p, Ph ph, Pȟ pȟ, Pʼ pʼ, S s, Š š, T t, Th th, Tȟ tȟ, Tʼ tʼ, U u (Ú ú), W w, Y y, Z z, Ž ž, ʼ

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

• see other Danish letters

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, -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)

2. (archaic) a stream or water

Related terms

• Aa
• eiland

Further reading

• Aa (waternaam) on the Dutch Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^nl

Etymology 3

Pronoun

a

1. (Brabant, dialectal) Alternative form of u (“you”, objective or reflexive pronoun)

Pronoun

a

1. (Brabant, dialectal) Alternative form of uw (“your”)

Usage notes

The masculine singular form of the possessive pronoun is awe.

Egyptian

Romanization

a

1. Manuel de Codage transliteration of ꜥ.

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

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; A a, B b, C c, Ĉ ĉ, D d, E e, F f, G g, Ĝ ĝ, H h, Ĥ ĥ, I i, J j, Ĵ ĵ, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, R r, S s, Ŝ ŝ, T t, U u, Ŭ ŭ, V v, Z z

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

Estonian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (letter name, aa): IPA^(key): /ˈɑː/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

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)

Noun

a (genitive a or a', partitive a-d or a'd)

1. The letter a (the first letter of the Estonian alphabet)
2. (music) A (note)

   Synonym: la

Declension

(the first letter of the Estonian alphabet):

Declension of a (ÕS type 26i/idee, no gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		-	-d
accusative	nom.
	gen.	-
genitive			-de
partitive		-d	-id -sid
illative		-sse	-desse -isse
inessive		-s	-des -is
elative		-st	-dest -ist
allative		-le	-dele -ile
adessive		-l	-del -il
ablative		-lt	-delt -ilt
translative		-ks	-deks -iks
terminative		-ni	-deni
essive		-na	-dena
abessive		-ta	-deta
comitative		-ga	-dega

(music):

Declension of a (ÕS type 26i/idee, no gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		'	'd
accusative	nom.
	gen.	'
genitive			'de
partitive		'd	'id 'sid
illative		'sse	'desse 'isse
inessive		's	'des 'is
elative		'st	'dest 'ist
allative		'le	'dele 'ile
adessive		'l	'del 'il
ablative		'lt	'delt 'ilt
translative		'ks	'deks 'iks
terminative		'ni	'deni
essive		'na	'dena
abessive		'ta	'deta
comitative		'ga	'dega

Etymology 2

Clipping of aga. Probably influenced by Russian а (a).

Conjunction

a

1. (colloquial, in fast speech) but

Etymology 3

Noun

a

1. Abbreviation of aasta.
2. Abbreviation of aar.

References

• a in Sõnaveeb (Eesti Keele Instituut)
• “a”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009

Fala

Etymology 1

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

Article

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

1. Feminine singular definite article; the
   • 2000, Domingo Frades Gaspar, Vamus a falal: Notas pâ coñocel y platical en nosa fala, Editora regional da Extremadura, Chapter 1: Lengua Española:

     A grandeda da lengua española é indiscotibli, i sei estudio, utilización defensa debin sel algo consostancial a nos, […]

     The greatness of the Spanish language is unquestionable, and its study, use and defense must be something consubstantial to us, […]

Pronoun

a

1. Third person singular feminine accusative pronoun; her

See also

Fala personal pronouns

			nominative	dative	accusative	disjunctive
first person	singular		ei	me, -mi		mi
	plural	common	nos	musL nusLV nos, -nusM		nos
		masculine	noshotrusM			noshotrusM
		feminine	noshotrasM			noshotrasM
second person	singular		tú	te, -ti		ti
	plural	common	vos	vusLV vos, -vusM		vos
		masculine	voshotrusM			voshotrusM
		feminine	voshotrasM			voshotrasM
third person	singular	masculine	el	le, -li	uLV, oM	el
		feminine	ela		a	ela
	plural	masculine	elis		usLV, osM	elis
		feminine	elas		as	elas
	reflexive		—	se, -si		sí

Etymology 2

From Old Galician-Portuguese a, from Latin ad (“to”).

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, […]

References

• Valeš, Miroslav (2021) Diccionariu de A Fala: lagarteiru, mañegu, valverdeñu (web)‎^[14], 2nd edition, Minde, Portugal: CIDLeS, published 2022, →ISBN

Faroese

Etymology

From Latin a.

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

Finnish

Etymology 1

The Finnish orthography using the Latin script was based on those of Swedish, German and Latin, and was first used in the mid-16th century. No earlier script is known. See the Wikipedia article on Finnish for more information, and a for information on the development of the glyph itself.

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

1. The first letter of the Finnish alphabet, 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

Etymology 2

German musical notation.

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

Inflection of a (Kotus type 18/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 abessive a:tta a:itta instructive – a:in comitative – a:ineen

Derived terms

compounds

• A-duuri
• a-molli

 

Franco-Provençal

Etymology

Inherited from Latin ad.

Pronoun

a (ORB)

1. to
2. at
3. of (possessive)

Derived terms

• a revêre

References

• Stich, Dominique (2003) “a”, in Dictionnaire francoprovençal/français, français/francoprovençal: Dictionnaire des mots de base du francoprovençal: Orthographe ORB supradialectale standardisée, Thonon-les-Bains: Éditions Le Carré: “a (sert parfois à la possession)”.

French

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

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

Derived terms

• e dans l’a

Etymology 2

Quebec eye-dialect spelling of elle.

Pronunciation

• (CA) IPA^(key): /a/

Pronoun

a f

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

   C’te fille-là, a’a l’air cute.

   That girl, she looks cute.

Etymology 3

From Old French a, at from Vulgar Latin *at, from Latin habet.

Pronunciation

• (France) IPA^(key): /a/
• (CA) IPA^(key): /a/, /ɔ/
• Homophones: à, as
• Rhymes: -a

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 Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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) (Maasina)
• an (emphatic form) (Pular)
• maaɗa (second person singular possessive pronoun (Adamawa))
• -maa (second person singular dependent pronoun (Adamawa))

Galician

Etymology 1

From Latin ad (“to, toward”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /a̝/

• Hyphenation: a

Preposition

a

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

   de cinco a 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

at/to + the table

-	Singular	Plural
Masculine	ao (ó)	aos (ós)
Feminine	á	ás

Etymology 2

From Old Galician-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 corresponding lemma form.

Pronoun

a

1. accusative of ela

Usage notes

Due to sandhi, the accusative form o (in all its forms) regularly changes to -lo after verbal forms ended in ⟨r⟩ or ⟨s⟩, and to -no after verbal forms ended in a semivowel:

• Eu apagueina 'I quenched it' < apaguei‿a
• Ti apagáchela 'You quenched it' < apagaches‿a
• El apagouna 'He quenched it' < apagou‿a
• Nós apagámola 'We quenched it' < apagamos‿a
• Temos de apagala 'We must quench it' < apagar‿a

See also

Galician articles
	Singular		Plural
	Masculine	Feminine	Masculine	Feminine
Definite articles (the)	o	a	os	as
Indefinite articles (a, an; some)	un	unha	uns	unhas

References

• “a”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2024
• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “a”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “a”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “a”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: ILG

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

1. Alternative form of A

Etymology 2

Noun

a

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

Gilbertese

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Numeral

a

1. four

Gothic

Romanization

a

1. Romanization of 𐌰

Grass Koiari

Pronoun

a

1. you (singular)

References

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

Gun

Etymology

Cognates include Fon à.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /à/

Pronoun

à

1. you (second-person singular subject pronoun)

See also

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

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

Hawaiian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/, [ə]

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).

Hokkien

For pronunciation and definitions of a – see 阿. (This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 阿).

Hungarian

Etymology 1

See az.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɒ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒ

Article

a (definite)

1. the

   a hölgy ― the lady

2. (before some time phrases) this

   a héten ― (during) this week

   a télen ― (in) this winter

Usage notes

Used before words starting with a consonant.

Related terms

• az (for words starting with a vowel sound)

Pronoun

a (demonstrative)

1. (in reduplicated constructions formed with postpositions) that

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

Determiner

a (demonstrative)

1. (rare, only in consonant-initial fixed phrases, with zero article) Alternative form of az (“that”).

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

   November 12-én, az a havi frissítőkedden jelenhet meg. ― It may be released on November 12th, on the Patch Tuesday of that month.

   Kérjük szíves tájékoztatásukat a tekintetben, hogy… (= abban a tekintetben, see az) ― We kindly request your information in that [= the] aspect…

   amondó vagyok, hogy… ― I am of the opinion that…, what/all I can / want to say is that… (literally, “I am that-sayer/-saying…”)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

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

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Derived terms

• a-moll

See also

• (Latin-script letters) betű; A a, Á á, B b, C c, Cs cs, D d, Dz dz, Dzs dzs, E e, É é, F f, G g, Gy gy, H h, I i, Í í, J j, K k, L l, Ly ly, M m, N n, Ny ny, O o, Ó ó, Ö ö, Ő ő, P p, Q q, R r, S s, Sz sz, T t, Ty ty, U u, Ú ú, Ü ü, Ű ű, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z, Zs zs

Further reading

• a in Ittzés, Nóra (ed.). A magyar nyelv nagyszótára (’A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published A–ez as of 2021)
• Entries in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (’The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: ISBN 9630535793
  • definite article; pronoun; determiner
  • speech sound; letter; first element; abbreviation
  • musical note and tone
  • interjection for displeasure, contradiction, surprise, disappointment, or pity and (dialectal) interjection for emphasis

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.

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) bókstafur; A a, Á á, B b, D d, Ð ð, 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

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”)

Igbo

Letter

a (upper case A, lower case a)

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

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

• e (neutral tongue position)

Pronunciation

• (high-tone): IPA^(key): /á/
• (low-tone): IPA^(key): /à/

Pronoun

a

1. (indefinite) somebody, one, they, people (an unspecified individual).

   A gwara ya ka ọ bịa.

   He/she was told to come.

Usage notes

• Often gets translated into English with the passive voice.

See also

Igbo personal pronouns

		dependent	independent	object/possesive
Singular	first	m, a/e- ... -m	m, mụ
	second	ị, i	ngị, gị	gị
	third	ọ, o	ya
Plural	first	anyị
	second	ụnụ
	third	ha, a/e- ... -ha	ha
Indefinite		a/e	-	-

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /à/

Determiner

a

1. this.

Related terms

• ahụ

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 (overall work in German):

     […] , que da-cá su quião que ta pertencê a êll.

     […] , to give him his share which belongs to him.

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /a/ [a]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: a

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

1. The first letter of the Indonesian alphabet, called a and written in the Latin script.
2. The name of the Latin-script letter A/a.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) huruf; 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
• (Latin-script letter names) huruf; a, be, ce, de, e, ef, ge, ha, i, je, ka, el, em, en, o, pe, ki, er, es, te, u, ve, we, eks, ye, zet

Further reading

• “a” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Ingrian

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian а (a).

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈɑ/, [ˈɑ]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈɑ/, [ˈɑ]
• (Hevaha) IPA^(key): /ˈɑ/, [ˈɑ]
• Rhymes: -ɑ
• Hyphenation: a

Conjunction

a

1. and, but
   • 1936, N. A. Iljin and V. I. Junus, Bukvari iƶoroin șkouluja vart, Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 17:

     A siä Jaakko, kuhu määt?

     And you Jaakko, where are you going?

   • 1936, L. G. Terehova, V. G. Erdeli, translated by Mihailov and P. I. Maksimov, Geografia: oppikirja iƶoroin alkușkoulun kolmatta klaassaa vart (ensimäine osa), Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-Pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 7:

     keskipäivääl hää [päivyt] on kaikkiin ylemmääl, a siis alkaa laskiissa.

     on midday it [the Sun] is highest, and then it starts to descend.

References

• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 1
• Arvo Laanest (1997) Isuri keele Hevaha murde sõnastik, Eesti Keele Instituut, page 15

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

Inupiaq

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Interjection

a

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

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish a, from Proto-Celtic *esyo (the final vowel triggering lenition), feminine Proto-Celtic *esyās (the final -s triggering h-prothesis), plural Proto-Celtic *ēsom (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.

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.

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 (plural)

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
	Third neuter	—	ea	—
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

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

Particle

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

References

• Gerald O’Nolan (1920) Studies in Modern Irish‎^[15], volume 1, pages 89, 93–94

Etymology 3

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

Particle

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)

References

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

Etymology 4

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 5

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 6

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

Mutated forms of a

radical	eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
a	n-a	ha	not applicable

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

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

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,

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/^*

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a
• Hyphenation: a

Etymology 1

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

Letter

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

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

Noun

a f (invariable)

1. The name of the Latin-script letter A/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. In a few phrases, a stems from Latin ā, ab.

Preposition

a

1. Indicates the indirect object. to

   Porta questo cesto alla nonna.

   Bring this basket to grandma.

   Ai gatti piacciono i pesci.

   Cats like fish.

   (literally, “Fish are pleasable to cats.”)

   E lo chiedi a me?

   You're asking that to me?

2. Indicates the place, used in some contexts, in others in is used. in, to

   Andiamo a casa?

   Can we go home?

   (literally, “Can we go to home?”)

   Ora sto a Palermo, a Roma ci torno domani.

   I'm in Palermo now, I'll go back to Rome tomorrow.

3. Denotes the manner. with

   appena, a nuoto, a piedi, a caso ― almost, swimming, by foot, randomly

5. Forms adverbs meaning “in a manner related or resembling ~”.

   a cappella, a bestia, a braccio, a pennello, etc. ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

6. Forms goodbye formulas from the time the persons will meet again. see you...

   A domani! ― See you tomorrow!

   A dopo! ― See you later!

   Al prossimo Natale! ― See you next Christmas!

7. Introduces the ingredients of a dish, perfume, etc. with

   pasta all'uovo ― pasta with eggs

   cornetto al cioccolato ― chocolate croissant

   shampoo al limone ― lemon shampoo

   patatine alla pizza ― pizza-flavoured crisps

8. (central-southern Italy) Denotes the direct object, but only if it's not preceded by articles

   Chiama a Paolo.

   Call Paolo.

   E non ci avevi visto a noi?

   And you didn't see us?

   the "us" here is repeated twice for emphasis

   Ascolti a me, signó!

   Listen to me, ma'am!

9. (followed by the definite article) Forms an interjection that gives an instruction or calls attention to something.

   Al ladro! ― Thief!

   Al fuoco! ― Fire!

   Al lupo! ― Wolf!

   All'attacco! ― Attack!

   All'arrembaggio! ― Assault! (yelled by pirates)

10. (regional) Forms continuous tense when preceded by stare and followed by verb infinitives. -ing. The standard language for this scope uses gerunds.

    che stai a di'? ― what are you saying?

    stavo a dormi' ― I was sleeping

11. Repeated indicates the amount by which something grows. by

    a due a due ― two by two; in pairs

    a poco a poco ― little by little

12. Indicates the agent of a verb in some contexts. by. Sometimes interchangable with da.

    L'ho sentito dire a Livia.

    I heard Livia say it.

    (literally, “I heard it said by Livia.”)

    • c. 1909, Luigi Pirandello, chapter 2.3, in I vecchi e i giovani:

      Mi duole, creda, sinceramente, veder fare a un uomo come lei, per cui ho tanta stima, una figura... non bella, via! non bella.

      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

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

Descendants

• → Norwegian Bokmål: a (learned)

Etymology 3

Verb

a

1. Misspelling of ha.

Jamaican Creole

Etymology

Compare French c’est. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Preposition

a

1. Indicates location: at, in, on.

   a mi yaad

   at my home

2. of

   Yunaitid Stiet a Amoerka

   United States of America

3. to

   Dem go a maakit. Mi a-go a skuul.

   They go to the market. I'm going to school.

Verb

a

1. to be

   Jumieka a wahn ailan konchri.

   Jamaica is an island country.

   Wi a api.

   We are happy.

   Mi a di tiicha.

   I am the teacher.

2. As a copulative verb:
   1. (with there, or it) to exist.

      A tuu apruoch tu Ort sayans.

      There are two approaches to Earth science.

3. As an auxiliary verb:
   1. Used with present participles of verbs to form the continuous aspect.

Particle

a

1. Habitual present tense marker.

   wan plies we dem a plie haki mach

   a place where they play hockey matches

2. Precedes a verb to mark the -ing form.
   • 1968, Beryl Loftman Bailey, Jamaican Creole Language Course: (for English Speaking Students):

     Jan sidong de a laaf.
     Sta Kiet op de-a baal

     John sat there laughing
     Sister Kate is up there crying

See also

• a-go

Further reading

• a at majstro.com
• A Learner’s Grammar of Jamaican, The Open Grammar Project

Japanese

Romanization

a

1. The hiragana syllable あ (a) or the katakana syllable ア (a) in Hepburn romanization.

Jersey Dutch

Pronunciation

• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /ʊ/, /ɑ/

Letter

a

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

Kabuverdianu

Letter

a (uppercase A)

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

Kabyle

Alternative forms

• agi
• agini

Determiner

a

1. this

   a rgaz a

   this man

Kalasha

Etymology

From Sanskrit अहम् (ahám).

Pronoun

a (Arabic آ)

1. I (1st-person personal pronoun)

See also

Kalasha personal pronouns

		singular	plural
1st person		a / آ	ábi / آبی
2nd person		tu / تُو	ábi / آبی
3rd person (near)		ía / اِیا	émi / ایمی
3rd person (far)		ása / آسا	éḷi / ایࣇی
3rd person (absent)		se / سے	te / تے

Kankanaey

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Tagalog a. Letter pronunciation is influenced by English a.

Pronunciation

• (letter) IPA^(key): /ˈʔej/ [ˈʔei̯]
  • Rhymes: -ej
• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /ʔa/ [ʔʌ]
  • Rhymes: -a
  • Syllabification: a

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

1. The first letter of the Kankanaey alphabet, called ey and written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) letra; 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, Ñ ñ, Ng ng, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

Etymology 2

Possibly borrowed from Ilocano a.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Kankanaey) IPA^(key): /ʔa/ [ʔʌ]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: a

Interjection

a

1. hey!; eh!

   Synonym: ay

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• (Standard Kankanaey) IPA^(key): /ʔa/ [ʔʌ]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: a

Noun

a

1. act of getting

   Synonym: ala

Derived terms

• aan
• aen
• ia
• iaan
• man-a
• oma
• omia

 

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• (Standard Kankanaey) IPA^(key): /ʔa/ [ʔʌ]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: a

Particle

a

1. indicates polite, persuasive emphasis
   • 2021, Allen, Larry, “a”, in Kankanaey – English Dictionary‎^[16], Summer Institute of Linguistics:

     Kamán kan adí pinikpík mo? Pinikpík ko a.

     How come it seems like you didn't pat him? I patted him, all right.

Usage notes

• This is used at the end of the sentence.

See also

• -et

References

• Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (2016) Ortograpiya di Kankanaëy [Kankanaey Orthography]‎^[17] (in Kankanaey and Tagalog), →ISBN, pages 10-11
• Morice Vanoverbergh (1933) “a”, in A Dictionary of Lepanto Igorot or Kankanay. As it is spoken at Bauco (Linguistische Anthropos-Bibliothek; XII)‎^[18], Mödling bei Wien, St. Gabriel, Österreich: Verlag der Internationalen Zeitschrift „Anthropos“, →OCLC, page 1
• Allen, Larry (2021) “a”, in Kankanaey – English Dictionary‎^[19], Summer Institute of Linguistics
• Janet L. Allen (2014) Kankanaey: A Role and Reference Grammar Analysis‎^[20] (overall work in English), →ISBN, page 164

Kapampangan

Ligature

a

1. connects adjectives to nouns

   Romantiku a bengi.

   A romantic night.

   Pinakapalsintan a tau.

   The person I love the most.

   Mayap a abak.

   Good morning.

   Mayap a bengi.

   Good night.

   Dakal a salamat.

   Thank you very much.

See also

• na

 

Kari'na

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a]

Interjection

a

1. ah, aah

References

• Courtz, Hendrik (2008) A Carib grammar and dictionary‎^[21], Toronto: Magoria Books, →ISBN, page 213
• Yamada, Racquel-María (2010) “a”, in Speech community-based documentation, description, and revitalization: Kari’nja in Konomerume‎^[22], University of Oregon, page 707

Kashubian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa/
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: a

Etymology 1

The Kashubian orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the Kashubian alphabet article on Wikipedia for more, and a for development of the glyph itself.

Letter

a (lowercase, uppercase A)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Ą ą, àã, B b, C c, D d, E e, É é, Ë ë, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, Ł ł, M m, N n, O o, Ò ò, Ó ó, Ô ô, P p, R r, S s, T t, U u, Ù ù, W w, Y y, Z z, Ż ż

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a.

Conjunction

a

1. and (used to continue a previous statement or to add to it)

Noun

a n (indeclinable)

1. (music) a (note)

Etymology 3

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a.

Interjection

a

1. interjection that expresses various emotions; ah!

Further reading

• Stefan Ramułt (1893) “a”, in Słownik języka pomorskiego czyli kaszubskiego (in Kashubian), page 1
• Sychta, Bernard (1967) “a, a!”, in Słownik gwar kaszubskich [Dictionary of Kashubian dialects] (in Polish), volumes 1 (A – Ǵ), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 1
• Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011) “a”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi‎^[23], volume 1, page 9
• “A, a”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022
• “a!”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022

Kayan

Letter

a

1. a the first letter of Kayan alphabet.

Pronoun

a

1. used for he, she, third person.

K'iche'

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aː/

Adjective

a

1. masculine youth indicator

Adverb

a

1. (interrogatory) indicator of a question

Pronoun

a

1. your

References

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

Koitabu

Pronoun

a

1. you (singular)

References

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

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).

Ladin

Etymology

From Latin a.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Preposition

a

1. in
2. at
3. to

Derived terms

• al
• ala
• ai
• ales

Lashi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔa/

Adverb

a

1. not

References

• Hkaw Luk (2017) A grammatical sketch of Lacid‎^[24], Chiang Mai: Payap University (master thesis)

Latgalian

Etymology

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

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

Compare Lithuanian o.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈa]
• Hyphenation: a

Conjunction

a f

1. and, but

References

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

Latin

Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

(letter name):

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /aː/, [äː]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /a/, [äː]

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.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /aː/, [äː]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /a/, [äː]

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 / *acca, ī, kā, el, em, en, ō, pē, kū, er, es, tē, ū, ix / īx / ex, ȳ / ī graeca / ȳpsīlon, zēta

Etymology 3

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

Alternative forms

• à (earlier in New Latin)
• ab

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /aː/, [äː]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /a/, [äː]

Preposition

ā (+ ablative)

1. (indicating ablation) from, away from, out of
   • c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico 1.1:

     Gallōs ab Aquītānīs Garumna flūmen, ā Belgīs Matrona et Sēquana dīvidit.

     The river Garonne separates the Gauls from the Aquitani; the Marne and the Seine (separate them) from the Belgae.

2. (indicating ablation) down from
3. (indicating agency: source of action or event) by, by means of
   • 45 BCE, Cicero, De finibus bonorum et malorum 1.2:

     Quamquam philosophiae quidem vituperātōribus satis respōnsum est eō librō, quō ā nōbīs philosophia dēfēnsa et collaudāta est, cum esset accūsāta et vituperāta ab Hortēnsiō.

     Although indeed to the vituperators of philosophy an adequate response is in that book, in which philosophy has been defended and highly praised by us [me], when it had been accused and vituperated by Hortensius.

4. (indicating instrumentality: source of action or event) by, by means of, with
5. (indicating association) to, with
   • 163 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Heauton Timorumenos 1.77:

     Homō sum, hūmānī nihil ā mē aliēnum putō.

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

6. (indicating location) at, on, in
7. (time) after, since

Usage notes

Used in conjunction with passive verbs to mark the agent.

• Liber ā discipulō aperītur.

  The book is opened by the student.

Derived terms

• a lacte cunisque

Descendants

• Italian: a
• → Norwegian Bokmål: a (learned)
• → Norwegian Bokmål: a (learned)

Etymology 4

Expressive.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /aː/, [äː]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /a/, [äː]

Interjection

ā

1. ah

Further reading

• “a”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “a”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• a in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “a”, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011

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, 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

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

Further reading

• a on the Latvian Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^lv

Laz

Determiner

a

1. Latin spelling of ა (a)

Letter

a

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) burts; A a, B b, C c, Ç ç, Ç̌ ç̌, D d, E e, F f, G g, Ğ ğ, H h, İ i, J j, K k, Ǩ ǩ, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, P̌ p̌, Q q, R r, S s, Ş ş, T t, Ť ť, U u, V v, X x, Y y, Z z, Ž ž, Ʒ ʒ, Ǯ ǯ

Numeral

a

1. Latin spelling of ა (a)

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.

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

Livonian

Pronunciation

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Letter

a (upper case A)

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

Louisiana Creole

Etymology

From French avoir (“to have”).

Verb

a

1. to have

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Letter

a (upper case A)

1. The first letter of the Lower Sorbian alphabet, called a and written in the Latin script.
2. The name of the Latin-script letter a/A.

Conjunction

a

1. and

See also

• See Template:list:Latin script letters/dsb.
• See Template:list:Latin script letter names/dsb.

Further reading

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

Lushootseed

Letter

a

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

Malay

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): [e]
• (interjection): 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

Interjection

a (Jawi spelling ا)

1. Used to show excitement or to show agreement.

   A, macam itulah sepatutnya kaujawab!

   Yes, that's how you should answer!

2. Used to express hesitation; er, uh.

   Synonym: er

   Dia ni, a, salah seorang Perdana Menteri Britain dulu.

   This guy is, er, one of Britain's Prime Ministers in the past.

Further reading

• “a” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Maltese

Pronunciation

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

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 (a⁵／a⁰, Zhuyin ˙ㄚ)

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

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

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).

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^[25] (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)‎^[26] (in Spanish), second edition, Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 3

Middle Dutch

Etymology

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

Noun

â f

1. (rare) river, stream, water

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: a, Aa

Further reading

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

Middle English

Etymology 1

Article

a

1. Alternative form of an (mainly preconsonantal)

Etymology 2

Pronoun

a

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

Etymology 3

Pronoun

a

1. Alternative form of heo (“she”)

Etymology 4

Pronoun

a

1. Alternative form of he (“he”)

Etymology 5

Pronoun

a

1. Alternative form of he (“they”)

Etymology 6

Numeral

a

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

Middle French

Etymology 1

From Old French a, from Latin ad.

Alternative forms

• à (after 1550)

Preposition

a

1. to; towards

Etymology 2

From Old French, from Latin habet.

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of avoir

Middle Scots

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle English a

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Etymology 2

Inherited from Middle English a

Article

a

1. a, an (indefinite article)
2. With numbers (other than score, hundred, etc)

Usage notes

• This form can be used before consonant and vowels, compare an which also can be used before vowels (and h) but also before consonants.

Etymology 3

Inherited from Middle English a

Alternative forms

• aa

Interjection

a

1. ah!

Etymology 4

Inherited from Northern Middle English a

Middle Scots numbers ^(edit)

	1
Cardinal: a     Ordinal: first

Numeral

a

1. one

Alternative forms

• ae, ea

Etymology 5

Inherited from Middle English a

Pronoun

a

1. Alternative form of I (“first-person singular pronoun”)

Further reading

• “a”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.

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

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

     it will be small vengeance if we are burnt or put to death because of the child

Etymology 5

From Old Welsh ha.

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, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-.

Alternative forms

• aa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aː/

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of mynet

Mutation

Mutated forms of a{{{2}}}

radical	soft	nasal	h-prothesis
a	unchanged	unchanged	ha

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Middle Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Mòcheno

Etymology

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

Article

a (oblique masculine an)

1. a, an

References

• “a” in Cimbrian, Ladin, Mòcheno: Getting to know 3 peoples. 2015. Servizio minoranze linguistiche locali della Provincia autonoma di Trento, Trento, Italy.

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

Murui Huitoto

Adverb

a

1. Superseded spelling of aa.

References

• Shirley Burtch (1983) Diccionario Huitoto Murui (Tomo I) (Linguistica Peruana No. 20)‎^[27] (in Spanish), Yarinacocha, Peru: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, page 19

Nauruan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Pronoun

a

1. I (first person singular pronoun)
   • 2000, Lisa M Johnson, Firstness of Secondness in Nauruan Morphology (overall work 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, Dz dz, 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)

Nias

Etymology

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

Verb

a (imperfective manga)

1. (transitive) to eat

References

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

Norman

Verb

a

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

North Frisian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a] (short vowel)
• IPA^(key): [aː], (Sylt) [oː] (long vowel, spelt aa)

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

1. A letter of the North Frisian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Usage notes

• Sylt Frisian ⟨aa⟩ was originally [ɔː], but has since merged with ⟨oo⟩. The letter ⟨ā⟩ is used for [aː]. The diphthongs ⟨ai, ia⟩ are both monophthongized to [ɛː] when followed by ⟨r⟩.
• In Föhr-Amrum Frisian, ⟨ai⟩ represents a lengthened diphthong [aːɪ̯] as if written ⟨*aai⟩. The short equivalent is ⟨ei⟩.

See also

• (North Frisian letters): a, ä, å, ā, b, c, d, đ, e, ē, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, ö, p, r, s, t, u, ü, v, w (q, x, y, z)

Etymology 2

Article

a

1. (Föhr-Amrum) the (masculine and all-gender plural definite article, reduced form)

   Coordinate terms: (full forms) de, dön

Usage notes

• For the alternative use of the form a with certain original feminines, see at.

Alternative forms

• e (Mooring)

See also

Articles (Föhr-Amrum dialect)

		masculine	feminine / neuter	plural
definite / demonstrative	full	de	det	dön
	reduced	a	at, 't	a
indefinite / numeral	full	een	ian	—
	reduced	en
negative		neen	nian
While the feminine gender has generally been merged into the neuter, a certain number of traditionally feminine nouns still alternatively take the reduced definite article a alongside at. The form 't is enclitic and occurs only after prepositions.

Norwegian Bokmål

The letter a from the Norwegian alphabet.

Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /ɑː/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /ɑː/, /a/, (before u or in some Enɡlish loan words) [æ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: a
• Homophones: A, à, A-, a-, ah

Letter

a (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, the first letter of the Norwegian alphabet

   fra A til B ― from A to B

   fra A til Å ― from A to Z

   har man sagt a, må man si b ― if you have said A, you should say B

   • 1999, Lars Roar Langslet, I kamp for norsk kultur, page 234:

     bruken av a i bestemt form i hunkjønnsord

     the use of a in the definite form of feminine words

2. indicates the first or best entry of a list, order or rank

   Synonyms: A-, a-

   oppgang A ― apartment entrance A

   blodgruppe A ― blood group A

   førerkort i klasse A ― (motorcycle) driver's license in class A

   øl i klasse A ― beer in class A (with 0,0-0,7 volume percent alcohol)

   A post ― A post / priority mail

   A-aksje ― class A-share

   hepatitt A ― hepatitis A

   • 1919, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Samlede digter-verker I [Collected poetic works 1], page 454:

     [bokstavene begynte] at gaa sammen, to og to: a stod og hvilte under et træ, som hedte b

     [the letters began] to go together, two by two: a stood and rested under a tree called b

   • 1920, Jonas Lie, Samlede Digterverker V, page 389:

     begynde paa Ø istedet for A

     start with Ø instead of A

   • 1886, Arne Garborg, Mogning og manndom I, page 172:

     jeg traf sammen med et par generalbanditter, gamle gutter, storartede ranglefanter, 1ste klasse 1 A med stjerne, deilige herremænd

     I met a couple of general bandits, old boys, great revelers, 1st class 1 A with a star, lovely gentlemen

   • 1939, Knut Hamsun, Artikler, page 99:

     historie er hvad A mener til forskel fra B, og hvad C igen mener til forskel baade fra A og B om den samme sag

     story is what A thinks differently from B and what C again thinks differently from both A and B about the same case

3. the highest grade in a school or university using the A-F scale

   få A til eksamen

   receive an A on an exam

   • 2019, Helene Uri, Stillheten etterpå, page 14:

     jeg har gode karakterer. Bare A-er og B-er

     I have good grades. Only A's and B's

4. (music) designation of the sixth note from C and the corresponding tone

   A-dur

   A major

   A-moll

   A minor

   • 1944, Børre Qvamme, Musikk, page 10:

     synge en riktig A uten hjelp av et instrument eller stemmegaffel

     sing a correct A without the aid of an instrument or tuning fork

   • 1973, Finn Havrevold, Avreisen, page 127:

     han slår énstrøken a på klaveret

     he strikes one stroke A on the piano

   • 1997, Tove Nilsen, G for Georg, page 42:

     så gal at man virkelig tror at svaler er g-nøkler og bass-nøkler og a’er og c’er som svever rundt hverandre og lager konsert i himmelen

     so crazy that you really think swallows are g-keys and bass-keys and a's and c's floating around each other and making a concert in the sky

5. (physics) symbol for ampere
6. (physics) symbol for nucleon number
7. (horology) symbol for avance
8. symbol for anno
9. short form of atom-

   Synonym: a-

   a-bombe

   atom bomb (a-bomb)

Derived terms

• a-form (“a-form”), a-infinitiv (“a-infinitive”), a-kjendis (“A-list celebrity”)

Etymology 2

Abbreviation of atto- (“atto-”).

Symbol

a

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

Etymology 3

Abbreviation of ar (“are”).

Symbol

a

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

   Synonym: ar

Etymology 4

From French à (“to, on, in”).

Preposition

a

1. Alternative spelling of à

Alternative forms

• à

Etymology 5

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

Preposition

a

1. (used in Latin expressions, before a consonant) from, of

   a posteriori, a prima vista, a priori, a tempo, a verbo, a viso, a vista

Alternative forms

• ab

Etymology 6

From Italian a (“in, at, to”).

Preposition

a

1. (used in Italian expressions, before a consonant) from, of, with

   a battuta, a cappella, a due, a dato, a konto

2. weak form of av (of)

Etymology 7

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

Pronoun

a

1. (dialectal, used enclitically after a conjunction or subjunction) she
   • 1948, Helge Krog, Skuespill I, page 43:

     jagu slår a ja. Og det så det kjens. Forleden dag ga hun meg en knallende ørefik

     she can certainly punch. And so you feel it. The other day she gave me a popping slap to the ear

   • 1989, Bergljot Hobæk Haff, Den guddommelige tragedie:

     hu kunne ikke henge på seg så mye som et enrada perlebånd, uten at a måtte skotte opp i skyene for å høre hva den aller høyeste mente

     she could not put on as much as a single string of pearls, without having to shoot up into the clouds to hear what the very highest one meant

2. (dialectal, about grammatically feminine animals or objects) it, she
   • 1899, Sfinx, Vi og Voreses, page 45:

     hos Hansens laa dem te klokka var ni, og 10 var a mange ganger ogsaa

     at Hansen's they laid until nine o'clock, and 10 she was many times too

   • 1954, Agnar Mykle, Lasso rundt fru Luna, page 476:

     hvor ligger a [duskeluen] henne?

     where is the hat?

   hvor er a katta di?

   where is your cat?

   Synonym: hun

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

   hva gjorde du med a?

   what did you do to her?

   • 1847–1868, Halfdan Kjerulf, Av hans efterladte papirer, page 245:

     jeg [skrev] klaverstykker … en lille scherzo med nordisk motiv … «gjenta» og «Jørgen Matros», som gjør kur til ’a og «Ola Spelman» som hun foretrækker

     I [wrote] piano pieces… a small scherzo with a Nordic motif… «gjenta» and «Jørgen Matros», which makes cure for her and «Ola Spelman» which she prefers

   • 1875, Alexander Erbe, Fra skjærgaarden, page 23:

     [klokkeren] skulle da koste paa a amen

     [the clockmaker] would then cost her amen

   • 1921, Sigrid Undset, Samlede romaner og fortællinger fra nutiden I, page 6:

     jeg kan da gjerne skjære litt mat til a

     I could happily cut some food for her

   • 1931, Aksel Sandemose, En sjømann går i land, page 19:

     han stakk henne med kniven, riktig kylt’n midt i magan på a

     he stabbed her with the knife, really threw in the middle of her stomach

   • 2010, Helene Guåker, Kjør!:

     flere enn deg i hvert fall, di lørje, svarte jeg og så a midt i aua

     more than you at least, you skank, I answered and looked her in the eye

4. (dialectal, about grammatically feminine animals or objects) it, her

   hvis katta stikker av, må du fange a!

   if the cat runs away, you need to catch her!

   • 1895, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Over Ævne II, page 136:

     naar kjærka ikke kan holde arbejderne i ave [age], aa faen skal vi saa me’a

     when the church can not keep the workers in duty, what the hell do we do with her then

   Synonym: henne

5. (dialectal, used proclitically with a woman's name or female relation) she, her
   • 1921, Sigrid Undset, Samlede romaner og fortællinger fra nutiden V, page 96:

     ta a Guldborg

     consider Guldborg

   • 1921, Sigrid Undset, Samlede romaner og fortællinger fra nutiden V, page 64:

     har du glemt a mamma

     did you forget about mom

   • 2015, Rudolf Nilsen, Samlede dikt, page 88:

     a Paula kom plystrende hjem

     Paula came home whistling

   • 2015 March 12, Gerd Nyland, “Fire år uten radio”, in Oppland Arbeiderblad‎^[28], archived from the original on 2023-01-28:

     a tante Karen, mor hennes Reidun, hadde ordne med sengeplasser i stua, Booken på en divan og a Rita på flatseng på golvet

     aunt Karen, her mother Reidun, had arranged beds in the living room, Booken on a daybed and Rita on a flat bed on the floor

Etymology 8

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

Interjection

a

1. expression of surprise or horror

   a, for noe tøv!

   oh, such nonsense!

   • 1888, Herman Colditz, Kjærka, et Atélierinteriør:

     a, det er bare noe drit til han terracottaen

     oh, that is just some crap for that terracotta guy

2. expression of admiration or happiness

   a, det gjorde godt!

   oh, that felt good!

   • 1897, Fridtjof Nansen, Fram over Polhavet I, page 345:

     a, kunde vi bare gi «Fram» slige vinger

     oh, if only we could give "Fram" wings like that

3. 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

   • 1874, Henrik Ibsen, Fru Inger til Østråt, page 99:

     a nej, det kan være det samme

     oh no, it does not matter

   • 1874-1878, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Brytnings-år I, page 25:

     a ja, lad Schirmer tegne staburet

     oh yes, let Schirmer draw the storehouse

   • 1988, Arild Nyquist, Giacomettis forunderlige reise:

     verden er vakker, bestemor. Selv når det regner og blåser. A ja da.

     the world is beautiful, grandma. Even when it's raining and windy. Oh yes.

Etymology 9

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

Interjection

a

1. expression of anger or sorrow, especially with a personal pronoun

   uff a meg!

   oh, my!

   huff a meg!

   oh, no!

Alternative forms

• å

References

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

Anagrams

• A, A-, a-

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑː/

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

Etymology 2

Interjection

a

1. ah!

   Synonyms: ah, å

Etymology 3

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

Preposition

a

1. (dialect) alternative form of av
   • c. 1700, Sigurd Kolsrud, quoting Jacob Rasch, “Eldste nynorske bibeltekst: Jacob Rasch c. 1700”, in Syn og Segn, volume 56, published 1950, page 110:

     fre a Gud okka far aa Jesu Christo den herræ.

     peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

References

• “a” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
• a on the Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia.Wikipedia ⁿⁿ

Nupe

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

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

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) banki; A a (Á á, À à), B b, C c, D d, Dz dz, E e (É é, È è), F f, G g, Gb gb, H h, I i (Í í, Ì ì), J j, K k, Kp kp, L l, M m (Ḿ ḿ, M̀ m̀, M̄ m̄), N n (Ń ń, Ǹ ǹ, N̄ n̄), O o (Ó ó, Ò ò), P p, R r, S s, Sh sh, T t, Ts ts, U u (Ú ú, Ù ù), V v, W w, Y y, Z z, Zh zh

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /à/

Particle

à

1. not (placed at the end of a clause to negate it)

   Mi de eshìgi à, mi ma de dàǹgi à. ― I don't have a dog, and I don't have a cat.

Etymology 3

Clipping of lá

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /á/

Particle

á

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

Usage notes

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

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

Etymology 4

Clipping of gà

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /à/

Particle

à

1. Used to express the future tense (placed before verbs)

   A à lá èbi be nakàn ― They will use a knife to cut the meat

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

Noun

a f (plural as)

1. a (the letter a)

Etymology 3

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of aver

Old Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (13^th CE) /ˈa/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /ˈa/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō.

Interjection

a

1. ah!

Descendants

• Czech: a

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō.

Particle

a

1. Connective, contrasitve particle; and
2. then, as, if
3. yes, of course

Conjunction

a

1. and (used to continue a previous statement or to add to it)
2. and, but, whereas (used contrastively)

Descendants

• Czech: a

References

• Jan Gebauer (1903–1916) “a”, in Slovník staročeský (in Czech), Prague: Česká grafická společnost "unie", Česká akademie císaře Františka Josefa pro vědy, slovesnost a umění

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

Old Dutch

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *ahu.

Noun

ā f

1. river, stream, water

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Alternative forms

• aha

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: â
  • Dutch: a, Aa

Further reading

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

Old English

Alternative forms

• āwa, āwo, ō

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑː/

Adverb

ā

1. ever, always

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “Á”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[29], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Etymology 2

Noun

ā f

1. Alternative form of ǣ: law

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “á”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[30], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Preposition

a

1. Alternative form of on: to, in

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “a”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[31], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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
  • → Danish: à
  • → Dutch: à
  • → German: à
  • → Hungarian: à
  • → Norwegian Bokmål: à, a
  • → Swedish: à

Etymology 3

Alternative forms

• ad

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of avoir

Etymology 4

From Latin ab.

Adverb

a

1. by, by means of

Old Galician-Portuguese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin ad (“toward, to”).

Preposition

a

1. to; towards
   • 13th century CE, Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, Códice de los músicos, cantiga 14 (facsimile):

     fugiu con el a Egipto. terra de Reẏ faraon.

     ran away with him to Egypt. land of King pharaoh.

Descendants

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

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Article

a f

1. Alternative spelling of á

Old Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *sosim (“this”).

Alternative forms

• (relative pronoun): an

Article

a

1. nominative/accusative singular neuter of in

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

Pronoun

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

2. that which, what

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

Descendants

• Irish: a
• Scottish Gaelic: a

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 in (definite article)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Etymology 2

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

Conjunction

a (triggers eclipsis, takes a nasalizing relative clause)

1. when

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

Etymology 3

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

Alternative 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
2. her, its
3. their

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

Descendants

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

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 a (‘his, her, their’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Etymology 4

From Proto-Celtic *ā (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)

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

Descendants

• Irish: a
• Scottish Gaelic: a

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 a (vocative particle)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Etymology 5

Particle

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

1. introduces a numeral

   a deich ― ten

Descendants

• Irish: a
• Scottish Gaelic: a

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “3 a (particle used before numerals)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

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

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

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

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “7 a (‘out of’)]]”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Old Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /a/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /a/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a. First attested in the first half of 14th century.

Interjection

a

1. ah! (used when the speaker has remembered or noticed something)

Descendants

• Polish: a
• Silesian: a

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō. First attested in the first half of 14th century.

Conjunction

a

1. and (used to continue a previous statement or to add to it)
2. and, but, whereas (used contrastively)
3. and then (used to say an event will occur if some requirement is fulfilled)
4. emphasizes a question
5. introduces a new sentences

Related terms

• ale
• ali

 

Descendants

• Polish: a
• Silesian: a

References

• Boryś, Wiesław (2005) “a”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN
• Mańczak, Witold (2017) “a”, in Polski słownik etymologiczny (in Polish), Kraków: Polska Akademia Umiejętności, →ISBN
• Bańkowski, Andrzej (2000) “a”, in Etymologiczny słownik języka polskiego [Etymological Dictionary of the Polish Language] (in Polish)
• Sławski, Franciszek (1958-1965) “a”, in Jan Safarewicz, Andrzej Siudut, editors, Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego [Etymological dictionary of the Polish language] (in Polish), Kraków: Towarzystwo Miłośników Języka Polskiego
• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, Ewa Deptuchowa, Joanna Duska, Mariusz Frodyma, Beata Hejmo, Dorota Janeczko, Katarzyna Jasińska, Krystyna Kajtoch, Joanna Kozioł, Marian Kucała, Dorota Mika, Gabriela Niemiec, Urszula Poprawska, Elżbieta Supranowicz, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, Piotr Szpor, Bartłomiej Borek, editors (2011–2015), “a”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN
• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, Ewa Deptuchowa, Joanna Duska, Mariusz Frodyma, Beata Hejmo, Dorota Janeczko, Katarzyna Jasińska, Krystyna Kajtoch, Joanna Kozioł, Marian Kucała, Dorota Mika, Gabriela Niemiec, Urszula Poprawska, Elżbieta Supranowicz, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, Piotr Szpor, Bartłomiej Borek, editors (2011–2015), “a, ha”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN
• Ewa Deptuchowa, Mariusz Frodyma, Katarzyna Jasińska, Magdalena Klapper, Dorota Kołodziej, Mariusz Leńczuk, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, editors (2023), “a”, in Rozariusze z polskimi glosami. Internetowa baza danych [Dictionaries of Polish glosses, an Internet database] (in Polish), Kraków: Pracownia Języka Staropolskiego Instytut Języka Polskiego Polskiej Akademii Nauk

Old Swedish

Alternative forms

• ᛆ

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aː/

Noun

ā f

1. creek, river

Declension

Declension of ā (ō-stem)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	ā	āin	ā(r)	āna(r)
accusative	ā	āna	ā(r)	āna(r)
dative	ā	ānni	ām	āmin, -men
genitive	ā(r)	ārinnar	ā	ānna

Descendants

• Swedish: å

References

• å in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Omaha-Ponca

Noun

a

1. arm

References

• Omaha Ponca digital dictionary

Ometepec Nahuatl

Noun

a

1. water

Oromo

Noun

a (plural aa)

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

Palauan

Etymology 1

From Pre-Palauan *a, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *a.

Article

a

1. a, the

Etymology 2

From Pre-Palauan *a, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *a, from Proto-Austronesian *a.

Conjunction

a

1. linking particle

Papiamentu

Etymology 1

Letter

a (lower case upper case, A)

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

Etymology 2

Particle

a

1. Indicates the past tense.

   Mi a papia kuné. ― I talked to him.

Etymology 3

From Portuguese a.

Preposition

a

1. to
2. by
3. at

Usage notes

• Only used in set expressions from Spanish.

Polish

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈa/

• (Middle Polish) IPA^(key): /ˈa/
• (Masovia):
  • (Ostróda) IPA^(key): /ˈa/
  • (Warmia) IPA^(key): /ˈa/
  • (Masurian) IPA^(key): /ˈa/

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Audio 3:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: a
• Homophones: a-, -a

Etymology 1

The Polish orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the history of Polish orthography article on Wikipedia for more, and a for development of the glyph itself.

Letter

a (lowercase, uppercase A)

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

   małe a ― a minuscule/small/little a

   duże a ― a capital/big/large a

See also

• see other Polish letters

Etymology 2

First attested in 1551. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

a n (indeclinable)

1. a, near-open central vowel

   samogłoska a ― the vowel a

   powiedzieć a ― to say a

2. (music) a (note)

   zagrać a ― to play an a

   zaśpiewać a ― to sing an a

Related terms

• akanie

 

Etymology 3

Abbreviation of ar.

Noun

a m inan

1. (metrology) Abbreviation of ar.

Etymology 4

Inherited from Old Polish a.

Conjunction

a

1. and, but, whereas (used contrastively)

   A ty? ― And you?

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

2. and (used to continue a previous statement or to add to it)

   walka między dobrem a złem ― battle between good and evil

3. and then (used to say an event will occur if some requirement is fulfilled)

   Poszukasz, a znajdziesz. ― If you seek it, then you shall find it.

4. and (used after a verb to indicate it will last a long time)

   pracować a pracować ― to work and work (for a long time)

5. such and such (used when the speaker does not want to be more specific, when repeating an element)
6. is (used to show some connection between two objects which are very different from each other)
7. what about

   Ja jestem gotowy, a ty? ― I'm ready, what about you?

Derived terms

• atoli
• ażeby

 

Related terms

• ale
• ali

 

Etymology 5

Inherited from Old Polish a.

Interjection

a

1. ah! (used when the speaker has remembered or noticed something)

Trivia

According to Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej (1990), a is one of the most used words in Polish, appearing 555 times in scientific texts, 307 times in news, 507 times in essays, 703 times in fiction, and 1175 times in plays, each out of a corpus of 100,000 words, totaling 3226 times, making it the 13th most common word in a corpus of 500,000 words.

Further reading

• a in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• a in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “a”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
• Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “a”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
• “A”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 2022 May 31
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814) “a”, in Słownik języka polskiego
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861) “a”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “a”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 1
• Zofia Stamirowska (1987-2024) “a”, in Anna Basara, editor, Słownik gwar Ostródzkiego, Warmii i Mazur, volume 1, Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich Wydawnictwo Polskiej Akademii Nauk, →ISBN, pages 107-109

Portuguese

Pronunciation

letter

• IPA^(key): /a/
• Homophone: à (Brazil)
• 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 â, Ã ã), 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

Related terms

• with diacritics: ã, â, à, á

Etymology 2

From Old Galician-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, translated by Lia Wyler, 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, translated by Lia Wyler, 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 using 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?”

  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 using this term, see Citations:a.

See also

See Template:Portuguese personal pronouns for more.

Etymology 3

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

Preposition

a

2. to, introduces the indirect object

   Synonym: para

   Dê-o a mim. ― Give it to me.

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

   • 2005, J. K. Rowling, translated by Lia Wyler, 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, translated by Lia Wyler, 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.

4. to; towards, indicates destination

   Synonyms: para, até

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

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

   Synonyms: com, por meio de

   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.

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

    Synonym: por

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

16. in the style or manner of; a la

    Synonym: ao modo de

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

    Camarão à grega. ― Greek-style shrimp.

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

    Synonyms: em, de

    Dormimos à noite. ― We sleep at night.

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

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

    Synonym: em

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

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

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

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

    Synonyms: para, por

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

    Nada a fazer. ― Nothing to be done.

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 using this term, see Citations:a.

Descendants

• Indo-Portuguese: a

See also

• em
• para

Etymology 4

Interjection

a

2. (Internet slang) Alternative form of ah

   A, tudo bem então.

   Oh, all right then.

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

Etymology 5

From homophone há.

Verb

a

1. Misspelling of há.

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

Etymology 6

From homophone à.

Contraction

a

1. Misspelling of à.

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

Rapa Nui

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa/
• Hyphenation: a

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *a. Cognates include Maori a and Tongan ʻa.

Article

a

1. the personal article, used before proper nouns

Etymology 2

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *a. Cognates include Hawaiian ā and Maori ā.

Preposition

a

1. along, towards

References

• Paulus Kieviet (2017) A grammar of Rapa Nui‎^[32], Berlin: Language Science Press, →ISBN, page 102

Rawang

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Suffix

a

1. verbal suffix for marking benefactive of the V.

Pronoun

a (upper case A)

1. proximate demonstrative pronoun

   Alòng èlámò.

   Dry this one.

   Ló webǿng nàí baqòé, ngàí abǿng bakngò lé" wa.

   Well, you carry that side, I will carry this side.

   A wedø nø bvttut mvjòǃ

   Oh, it is absolutely wrong to do (it) that way.

Romagnol

Etymology 1

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Alternative forms

• à

Pronunciation

• (Central Romagnol): IPA^(key): [ˈaɐ̯]

• (Ville Unite):

• (San Zaccaria): IPA^(key): [ˈaɐ]

Verb

a

1. third-person singular/plural present indicative of avér (“to have”)

Etymology 2

From Latin ego.

Pronoun

a (plural a)

1. (Ville Unite) I
2. (Ville Unite) plural of a (“we”)
3. (Ville Unite) plural of te (“you”)

Etymology 3

Inherited from Latin ad, a (“to, toward”).

Preposition

a

1. to; at

Romani

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, X x, I i, J j, K k, Kh kh, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Ph ph, R r, S s, T t, Th th, U u, V v, Z z International Standard: (À à, Ä ä, Ǎ ǎ), Ć ć, Ćh ćh, (È è, Ë ë, Ě ě), (Ì ì, Ï ï, Ǐ ǐ), (Ò ò, Ö ö, Ǒ ǒ), Rr rr, Ś ś, (Ù ù, Ü ü, Ǔ ǔ), Ź ź, Ʒ ʒ, Q q, Ç ç, ϴ θ. Pan-Vlax: Č č, Čh čh, Dž dž, (Dź dź), Ř ř, Š š, (Ś ś), Ž ž, (Ź ź).

Etymology 2

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

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

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

Etymology 1

Article

a

1. feminine singular of al (“of”, possessive article)

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

Etymology 3

From Proto-Romanian, from a late Vulgar Latin *ae(t), from Latin habet.

Verb

(el/ea) a (modal auxiliary, third-person singular form of avea, used with past participles to form perfect compus tenses)

1. modal auxiliary

   (he/she) has...

   A văzut acest film?

   Has he/she seen this film?

Usage notes

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

Sardinian

Etymology 1

From Latin ac, alternative form of atque (“and, and also; as, then”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/ (triggers final cogemination (syntactic gemination of the initial consonant of the following word) in senses 1 and 2)

Conjunction

a

1. (Nuorese) Only used in che a (“like, as”)
2. (Campidanese) Only used in tottu a and a tottu
3. used in the words for the numbers 17 and 19
   1. (Logudorese) Only used in degasette (“seventeen”)
   2. (Campidanese) Only used in dexasetti (“seventeen”) and degannoi (“nineteen”)
   3. (Nuorese) Only used in decassette (“seventeen”) and decannobe (“nineteen”)

Etymology 2

From Latin ad from Proto-Italic *ad, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd (“near, at”).

Alternative forms

• ad (used before vowel-initial words)
• an (Nuorese, before words starting with d-)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Logudorese, Nuorese) /a/ (triggers final cogemination (syntactic gemination of the initial consonant of the following word))
• IPA^(key): (Campidanese) /a/ (often does not trigger final cogemination)

Preposition

a

1. indicates the indirect object; to
2. indicates the place; in, to
3. denotes the manner; with

   a pe' (Logudorese) ― on foot

Etymology 3

From Latin aut (“or”), from Proto-Italic *auti, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewti (“on the other hand”), derived from *h₂ew (“away from, off”). Doublet of o.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/ (triggers final cogemination (syntactic gemination of the initial consonant of the following word))

Conjunction

a

1. (central Sardinia) Used to introduce a question or an exhortation

   a benis? ― are you coming?

   a nos pasamos! ― Let's rest!

Usage notes

• Used in expressions such as a chie ... a chie ... (Logudorese, Nuorese) and a chini ... a chini ... (Campidanese)

  a chie ridet, a chie pranghet (Nuorese) ― one laughs, the other one cries (literally, “[there's] who laughs, [there's] who cries”)

  • In these expressions, e can be used instead of a, though it's not common.

Derived terms

• annò

References

• Wagner, Max Leopold (1960–1964) “a¹”, in Dizionario etimologico sardo, Heidelberg
• Wagner, Max Leopold (1960–1964) “a²”, in Dizionario etimologico sardo, Heidelberg
• Wagner, Max Leopold (1960–1964) “a³”, in Dizionario etimologico sardo, Heidelberg

Sassarese

Alternative forms

• ad (before a vowel)

Etymology

From Latin ad, from Proto-Italic *ad, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Preposition

a

2. Used to indicate the target or recipient of an action; to, sometimes untranslated
4. Used to indicate destination; to
6. Used to indicate purpose; to
8. Used with adverbs expressing position or proximity; to, sometimes untranslated
10. Used to indicate a moment in time; at
12. Used to indicate a period of time; in
14. in, about, with regard to
16. Used to indicate a comparison; to
18. Denotes the direct object
20. Indicates manner.
22. Indicates shape.
24. Used to introduce a question.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

References

• Rubattu, Antoninu (2006) Dizionario universale della lingua di Sardegna, 2nd edition, Sassari: Edes

Satawalese

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /a/

Pronoun

a (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"

Scots

Etymology 1

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) 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, Ȝ ȝ

Etymology 2

From Middle English a, from Old English ān (“one; a; lone; sole”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ə]

Article

a

1. a, an (indefinite article)

Usage notes

• Unlike English, this form can be used before both consonant and vowel sounds. However, this is not often the case in written Scots, probably due to the influence of English.

Synonyms

• (before a vowel): an

References

• “a, indef. art.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.

Etymology 3

Determiner

a

1. Alternative form of a'

Adverb

a

1. Alternative form of a'

Noun

a (uncountable)

1. Alternative form of a'

References

• “a, adj., adv.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (etymologies 2–8) /ə/, (etymologies 1 and 9) /a/
• Hyphenation: a

Etymology 1

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

1. The first letter of the Scottish Gaelic alphabet, written in the Latin script. It is followed by b. Its traditional name is ailm (“elm”).

See also

• (Latin-script letters) litir; A a (À à), B b (Bh bh), C c (Ch ch), D d (Dh dh), E e (È è), F f (Fh fh), G g (Gh gh), H h, I i (Ì ì), L l, M m (Mh mh), N n, O o (Ò ò), P p (Ph ph), R r, S s (Sh sh), T t (Th th), U u (Ù ù)
• (diacritics) ◌̀
• (obsolete vowels) Á á É é Ó ó

Etymology 2

From Old Irish a, from Proto-Celtic *ā. Cognates include Irish a and Welsh a.

Particle

a (triggers lenition)

1. Used to mark a vocative; O

   Halò, a Ruairidh. ― Hello, (O) Roderick.

Etymology 3

From Old Irish a. Cognates include Irish a.

Determiner

a

1. (triggers lenition) his, its
2. (triggers H-prothesis) her, its

See also

Scottish Gaelic possessive determiners

	Singular		Plural
	+ C	+ V	+ C	+ V
First person	moL	m'	ar	arN
Second person	doL	d'	ur	urN
Third person m	aL	—	an, am1)	an
Third person f	a	aH
L Triggers lenition; H Triggers H-prothesis; N Triggers eclipsis; 1) Used before b-, f-, m- or p-

Etymology 4

From Old Irish a. Cognates include Irish a.

Pronoun

a (governs the relative form of the verb)

1. who, which, that

   Cuin a chluinneas tu e? ― When will you hear it? (literally, “When [is it] that you will hear it?”)

Etymology 5

From Old Irish a. Cognates include Irish a.

Particle

a (triggers H-prothesis)

1. Used before cardinal numbers not succeded by a noun

   A bheil agad a ceithir? ― Do you have four?

Etymology 6

From Old Irish a. Cognates include Irish a.

Particle

a (triggers lenition)

1. Used to mark the infinitive of a verb; to

   Tha mi a' dol a chadal. ― I'm going to sleep.

Etymology 7

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Preposition

a (+ dative, triggers lenition of consonants and Dh-prothesis of vowels)

1. Reduced form of do
2. Reduced form of de

Etymology 8

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Particle

a (triggers lenition)

1. Form of an used before bheil

Usage notes

• Less frequently, am may be used before bheil as well.

Etymology 9

Interjection

a!

1. ah!

Alternative forms

• à

References

• MacBain, Alexander, Mackay, Eneas (1911) “a”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language‎^[33], Stirling, →ISBN
• Colin Mark (2003) The Gaelic-English dictionary, London: Routledge, →ISBN, page 1
• Edward Dwelly (1911) “a”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎^[34], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1

See Translingual section.

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Etymology 2

From Proto-Slavic *a (“and, but”).

Conjunction

a (Cyrillic spelling а)

1. but, and (compare ȁli)

   Učio sam c(ij)elo posl(ij)epodne, a ništa nisam naučio. ― I studied for the whole afternoon, but I didn't learn anything.

   A kako biste vi to napravili? ― And how would you do that?

2. while (on the contrary), whereas

   Stolovi su crveni, a stolice su zelene. ― The tables are red, whereas the chairs are green.

3. (with da ne) without (usually after negative verbs)

   Ne mogu se uključiti u raspravu, a da ne napravim nered. ― I cannot enter a discussion without making a mess.

   Odlazi, a da nije rekao ni zbogom. ― He's leaving without even saying goodbye.

4. (a ȉpāk) and yet

   Pravi prijatelj zna sve o tebi, a ipak te voli. ― The real friend knows everything about you, and yet he loves you.

5. (a kȁmoli) not to mention, let alone

   U moru loših v(ij)esti teško je ostati objektivan, a kamoli optimističan. ― In the sea of bad news it's hard to stay objective, let alone optimistic.

6. (a + i + da) even if

   A i da jesam to napravio, ne bi to učinilo neku razliku. ― Even if I did it, it wouldn't have made much of a difference.

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

   Sviđaju mi se plavuše, a i ja se pokojoj svidim. ― I like blondes, and some of them even like me.

   Bili su žalosni, a i ja sam. ― They were sad, and so am I.

Etymology 3

Attested since the 15th century. Probably of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Slovene a, Russian а (a), Lithuanian õ, Latin ō and Ancient Greek ὦ (ô). These could all derive from Proto-Indo-European interjection *ō (“oh, ah”), but each form in individual languages could easily be an independent, expressive formation.

Interjection

a (Cyrillic spelling а)

1. oh, ah

   a da? ― oh really?

References

• “a”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2024
• “a”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2024
• Skok, Petar (1971) “a”, in Etimologijski rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika [Etymological Dictionary of the Croatian or Serbian Language] (in Serbo-Croatian), volumes 1 (A – J), Zagreb: JAZU, page 1

Sicilian

Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Noun

a f

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

Etymology 2

From the lenition of la, from the apheresis of Vulgar Latin *illa, from Latin illam, from illa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Article

a f sg (m u, plural i)

1. the (feminine singular definite article)

   Synonym: la

Usage notes

• As for other Romance languages, such as Neapolitan or Portuguese, Sicilian definite articles have undergone a consonant lenition that has led to the phonetic fall of the initial l. The use of this illiquid variant has not yet made the use of liquid variants disappear, but today it is still the prevalent use in speech and writing.
• In the case of the production of literary texts, such as singing or poetry, or of formal and institutional texts, resorting to "liquid articles" and "liquid articulated prepositions" confers greater euphony to the text, although it may sound a form of courtly recovery.
• Illiquid definite articles can be phonetically absorbed by the following noun. I.e: l'arancina (liquid) and ârancina (illiquid).

Inflection

Sicilian articles
	Masculine singular definite article	Feminine singular definite article	Masculine and feminine plural definite article
Definite articles (liquid)	lu	la	li
Definite articles (illiquid)	u	a	i
Definite articles	nu (also: un,'n)	na

Etymology 3

From the lenition of la, from the apheresis of Vulgar Latin *illa, from Latin illam, from illa.

Alternative forms

• la (liquid form)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Pronoun

a f sg (plural i, masculine u)

1. (accusative) her

   Synonym: la

   A canusci? ― Do you know her?

2. (accusative) it, this or that thing

   Synonym: la

   Quannu tâ desi. ― When I gave it to you.

Usage notes

• This pronoun can blend in contracted forms with other particles, especially other personal pronominal particles.

Inflection

Sicilian pronominal particles
	Masculine singular pronominal particles	Feminine singular pronominal particles	Masculine and feminine plural pronominal particles
mi	mû	mâ	mî
ti	tû	tâ	tî
ci	ci u	ci a	cî
ni	nû	nâ	nî
vi	vû	vâ	vî
ci	ci u	ci a	cî

Etymology 4

From the merge of Latin ad and ab.

Preposition

a

1. indicates the indirect object; to

   Porta stu panaru â nanna.

   Bring this basket to grandma.

   Ê jatti ci piàciunu i pisci.

   Cats like fish.

   (literally, “Fish are pleasable to cats.”)

   E mû dumanni a mìa?

   You're asking that to me?

2. indicates the place, used in some contexts, in others in is used; in, to

   Jemu â casa?

   Can we go home?

   (literally, “Can we go to the home?”)

   Cchiui staju a Palermu, a Ruma cci tornu dumani.

   I'm in Palermo now, I'll go back to Rome tomorrow.

4. denotes the manner; with

   a pedi, a muzzu ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

5. denotes the direct object, but only if it's not preceded by articles

   Chiama a Paulu.

   Call Paolo.

   E nun ni vidisti cchiui a nuiautri?

   And you didn't see us?

   the "us" here is repeated twice for emphasis

   Ascutassi a mìa, signù!

   Listen to me, ma'am!

Usage notes

• When followed by a word that begins with a vowel sound, the form ad (also rhotacized as ar) 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 + u	ô
a + lu	a lu
a + a	â
a + la	a la
a + i	ê
a + li	a li

Etymology 5

Verb

a

1. Misspelling of àvi.

Silesian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa/
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: a

Etymology 1

The Silesian orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the Silesian language article on Wikipedia for more, and a for development of the glyph itself.

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Ã ã, B b, C c, Ć ć, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, Ł ł, M m, N n, Ń ń, O o, Ǒ ǒ, Ō ō, Ô ô, Õ õ, P p, R r, S s, Ś ś, T t, U u, W w, Y y, Z z, Ź ź, Ż ż

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Polish a.

Conjunction

a

1. and (used to continue a previous statement or to add to it)
2. and, but, whereas (used contrastively)
3. and then (used to say an event will occur if some requirement is fulfilled)
4. and (used for clairification)

Particle

a

1. intensifies agreement

Etymology 3

Inherited from Old Polish a, from Proto-Slavic *a.

Interjection

a

1. interjection that expresses various emotions; ah!

Further reading

• a in dykcjonorz.eu
• a in silling.org

Skolt Sami

Pronunciation

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Etymology 1

See Translingual section.

Letter

a (upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) bukva; A a,  â, B b, C c, Č č, Ʒ ʒ, Ǯ ǯ, D d, Đ đ, E e, F f, G g, Ǧ ǧ, Ǥ ǥ, H h, I i, J j, K k, Ǩ ǩ, L l, M m, N n, Ŋ ŋ, O o, Õ õ, P p, R r, S s, Š š, T t, U u, V v, Z z, Ž ž, Å å, Ä ä, ʹ

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Russian а (a) 'but'.

Conjunction

a

1. but
2. how, what about

Further reading

• Koponen, Eino, Ruppel, Klaas, Aapala, Kirsti, editors (2002–2008), Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎^[35], Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

Slovak

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 (upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) písmeno; A a, Á á, Ä ä, B b, C c, Č č, D d, Ď ď, Dz dz, Dž dž, E e, É é, F f, G g, H h, Ch ch, I i, Í í, J j, K k, L l, Ĺ ĺ, Ľ ľ, M m, N n, Ň ň, O o, Ó ó, Ô ô, P p, Q q, R r, Ŕ ŕ, S s, Š š, T t, Ť ť, U u, Ú ú, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Ý ý, Z z, Ž ž

Etymology 2

From Proto-Slavic *a (“and, but”).

Conjunction

a

1. and

Derived terms

• a čo
• a jednako
• a predsa
• a preto
• a tak
• a teda

Further reading

• “a”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2024

Slovene

Etymology 1

From Gaj's Latin alphabet a, from Czech alphabet a, modification of capital A, itself derived from the Etruscan letter 𐌀 (a), from the Ancient Greek letter Α (A, “alpha”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤀 (ʾ, “aleph”), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓃾.

Pronunciation

• (phoneme, tonal variety): IPA^(key): /áː/, /àː/, /ʌ́/, /a/, [â], [ǎ]
• (phoneme, non-tonal variety): IPA^(key): /aː/, /a/
• (letter name): IPA^(key): /àː/, /áː/

• Audio (letter name, non-tonal):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aː
• Homophone: a

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

1. The first letter of the Slovene alphabet, written in the Latin script.
2. The first letter of the Slovene alphabet (Resian), written in the Latin script.
3. The first letter of the Slovene alphabet (Natisone Valley dialect), written in the Latin script.

Symbol

a

1. (SNPT) Phonetic transcription of sound [a].

Noun

ā m inan

1. The name of the Latin script letter A / a.
2. The name of the phonemes /a, aː, ʌ/.

Inflection

• Overall more common

The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.

Masculine inan., soft o-stem
nom. sing.	ā
gen. sing.	ā-ja
	singular	dual	plural
nominative (imenovȃlnik)	ā	ā-ja	ā-ji
genitive (rodȋlnik)	ā-ja	ā-jev	ā-jev
dative (dajȃlnik)	ā-ju	ā-jema	ā-jem
accusative (tožȋlnik)	ā	ā-ja	ā-je
locative (mẹ̑stnik)	ā-ju	ā-jih	ā-jih
instrumental (orọ̑dnik)	ā-jem	ā-jema	ā-ji

• More common when with a definite adjective

Masculine inan., no endings
nom. sing.	ā
gen. sing.	ā
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	ā	ā	ā
accusative	ā	ā	ā
genitive	ā	ā	ā
dative	ā	ā	ā
locative	ā	ā	ā
instrumental	ā	ā	ā

Derived terms

• à, á, ā, ȁ, ȃ
• ã, ȧ, ä, å, ḁ, ą
• če si rekel a, reci tudi b
• ena a
• od a do ž

Etymology 2

Attested since the 18th century. Probably of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Serbo-Croatian a, Russian а (a), Lithuanian õ, Latin ō 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
2. Used at the end of a sentence for confirmation, similarly to 'didn't I' in English.

Etymology 3

From , from , which is ablative form of 'this'. Cognates with , and .

Conjunction

1. but

Particle

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

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

Slovincian

Etymology 1

Inherited from .

Conjunction

1. and

2. and, but, whereas

Etymology 2

Inherited from .

Interjection

1. ah!

Spanish

Etymology 1

Letter

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

Noun

Usage notes

Nominally, a always takes the usual feminine articles and (la a, una a). This makes it an exception to the rule according to which feminine nouns beginning with stressed frequently take the articles and otherwise reserved for masculine nouns (e.g., el , un ).

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 .

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”

Sranan Tongo

Pronoun

1. he, she, it

Article

1. the

Usage notes

Sranan Tongo makes no difference between singular and plural forms, except for pronouns and determiners and the definite article. Common nouns referring to a collection of similar items are usually treated as singular where in English they would be grammatically plural, and so are referred to with singular pronouns and determiners and the singular definite article.

Preposition

1. at, to

Particle

1. to be (used with a noun phrase as complement)

Usage notes

This particle is only used when the temporal aspect is unmarked, whether for timeless facts, or for statements where time is not considered relevant.

Swahili

Particle

1. ; ; of

Usage notes

• This particle agrees in class with the noun preceding it.
• When used as an adjectival particle, the particle itself is untranslated:
• When used as a genitive particle, the particle is sometimes untranslated:

Inflection

Inflected forms of

Noun class	singular	plural
m-wa class(I/II)
m-mi class(III/IV)
ji-ma class(V/VI)
ki-vi class(VII/VIII)
n class(IX/X)
u class(XI)		see n(X) or ma(VI) class
pa class(XVI)
ku class(XVII)
mu class(XVIII)

See also

• : the ornative particle

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.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) bokstav; 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, Å å, Ä ä, Ö ö

Adverb

(not comparable)

Tagalog

Etymology 1

. Each pronunciation has a different source:

• Filipino alphabet pronunciation is influenced by .
• Abakada alphabet pronunciation is influenced by Baybayin character .
• Abecedario pronunciation is from .

Letter

1. The letter of the alphabet (the Filipino alphabet), called and written in the Latin script.

Letter

1. The letter of the alphabet (the Abakada alphabet), called and written in the Latin script.
2. The letter of the alphabet (the Abecedario), called and written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) titik; 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, Ñ ñ, Ng ng, 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

1. the name of the Latin-script letter [[A#|A]]/[[a#|a]], in the Abakada alphabet

2. the name of the Latin-script letter [[A#|A]]/[[a#|a]], in the Abecedario

Etymology 2

Interjection

1. ah: an exclamation of pity, admiration or surprise

2. oh ()

Etymology 3

Interjection

1. ouch ()

Tarantino

Preposition

1. in
2. at
3. to

Tày

Etymology 1

Particle

1. alright?; okay?; will you?

2. already

Etymology 2

From . Cognate with , .

Noun

1. paternal aunt

2. younger sister

Tok Pisin

Etymology

Imitative or onomatopoeia.

Interjection

1. eh?

Tokelauan

Etymology 1

From . Cognates include and .

Article

See also

Tokelauan articles

	Impersonal
	singular	plural
Definite
Indefinite
	Personal
	Nominal	Pronominal
Simple
After /
After

Etymology 2

From . Cognates include and .

Preposition

1. ; of

Tooro

Particle

1. ; ; of

Declension

Inflected forms of

Noun class	indefinite		definite
	singular	plural	singular	plural
1/2
3/4
5/6
7/8
9/10
11/10
12/14
13
14/6
15/6
16
18

Turkish

Letter

1. The letter of the alphabet, 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)}

Turkmen

Letter

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) harp; A a, B b, Ç ç, D d, E e, Ä ä, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, Ž ž, K k, L l, M m, N n, Ň ň, O o, Ö ö, P p, R r, S s, Ş ş, T t, U u, Ü ü, W w, Y y, Ý ý, Z z

Tyap

Letter

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

Interjection

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

Pronoun

1. you (2nd person subject singular personal pronoun)

Pronoun

1. he/she (3rd person singular personal pronoun)

Pronoun

1. they (indefinite) (3rd person plural personal pronoun)

Upper Sorbian

Conjunction

1. and
2. the (establishing a parallel between two comparatives)

Further reading

• “a” in Soblex

Vietnamese

Etymology 1

Borrowed from .

Letter

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

Noun

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

Etymology 2

Noun

(classifier )

1. a cutting tool consisting of two blades inserted into a long handle to cut grass or to harvest rice

Etymology 3

Verb

1. to rush or charge forward at

Volapük

Etymology

Borrowed from or .

Pronunciation

Preposition

1. per,

2. by

Votic

Etymology 1

Letter

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

Etymology 2

Borrowed from .

Conjunction

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

Etymology 3

Natural. Compare .

Interjection

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

See also

• aa
• aah
• ah
• haa
• see other Votic letters

Walloon

Etymology

From .

Preposition

1. at

Welsh

Etymology 1

Letter

1. The letter of the alphabet, called and written in the Latin script. It is followed by .

Mutation

• a cannot be mutated but, being a vowel, does take , for example with the word :

Derived terms

• Digraph sequences: , , , ,

See also

• see other Welsh letters and their names

Noun

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

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

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

   not *Y dyn a oedd ei chwaer yma

West Makian

Etymology 1

Verb

1. to be cooked
2. to be done, finished

Conjugation

Conjugation of a (stative verb)
		singular	plural
			inclusive	exclusive
1st person
2nd person
3rd person	inanimate
	animate
imperative		—,	—,

Etymology 2

Verb

Usage notes

The verb a ("to eat") takes the same verbal prefixes that directional verbs do.

Conjugation

Conjugation of a (directional verb)
		singular	plural
			inclusive	exclusive
1st person
2nd person
3rd person	inanimate
	animate
imperative		,	,

Yele

Letter

Derived terms

• The digraph ⟨aa⟩ transcribes the long vowel /æː/
• The digraph ⟨꞉a⟩ transcribes the nasal vowel /æ̃/
• The trigraph ⟨꞉aa⟩ transcribes the long nasal vowel /æ̃ː/

Yola

Etymology 1

From , from .

Alternative forms

• , , , , , , ,

Article

1. the, in later times the.

Etymology 2

From , , from .

Article

1. one

Etymology 3

Unstressed form of .

Preposition

1. on

Etymology 5

Preposition

1. • #invoke:quote

References

• Template:R:Poole 1867
• https://web.archive.org/web/20050222031415/http://homepage.tinet.ie/~taghmon/histsoc/vol3/chapter4/chapter4.htm

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• Template:sense Template:IPA
• Template:sense Template:IPA

Letter

Template:head

1. Template:Latn-def

Noun

Template:head

1. Template:Latn-def

See also

• Template:list:Latin script letters/yo
• Template:list:Latin script letter names/yo

Etymology 2

Likely a Template:clipping

Pronunciation

• Template:IPA

Pronoun

Template:head

1. we Template:gloss

   Template:ux

   Template:ux

Usage notes

Similar to other shortened subject pronouns, its usage is restricted and can only be found directly before a verb or pre-verbal marker. It cannot be used with particles/discourse markers such as Template:m or conjunctions such as Template:m, Template:m, and Template:m. In those cases, Template:m must be used instead.

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• Template:sense Template:IPA
• Template:sense Template:IPA

Pronoun

Template:head

1. him, her, it Template:gloss

   Template:syn

   Template:ux

Pronoun

Template:head

1. him, her, it Template:gloss

   Template:syn

   Template:uxi

   Template:uxi

See also

Template:see-temp

Yucatec Maya

Pronoun

Template:head

1. you Template:gloss

Zazaki

Letter

Template:head

1. Template:Latn-def

See also

• see other Zazaki letters

Pronoun

Template:head

1. she

Zhuang

Pronunciation

• Template:q Template:IPA

Etymology 1

Compare Template:cog.

Noun

Template:head

1. crow

Synonyms

• Template:l

Etymology 2

Noun

Template:head

1. Template:lb mother

Etymology 3

Particle

Template:head

1. Template:n-g

Zou

Pronunciation

• Template:IPA

Noun

Template:head

1. hen

References

• Template:R:zom:Singh:2013

Zulu

Letter

Template:head

1. Template:Latn-def

See also

• see other Zulu letters