a/languages M to Z

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

Languages (196)

Translingual • English

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Abau • Afar • Akawaio • Albanian • Ama • Anguthimri • Aragonese • Asturian • Azerbaijani • Bambara • Basque • Bavarian • Belizean Creole • Big Nambas • Breton • Bube • Cameroon Pidgin • Catalan • Central Mazahua • Chayuco Mixtec • Chibcha • Chichewa • Choctaw • Chuukese • Cimbrian • Coatepec Nahuatl • Cora • Cornish • Corsican • Czech • Dakota • Dalmatian • Danish • Dutch • Edo • Egyptian • Emilian • Esperanto • Estonian • Fala • Faroese • Finnish • Franco-Provençal • French • Fula • Galician • German • Gilbertese • Gothic • Grass Koiari • Gun • Haitian Creole • Hawaiian • Hokkien • Hungarian • Icelandic • Ido • Igbo • Indo-Portuguese • Indonesian • Ingrian • Interlingua • Inupiaq • Irish • Isoko • Istriot • Italian • Jamaican Creole • Japanese • Jersey Dutch • Kabuverdianu • Kabyle • Kalasha • Kankanaey • Kapampangan • Kari'na • Kashubian • Kayan • K'iche' • Koitabu • Krisa • Ladin • Ladino • Latgalian • Latin • Latvian • Laz • Ligurian • Livonian • Louisiana Creole • Lower Sorbian • Lushootseed

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Malay • Maltese • Mandarin • Mandinka • Maori • Mezquital Otomi • Middle Dutch • Middle English • Middle French • Middle Irish • Middle Scots • Middle Welsh • Mizo • Mòcheno • Mopan Maya • Mountain Koiari • Murui Huitoto • Mbya Guarani • Nauruan • Navajo • Neapolitan • Nheengatu • Nias • Norman • North Frisian • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Nupe • Nǀuu • Occitan • Old Czech • Old Danish • Old Dutch • Old English • Old French • Old Frisian • Old Galician-Portuguese • Old Irish • Old Polish • Old Spanish • Old Swedish • Old Tupi • Omaha-Ponca • Ometepec Nahuatl • Oromo • Palauan • Papiamentu • Paraguayan Guarani • Pennsylvania German • Polish • Portuguese • Rapa Nui • Rawang • Romagnol • Romani • Romanian • Sardinian • Sassarese • Satawalese • Scots • Scottish Gaelic • Serbo-Croatian • Sicilian • Silesian • Skolt Sami • Slovak • Slovene • Slovincian • Spanish • Sranan Tongo • Sumerian • Swahili • Swedish • Tagalog • Tarantino • Tarifit • Tày • Tenharim • Tok Pisin • Tokelauan • Tooro • Tumbuka • Turkish • Turkmen • Tyap • Upper Sorbian • Urubú-Kaapor • Vietnamese • Volapük • Votic • Walloon • Welsh • West Makian • Yao • Yele • Yola • Yoruba • Yucatec Maya • Zazaki • Zhuang • Zou • Zulu

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The entries for a are spread across multiple pages due to their length.

Malay

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): [e]

  • Audio (Malaysia):

    (file)

• (interjection): IPA^(key): [a]

  • Audio (Malaysia):

    (file)

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 (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), 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	short	ń, m̀
	long	ńte	ńtolu, ńtelu
2nd person	short	í	ali
	long	íte	alitolu, alitelu
3rd person	short	a	ì
	long	ate	ìtolu, ìtelu, ìte

Maori

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/, [ɐ]

Letter

a (upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Ā ā, E e, Ē ē, H h, I i, Ī ī, K k, M m, N n, O o, Ō ō, P p, R r, T t, U u, Ū ū, W w, Ng ng, Wh wh

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa/, [ˈɐ]

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 (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)‎ (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 Irish

Preposition

a (triggers eclipsis)

1. alternative form of i (“in”)

Usage notes

See the Old Irish entry for all other etymologies and senses of a in Middle Irish.

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.

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

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.

Mizo

Etymology

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

Pronoun

a (plural an)

1. he, she, it; his, her, its (3rd-person singular clitic pronoun)

See also

Mizo personal pronouns

Person	Clitic		Free
	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
1st person	ka	kan	kei	keini
2nd person	i	in	nang	nangni
3rd person	a	an	ani	anni

Mizo verb agreement pronouns

Subject →		1st person		2nd person		3rd person
↓ Object		Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
1st person	Singular	—		mi ... min ...
	Plural
2nd person	Singular	ka ... che	kan ... che	—		a ... che	an ... che
	Plural	ka ... che u	kan ... che u			a ... che u	an ... che u
3rd person	Singular	ka ...	kan ...	i ...	in ...	a ...	an ...
	Plural

• mi and min, despite being originally singular and plural respectively, have been completely interchangeable since the early 20th century.
• The ellipses (...) indicate the location of the verb in relation to the agreement pronouns surrounding it.

Further reading

• Lorrain, J. Herbert (1940), “a”, in Dictionary of the Lushai language, Calcutta: Asiatic Society

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)‎ (in Spanish), Yarinacocha, Peru: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, page 19

Mbya Guarani

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a]

Letter

a

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a (Á á, àã), E e (É é, Ẽ ẽ), G g, H h, I i (Í í, Ĩ ĩ), J j, K k, M m, Mb mb, N n, Nd nd, Ng ng, Nh nh, O o (Ó ó, Õ õ), P p, R r, T t, U u (Ú ú, Ũ ũ), V v, X x, Y y (Ý ý, Ỹ ỹ), '

References

• Robert A. Dooley (August 2016), “a”, in Léxico guarani, dialeto mbyá: guarani-português (overall work in Portuguese), Anápolis: SIL Brasil, page 2

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)

Nheengatu

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a], (unstressed, word final) [ɐ]

Letter

a

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) pinimasawa-rupiára / yumupinimasawa-rupiára; A a (Á á, àã), B b, D d, E e (É é, Ẽ ẽ, F f), G g, H h, I i (Í í, Ĩ ĩ), J j, K k (L l), M m, N n (O o, Ó ó, Õ õ), P p, R r (Rr rr), S s, T t, U u (Ú ú, Ũ ũ, V v), W w, X x, Y y (Z z)

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)

		singular		plural
		m	f / n
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

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, archived from the original on 28 January 2023:

     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

Nǀuu

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Pronoun

a

1. this

   Synonym: aha

2. you (sg.)

   Synonym: gǀa

   a aa a

   you give this

Nǀuu personal pronouns

			Western dialect				Eastern dialect
			A-form	Simple	Click		A-form	Simple	Click
1st	singular		na	ng	nǀng		nya	ng	nǀng
	plural	inclusive	ca	i	gǀi		ca	i	gǀi
		Exclusive	sa	si	/		sa	si	/
2st	Singular		a	a	gǀa		a	a	gǀa
	Plural		ba	u	gǀu		ba	u	gǀu
3st	singular		kua	ku	/		kua	ku	/
		H-form	ha	ha	/		ha	ha	/
	plural		kina	kin	/		kina	kin	/
		H-form	hna	hn / hng	/		hna	hn / hng	/
Indefinite			ǂa	ǂi	/		ǂa	ǂi	/

Click form: The form used in the question starts with the first or second personal pronouns. It can also be used before the linker(ng).
A-form: The form used in declarative sentence.
H-form: The form often used in possessors, especially stories.

Determiner

a

1. your (sg.)

   A ka ǃu ke ǀxaquka

   your shoes are beautiful

2. this

References

• Sands, Bonny & Jones, Kerry & Esau, Katrina & Collins, Chris & Witzlack-Makarevich, Alena & Job, Sylvanus & Miller, Amanda & Steyn, Betta & Zaanen, Menno & Namaseb, Levi & Berg, Dietloff & Mantzel, Dotty & Damarah, Willem & Snyman, Claudia & Wyk, David & Brugman, Johanna & Exter, Mats & Vaalbooi, Antjie & Westhuizen, Mietjie. (2022). Nǀuuki Namagowab Afrikaans English ǂXoakiǂxanisi/Mîdi di ǂKhanis/Woordeboek/Dictionary.
• Shah, Sheena, and Matthias Brenzinger. Ouma Geelmeid ke kx’u ǁxaǁxa Nǀuu. Cape Town: CALDi, University of Cape Town. 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17432.
• Collins, C., & Namaseb, L. (2011). A Grammatical Sketch of N|uuki with Stories. Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.
• "IOL Castletown 2022 - Solution". IOL 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
• Güldemann, Tom. “"Back to normal?" - ditransitives in the Tuu family.” (2007).

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
   • Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church

     Ne widcweðe iċ, Drihten, tō deorfenne gȳt, ġif iċ nȳdbehefe eom gȳt ðīnum folce; ne iċ ne belādiġe gȳt mē for ylde: bēo ðīn willa ā, weroda Drihten!

     I do not refuse, O Lord, to yet labor, if I am needed by your people; nor will I yet excuse myself on account of my age: let your will be forever, Lord of Hosts!

References

• Joseph Bosworth; T. Northcote Toller (1898), “Á”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, second edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Etymology 2

Noun

ā f

1. alternative form of ǣ: law

References

• Joseph Bosworth; T. Northcote Toller (1898), “á”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, second edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Preposition

a

1. alternative form of on: to, in

References

• Joseph Bosworth; T. Northcote Toller (1898), “a”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, second 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

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd

Proto-Italic *ad

Latin ad

Old French a

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 (see there for further 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 Frisian

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *ahu, from Proto-Germanic *ahwō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ekʷeh₂ (“water”).

Alternative forms

• ē

Noun

ā f

1. water

Descendants

• North Frisian: ia
• Saterland Frisian: Äi
• West Frisian: ie

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-West Germanic *auwju, from Proto-Germanic *awjō, originally a substantive adjective related to *ahwō (“river”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ekʷeh₂.

Noun

ā f

1. island

Descendants

• Saterland Frisian: Äi

Etymology 3

Adverb

ā

1. in any case, under all circumstances
2. every time, whenever

Etymology 4

Preposition

a

1. in, to, at

Derived terms

• thera

Old Galician-Portuguese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa/

Etymology 1

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

Preposition

a

1. to; towards
   • a. 1284, 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
  • Papiamentu: a

Etymology 2

Inherited from Latin illa f (“that”).

Article

a f

1. feminine singular of o
   • a. 1284, Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, Códice de Toledo, cantiga 5 (facsimile):

     Eſta ·xviiii· é como ſṫa maria aiudou · á emperadriꝣ de roma · a ſofrer as grãdes coitaſ per que paſſou.

     This 19th is (about) how Holy Mary helped · the empress of Rome · suffer through the great pains she underwent.

Descendants

• Fala: a
• Galician: a
• Portuguese: a

Old Irish

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.

Alternative forms

• á

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
singular	first		asum
	second		essiut
	third m or n	dative	as(s), es
		accusative
	third f	dative	e(i)ssi, esse	essisi
		accusative
plural	first
	second
	third	dative	es(s)ib, eissib
		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
• Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940) [1909], D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, translation of Handbuch des Alt-Irischen (in German), →ISBN, §§ 436, 834, pages 274, 507–10; reprinted 2017

Old Polish

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Slavic *a

Old Polish a

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

Etymology tree

Proto-Slavic *a

Old Polish a

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a.

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

conjunctions

• 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
• K. Nitsch, editor (1953), “a”, in Słownik staropolski (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw: Polish Academy of Sciences, page 1
• 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
• Wanda Decyk-Zięba; Krystyna Długosz-Kurczabowa; Stanisław Dubisz; Zygmunt Gałecki; Justyna Garczyńska; Halina Karaś; Alina Kępińska; Anna Pasoń; Izabela Stąpor; Barbara Taras; Izabela Winiarska-Górska (2008), “a”, in Wanda Decyk-Zięba, Stanisław Dubisz, editors, Glosariusz staropolski - dydaktyczny słownik etymologiczny [Old Polish Glossary - Didactic Etymological Dictionary] (in Polish), Warszawa: Wydział Polonistyki Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, →ISBN, page 1

Old Spanish

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin ad (“to”).

Preposition

a

1. To; unto; indicates an indirect object; sometimes untranslated.
   • c. 1200, Almeric, Fazienda de Ultramar, page f. 1r.:

     [R]emont por la gracia de dios. arçobispo de Toledo. a don almeric. arçidiano de antiochia con grant amor ſalut ⁊ amidtad.
     […]
     a qui reſpódio el arcidiano El mẏo ſénor dó remont. arçobispo de Toledo. El to clerigo almerich. aRçidiano de antiochẏa. réde gŕas adios & atẏ.

     Remont, by the Grace of God archbishop of Toledo, to master Almerich, archdeacon of Antioch, with great love, haleness and goodwill.
     […]
     To this the archdeacon responded thus, “My lord, master Remont, archbishop of Toledo, your cleric Almerich, archdeacon of Antioch, gives thanks to God and to you”.

   • c. 1250, Alfonso X of Castile, Lapidario, f. 118v:

     Et dixieron los ſabios en el libro de las piedras que la uerde atal uirtut. que quien la engaſtonare en ſortija. la traxiere conſigo. nõ aura la enfermedat a que dizen ydropiſia.

     And in the Book of Stones the wise men claimed that the green stone possesses such virtue that he who mounts it on a ring and has it with him will not suffer from the illness they call dropsy.

Alternative forms

• á, à

Descendants

• Ladino: a, אה
• Spanish: a

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of aver

Etymology 3

Onomatopoeic

Interjection

a

1. ah! Indicates admiration, surprise, or sorrow.

References

• Ralph Steele Boggs et al. (1946), “a”, in Tentative Dictionary of Medieval Spanish, volume I, Chapel Hill, page 1

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)

Old Tupi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a], (unstressed, word final) [ɐ]

Letter

a

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) kûatiara; A a (Á á, àã), B b, E e (É é, Ẽ ẽ, G g), H h, I i (Í í, Ĩ ĩ), Πî, K k, M m, Mb mb, N n, Nd nd, Ng ng, Nh nh, O o (Ó ó, Õ õ), P p, R r, S s, T t, U u (Ú ú, Ũ ũ), Û û, X x, Y y (Ỹ ỹ), Ŷ ŷ, '

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

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

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.

Paraguayan Guarani

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a]

Letter

a

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a (Á á), àã, Ch ch, E e (É é), Ẽ ẽ, G g, G̃ g̃, H h, I i (Í í), Ĩ ĩ, J j, K k, L l, M m, Mb mb, N n, Nd nd, Ng ng, Nt nt, Ñ ñ, O o (Ó ó), Õ õ, P p, R r, Rr rr, S s, T t, U u (Ú ú), Ũ ũ, V v, Y y (Ý ý), Ỹ ỹ, ʼ

Pennsylvania German

Interjection

a

1. alternative spelling of ah (“ah, oh”)

References

• Beam, C. R., Brown, J. R., & Trout, J. L. (2004). The Comprehensive Pennsylvania German Dictionary.

More languages

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