A Definition

ə; ā when stressed
an
noun
The first letter of the modern English alphabet.
American Heritage
The first letter of the English alphabet: from the Greek alpha, a borrowing from the Phoenician.
Webster's New World
Any of the speech sounds represented by the letter a.
American Heritage
Any of the speech sounds that this letter represents, as, in English, the vowel (a) of hat, (ä) of father, (ā) of bake, or (ô) of call.
Webster's New World
The first in a series.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
article
Used before nouns and noun phrases that denote a single but unspecified person or thing.
A region; a person.
American Heritage
Used before terms that denote number, amount, quantity, or degree.
Only a few of the voters; a bit more rest; a little excited.
American Heritage
Used before a proper name to denote a type or a member of a class.
The wisdom of a Socrates.
American Heritage
Used before a mass noun to indicate a single type or example.
A dry wine.
American Heritage
The same.
Birds of a feather.
American Heritage
preposition
In every; to each; per.
Once a month; one dollar a pound.
American Heritage
To each; in each; for each; per.
Once a day.
Webster's New World
(archaic) To do with position or direction; In, on, at, by, towards, onto. [First attested before 1150]
Stand a tiptoe.
Wiktionary
To do with separation; In, into. [First attested before 1150]
Torn a pieces.
Wiktionary
To do with time; Each, per, in, on, by. [First attested before 1150]
I brush my teeth twice a day.
Wiktionary
verb
Have.
He'd a come if he could.
American Heritage

​ (archaic or slang) Have. [between 1150 and 1350, continued in some use until 1650; used again after 1950]

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

Eye dialect spelling of have.

Wiktionary
abbreviation
About.
Webster's New World
Are (measurement)
American Heritage
Absent.
Webster's New World
Accusative.
American Heritage
Acceleration.
Webster's New World
prefix
Without; not.
Amoral.
American Heritage
On; in.
Abed.
American Heritage
In the act of.
Aborning.
American Heritage
In the direction of.
Astern.
American Heritage
In a specified state or condition.
Abuzz.
American Heritage
adjective
Of a or A.
Webster's New World
First in a sequence or group.
Webster's New World
Shaped like A.
Webster's New World
One; one sort of.
We planted a tree.
Webster's New World
Each; any one [a gun is dangerous]
Webster's New World
affix
In, into, on, at, to.
Ashore, abed.
Webster's New World
In the act or state of.
Asleep, a-crying, a-wishing.
Webster's New World
Up, out: now generally used as an intensive.
Awake, arise.
Webster's New World
Off, of.
Akin.
Webster's New World
Not, without.
Amoral, atypical.
Webster's New World
letter

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

Wiktionary

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

Apple starts with A.
Wiktionary
pronoun
1874 Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd (Barnes & Noble Classics reprint [reset], 2005, chapter 5, page 117; from "Hardy's 1912 Wessex edition").
"And how Farmer James would cuss, and call thee a fool, wouldn't he, Joseph, when 'a seed his name looking so inside-out-like?" continued Matthew Moon, with feeling. / "Ay — 'a would," said Joseph meekly.
Wiktionary

(archaic) Alternative form of a (pronoun)

Wiktionary

(archaic) Alternative form of a (verb)

Wiktionary

(archaic) Alternative form of Aeaea.

Wiktionary
interjection

A meaningless syllable; ah.

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

Alternative spelling of a (all). [First attested from 1350 to 1470.]

Wiktionary
symbol
Distance from leading edge to aerodynamic center.
Wiktionary
Specific absorption coefficient.
Wiktionary
Specific rotation.
Wiktionary

Allele (recessive)

Wiktionary
The highest rank on any of various scales that assign letters.
We assign each item inspected a rating from A through G, depending on various factors.
Wiktionary
numeral

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

The item A is "foods", the item B is "drinks".
Wiktionary
suffix
Plural form of -um.
Wiktionary
Plural form of -on.
Wiktionary
(Geordie) Same as -er in Standard English.
Wiktionary
(slang) Used to replace -er in nouns.
Wiktionary

Marks singular nouns, with a foundation in Greek or Latin, often implying femininity, especially when contrasted with words terminating in -us.

Wiktionary
idiom
from A to Z
  • Completely; thoroughly.
American Heritage
from A to Z
  • from beginning to end; completely; exhaustively
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of A

Noun

Singular:
a
Plural:
ae, a-106s, a-109s, a-1s, a-2s, a-32s, a-3s, a-6s, a-7s, a-es

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to A

Origin of A

  • Sometimes borrowed from French à (“(various prepositions)”), as in vis-à-vis, sometimes reduced from of. Other words may be established on these models, as in jack-a-napes. May be spelled differently, with same schwa pronunciation, as in o' or Cockney (from Cockeney); other early form in ragamuffin and cock-a-leekie.

    From Wiktionary

  • From the homographic case endings of the nominative, accusative, and vocative forms of numerous Latin neuter second declension nouns.

    From Wiktionary

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

    From Wiktionary

  • Possibly due to the propensity in some non-rhotic dialects to pronounce words ending in -er as if they ended in an -a.

    From Wiktionary

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

    From Wiktionary

  • From Middle English and Old English upper case letter A and split of Middle English and Old English upper case letter Æ.

    From Wiktionary

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

    From Wiktionary

  • Representing the nominative singular case ending of Latin first-declension feminine nouns.

    From Wiktionary

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

    From Wiktionary

  • Representing Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish feminine nouns.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English from Old English from an on on

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Various, often difficult to determine. Used in Middle English since 14th century.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English alteration of haven to have have

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Middle English variant of an an an1

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English from Old English an in on

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Added to lines of poetry and verse to maintain metrics.

    From Wiktionary

  • weakened form of OE an, on, in, on

    From Webster's New World College Dictionary, 5th Edition

  • From Middle English, contraction of of.

    From Wiktionary

  • Shortened version of preposition of.

    From Wiktionary

  • Greek ne in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Shortened version of verb have.

    From Wiktionary

  • Unstressed form of on.

    From Wiktionary

  • Shortened version of verb to.

    From Wiktionary

  • Variant spelling of ah.

    From Wiktionary

  • From Latin -a.

    From Wiktionary

  • The vowel of rat

    From Wiktionary