a

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

Contents

Translingual[edit]

Letter a.svg
a U+0061, a
LATIN SMALL LETTER A
← `
[U+0060]		 Basic Latin b →
[U+0062]
ａ U+FF41, ａ
FULLWIDTH LATIN SMALL LETTER A
← ｀
[U+FF40]		 Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms ｂ →
[U+FF42]
Wikisource
See also the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica's article on:
A.

Etymology 1[edit]

Approximate form of Greek upper case Α (a, “alpha”) that was the source for both common variants of a Modification of capital letter A, from Latin A, from Ancient Greek letter Α (A).

Pronunciation[edit]

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

Letter[edit]

a (upper case A)

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

Symbol[edit]

a

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

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

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

Symbol[edit]

a

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

Etymology 3[edit]

From Latin annus

Symbol[edit]

a

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

Etymology 4[edit]

Abbreviation of are, from French are.

Symbol[edit]

a

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

Etymology 5[edit]

Abbreviation of acceleration

Symbol[edit]

a

  1. (physics) acceleration

Other representations of A:

  • Letter styles

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

  • Uppercase and lowercase A in Fraktur

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

English[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Runic letter ᚫ (a, “ansuz”), source for Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letters replaced by a

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

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

Alternative forms[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (letter name)
    The current pronunciation resulted from the Great Vowel Shift. Before the early part of the 17th century, the pronunciation was similar to that in other languages.
  • (phoneme) /æ/, /ɑː/, /eɪ/, ...

Letter[edit]

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

  1. The first letter of the English alphabet, called a and written in the Latin script.
Usage notes[edit]

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

a is the third-most common letter in English.

Derived terms[edit]
See also[edit]

Numeral[edit]

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[edit]

a (plural aes)[1]

  1. The name of the Latin script letter A/a.
See also[edit]
Translations[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (stressed) IPA(key): /eɪ/
  • (unstressed) IPA(key): /ə/
  • Audio (US), stressed
    		(file)
  • Audio (US), unstressed
    		(file)

Article[edit]

a (indefinite)

  1. One; any indefinite example of; used to denote a singular item of a group. [First attested prior to 1150][2]
    There was a man here looking for you yesterday.
    • 1992, Rudolf M. Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, 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!
  2. Used in conjunction with the adjectives score, dozen, hundred, thousand, and million, as a function word.
    I've seen it happen a hundred times.
  3. One certain or particular; any single. [First attested between around 1150 to 1350][2]
    We've received an interesting letter from a Mrs. Miggins of London.
  4. The same; one. [16th Century][2]
    We are of a mind on matters of morals.
  5. Any, every; used before a noun which has become modified to limit its scope;[1] also used with a negative to indicate not a single one.[3]
    A man who dies intestate leaves his children troubles and difficulties.
    He fell all that way, and hasn't a bump on his head?
  6. Used before plural nouns modified by few, good many, couple, great many, etc.
  7. Someone or something like; similar to;[3] Used before a proper noun to create an example out of it.
    The center of the village was becoming a Times Square.
Usage notes[edit]
Main appendix: English articles#Indefinite articles
  • In standard English, the article a is used before consonant sounds, while an is used before vowel sounds; for more, see the usage notes about an.
Translations[edit]
an — see an

Etymology 3[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. (archaic) To do with position or direction; In, on, at, by, towards, onto. [First attested before 1150][2]
    Stand a tiptoe.
  2. To do with separation; In, into. [First attested before 1150][2]
    Torn a pieces.
  3. To do with time; Each, per, in, on, by. [First attested before 1150][2]
    I brush my teeth twice a day.
    • 1601, Shakespeare, Hamlet, IV-v
      A Sundays
  4. (obsolete) To do with method; In, with. [First attested before 1150][2]
    • Marlowe, C.
      Stands here a purpose.
  5. (obsolete) To do with role or capacity; In. [First attested before 1150][2]
    A God’s name.
  6. To do with status; In. [First attested before 1150][2]
  7. (archaic) To do with process, with a passive verb; In the course of, experiencing. [First attested before 1150][2]
    • 1964, Bob Dylan, The Times They Are a-Changin’
      The times, they are a-changin'.
  8. (archaic) To do with an action, an active verb; Engaged in. [16th century][2]
    • 1605~1608 Shakespeare
      It was a doing.
    • 1611, King James Bible, Hebrews 11-21
      Jacob, when he was a dying
  9. (archaic) To do with an action/movement; To, into. [16th century][2]
Usage notes[edit]
  • (position, direction): Can also be attached without a hyphen, as aback, ahorse, afoot. See a-
  1. (separation): Can also be attached without hyphen, as asunder. See a-
  2. (status): Can also be attached without hyphen, as afloat, awake. See a-.
  3. (process): Can also be attached with or without hyphen, as a-changing

Etymology 4[edit]

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

Alternative forms[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

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

  1. (archaic or slang) Have. [between 1150 and 1350, continued in some use until 1650; used again after 1950]
    I'd a come, if you'd a asked.
    • 1604 (facsimile printed between 1830 and 1910), William Shakespeare, Hamlet:
      So would I a done by yonder ſunne
      And thou hadſt not come to my bed.
Derived terms[edit]
Derived terms
Usage notes[edit]
  • Now often attached to preceding auxiliary verb. See -a.

Etymology 5[edit]

Broom icon.svg A user suggests that this English entry be cleaned up giving the reason: "There are five etymologies and two pronunciation but just one meaning. Does Modern English a also mean he, she, it, I? If so, then the meanings have to be added, if not, then it does not make sense to mention for example I in the etymology section or it in the pronunciation section.
Talk:a#RFV implies that the unrelated etymologies and pronunciations have to be removed too.".
Please see the discussion on Requests for cleanup(+) or the talk page for more information and remove this template after the problem has been dealt with.

Alternative forms[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

a

  1. (obsolete outside England and Scotland dialects) He. [1150-1900][2]
    • 1599, Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, III-ii:
      a’ brushes his hat o’ mornings.
    • 1874 Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd (Barnes & Noble Classics reprint [reset], 2005, chapter 5, page 117; from "Hardy's 1912 Wessex edition"):
      "And how Farmer James would cuss, and call thee a fool, wouldn't he, Joseph, when 'a seed his name looking so inside-out-like?" continued Matthew Moon, with feeling. / "Ay — 'a would," said Joseph meekly.

Etymology 6[edit]

Variant spelling of ah.

Pronunciation[edit]

Interjection[edit]

a

  1. A meaningless syllable; ah.
    • 1623 Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale, IV-iii:
      A merry heart goes all the day
      Your sad tires in a mile-a
    • 1936 Avery, I Love to Singa:
      I love to sing-a
      About the moon-a and the June-a and the Spring-a.

Etymology 7[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. (archaic, slang) Of.
    The name of John a Gaunt.

Usage notes[edit]

  • Often attached without a hyphen to preceding word.

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology 8[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Adverb[edit]

a (not comparable)

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

Adjective[edit]

a (not comparable)

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

Etymology 9[edit]

Symbols

Symbol[edit]

a

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

See also[edit]

Statistics[edit]

Most common English words before 1923 in Project Gutenberg: little · now · then · #79: a · should · can · made

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gove, Philip Babcock, (1976)
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 Brown, Lesley, (2003)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lindberg, Christine A. (2007)
  4. ^ YouTube video with lyrics

Further reading[edit]

Abau[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA(key): /a/

Noun[edit]

a

  1. house

Afar[edit]

Letter[edit]

  1. The first letter of the Afar alphabet

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA(key): /ʌ/

See also[edit]

Determiner[edit]

a

  1. this

Albanian[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA(key): /a/

Particle[edit]

a

  1. or
  2. there

Etymology 2[edit]

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[edit]

IPA(key): /a/

Particle[edit]

a

  1. probably, perhaps

Ama[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

a

  1. tree

Aragonese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin illa.

Article[edit]

a f sg

  1. the
    a luenga aragonesa ― the Aragonese language

Asturian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin ad.

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. to, towards

Derived terms[edit]

Noun[edit]

a f

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

Azeri[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Letter[edit]

a lower case (upper case A)

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

See also[edit]

Bambara[edit]

Article[edit]

a

  1. the (definite article).

Interjection[edit]

a

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

Pronoun[edit]

a

  1. they, them (plural)

Bavarian[edit]

Article[edit]

a

  1. a

Catalan[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Catalan alphabet, written in the Latin script.
Derived terms[edit]
See also[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

Preposition[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

Chuukese[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

a

  1. he
  2. she
  3. it

Adjective[edit]

a

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

Related terms[edit]

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


Czech[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Conjunction[edit]

a

  1. and

Dalmatian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin ad.

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. to
  2. at

Danish[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Danish alphabet, written in the Latin script.
See also[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

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

  1. The name of the letter A or a.
Inflection[edit]
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[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

  • à (unofficial but common)

Pronunciation[edit]

Preposition[edit]

a

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

Etymology 4[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

a

  1. imperative of ae

Dutch[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Dutch alphabet, written in the Latin script.
See also[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nl

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

Alternative forms[edit]

  • aa (especially in names)
  • ie

Noun[edit]

a f (plural a's, diminutive aatje n)

  1. (archaic) a stream or water
Related terms[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

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

Pronoun[edit]

a

  1. (Brabantian) you

Synonyms[edit]

Egyptian[edit]

Romanization[edit]

a

  1. Manuel de Codage transliteration of ˤ.

Esperanto[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also[edit]

Noun[edit]

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

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

See also[edit]

Fala[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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

Article[edit]

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

  1. feminine singular of definite article o
    • 2000, Domingo Frades Gaspar, Vamus a falal: Notas pâ coñocel y platical en nosa fala, Editora regional da Extremadura, Chapter 1: Lengua Española:
      A grandeda da lengua española é indiscotibli, i sei estudio, utilización defensa debin sel algo consostancial a nos, […]
      The greatness of the Spanish language is unquestionable, and its study, use and defense must be something consubstantial to us, […]

Etymology 2[edit]

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

Preposition[edit]

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, […]

Faroese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (upper case A)

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

See also[edit]

Finnish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA(key): /ɑ/

Abbreviation[edit]

a

  1. approbatur

French[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Etymology 2[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

a m, f (plural as)

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

Etymology 3[edit]

Quebec eye-dialect spelling of elle.

Pronunciation[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

a

  1. (Quebec, colloquial) Alternative form of elle (“she”)
    (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Etymology 4[edit]

Symbol[edit]

a

  1. are (100 square metres)

Etymology 5[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

a

  1. third-person singular present indicative of avoir
    Elle a un chat.
    She has a cat.

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Fula[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Usage notes[edit]

See also[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

a

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

Usage notes[edit]

  • 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[edit]

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

Galician[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA(key): /a/

Etymology 1[edit]

From Latin ad (“to, toward”).

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. to, toward; indicating direction of motion
  2. introduces indirect object
  3. used to indicate time of an action
  4. (with de) to, until; used to indicate the end of a range
    de cinco a oito ― from five to eight
  5. by, on, by means of; expresses a mode of action
    a pé ― on foot
  6. for; indicates price or cost
Usage notes[edit]

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[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

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

Article[edit]

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

  1. (definite) the
Usage notes[edit]

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.

Derived terms[edit]
Terms derived from a

Etymology 3[edit]

Noun[edit]

a m (plural as)

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

Etymology 4[edit]

Non-lemma forms.

Pronoun[edit]

a

  1. accusative of ela

German[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Gilbertese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA(key): /a/

Numeral[edit]

a

  1. (cardinal) four

Grass Koiari[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

a

  1. you (singular)

References[edit]

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

Greenlandic[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA(key): /a/, /aː/

Affix[edit]

a (after short vowels)

  1. to be
    Maani ukiaavoq. ― It is autumn here.
    Uangaanngilaq. ― It is not me.

Haitian Creole[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA(key): /a/

Article[edit]

a

  1. the: definite article

Usage notes[edit]

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[edit]

Hawaiian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA(key): /aː/

Conjunction[edit]

a

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

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. of, belonging to

Usage notes[edit]

  • 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).

Hungarian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Article[edit]

a (definite)

  1. the
    a hölgy ― the lady

Usage notes[edit]

Used before words starting with a consonant.

Related terms[edit]

  • az, for words starting with a vowel

Ido[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

  • (before a vowel) ad

Etymology[edit]

See ad.

Pronunciation[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also[edit]

Noun[edit]

a (plural a-i)

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

See also[edit]

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. to

Related terms[edit]

  • e, ed (“and”)
  • o, od (“or”)

Indo-Portuguese[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

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

Etymology[edit]

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

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. to
    • 1883, Hugo Schuchardt, Kreolische Studien, volume 3:
      […] , que da-cá su quião que ta pertencê a êll.
      […] , to give him his share which belongs to him.

Interlingua[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. to, at
  2. to, for (indicating purpose)
    sala a attender ― waiting room

Derived terms[edit]

Irish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Determiner[edit]

a (triggers lenition)

  1. his, its
    a athair agus a mháthair ― his father and mother
    Chaill an t-éan a chleití. ― The bird lost its feathers.

See also[edit]

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

Note: L indicates that the word triggers lenition. E indicates that the word triggers eclipsis. H indicates that the word triggers h-prothesis.

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

Determiner[edit]

a (triggers h-prothesis)

  1. her, its
    a hathair agus a máthair ― her father and mother
    Bhris an mheaig a heiteog. ― The magpie broke its wing.

See also[edit]

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

Note: L indicates that the word triggers lenition. E indicates that the word triggers eclipsis. H indicates that the word triggers h-prothesis.

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

Determiner[edit]

a (triggers eclipsis of a following word)

  1. their
    a n-athair agus a máthair ― their father and mother
    a dtithe ― their houses
    a n-ainmneacha ― their names
  2. (Connacht) our
  3. (Connacht) your pl

See also[edit]

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

Note: L indicates that the word triggers lenition. E indicates that the word triggers eclipsis. H indicates that the word triggers h-prothesis.

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

Determiner[edit]

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!

Particle[edit]

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!

Particle[edit]

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

Particle[edit]

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[edit]

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

Particle[edit]

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 ― the number seven bus

Preposition[edit]

a (plus dative, triggers lenition)

  1. to (used with a verbal noun)
    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.

Pronoun[edit]

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[edit]

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

References[edit]

Istriot[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin ad.

Preposition[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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

Noun[edit]

a f, m (invariable)

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

See also[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Latin ad, from Proto-Indo-European *ád (“near; at”). In a few phrases, a stems from Latin a, ab.[1]

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. in
  2. at
  3. to
  4. Indicates the direct object, mainly to avoid confusion when it, the subject, or both are displaced, or for emphasis
    A me non importa. ― It doesn’t matter to me. (literally, “To me it doesn’t matter.”)
    A lei non piace, ma a lui piace molto. ― She doesn't like it, but he likes it very much.
Usage notes[edit]
  • When followed by a word that begins with a vowel sound, the form ad is used instead.
  • When followed by the definite article, a combines with the article to produce the following combined forms:
a + article Combined form
a + il al
a + lo allo
a + l' all'
a + i ai
a + gli agli
a + la alla
a + le alle

Etymology 3[edit]

Verb[edit]

a

  1. Misspelling of ha.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Angelo Prati, "Vocabolario Etimologico Italiano", Torino, 1951

Japanese[edit]

Romanization[edit]

a

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

Kalasha[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

a

  1. I

Koitabu[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

a

  1. you (singular)

References[edit]

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

Krisa[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA(key): /a/

Noun[edit]

a m

  1. pig

Ladin[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin a.

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA(key): /a/

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. in
  2. at
  3. to

Latgalian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

Conjunction[edit]

a f

  1. but, however, while, signal

Particle[edit]

a f

  1. and, but, so, well

Latin[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

(letter name):

Letter[edit]

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. (sometimes with littera) the first letter of the Latin alphabet.
    littera a ― the letter a
Usage notes[edit]

See Appendix:Mutations of the letter and sound a in the Latin language

Etymology 2[edit]

From Etruscan.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

ā (indeclinable)

  1. The name of the letter A.
Coordinate terms[edit]

References[edit]

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

Etymology 3[edit]

Shortened form of ab.

Pronunciation[edit]

Preposition[edit]

ā (+ ablative)

  1. of, from
Alternative forms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 4[edit]

EB1911 - Volume 01 - Page 001 - 1.svg This entry lacks etymological information. If you are familiar with the origin of this term, please add it to the page per etymology instructions. You can also discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.

Pronunciation[edit]

Interjection[edit]

ā

  1. ah

Latvian[edit]

Latvian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia lv

Etymology[edit]

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[edit]

Letter[edit]

A

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

a m (invariable)

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

See also[edit]

Ligurian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Article[edit]

a f sg (plural e)

  1. the

Etymology 2[edit]

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

Preposition[edit]

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[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (upper case A)

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

See also[edit]


Lower Sorbian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Conjunction[edit]

a

  1. and

Malay[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

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

Letter[edit]

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also[edit]

Mandarin[edit]

Romanization[edit]

a (Zhuyin ㄚ˙)

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

a

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

Usage notes[edit]

  • English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

Mandinka[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

Particle[edit]

a

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

Usage notes[edit]

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

Middle Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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

Noun[edit]

â f

  1. (rare) river, stream, water

Inflection[edit]

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants[edit]

  • Dutch: a

Further reading[edit]

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

Middle French[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Old French, from Latin ad.

Alternative forms[edit]

  • à (after 1550)

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. to; towards

Etymology 2[edit]

Old French, from Latin habet.

Verb[edit]

a

  1. third-person singular present indicative of avoir

Middle Welsh[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Particle[edit]

a (triggers lenition)

  1. O (vocative particle)

Etymology 2[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

a (triggers lenition)

  1. who, which, that

Particle[edit]

a (triggers lenition)

  1. inserted before the verb when the subject of direct object precedes it

Etymology 3[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Particle[edit]

a (triggers lenition)

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

Etymology 4[edit]

Reduction of o (“from”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. used between a focused adjective and the noun it modifies
    • Pwyll Pendeuic Dyuet:
      bychan a dial oed yn lloski ni, neu yn dienydyaw am y mab
      it will be small vengeance if we are burnt or put to death because of the child

Etymology 5[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Conjunction[edit]

a (triggers aspiration)

  1. and

Etymology 6[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Preposition[edit]

a (triggers aspiration)

  1. with

Etymology 7[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Verb[edit]

a

  1. third-person singular present indicative of mynet

Mopan Maya[edit]

Article[edit]

a

  1. the

References[edit]

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

Mountain Koiari[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

a

  1. you (singular)

References[edit]

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

Nauruan[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

a

  1. I (first person singular pronoun)
    • 2000, Lisa M Johnson, Firstness of Secondness in Nauruan Morphology:
      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[edit]

Letter[edit]

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[edit]

Neapolitan[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Latin de ab.

Preposition[edit]

a

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

Etymology 2[edit]

From Latin ad.

Preposition[edit]

a

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

Norman[edit]

Verb[edit]

a

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

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Norwegian Bokmål Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nb

Pronunciation[edit]

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

Letter[edit]

a (lowercase, uppercase A)

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

See also[edit]

Noun[edit]

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

  1. the letter a

Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn

Pronunciation[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (lowercase, uppercase A)

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

See also[edit]

Noun[edit]

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

  1. the letter a

Novial[edit]

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. to

Usage notes[edit]

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

Old Danish[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

  • aa (Jutlandic)

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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

Noun[edit]

ā (genitive ār, plural ār)

  1. (Scanian) stream, river
Descendants[edit]
  • Danish: å

Etymology 2[edit]

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

Preposition[edit]

ā

  1. (Scanian) on, in, at
Descendants[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

Verb[edit]

ā

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

Old Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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

Noun[edit]

ā f

  1. river, stream, water

Inflection[edit]

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Alternative forms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

  • Middle Dutch: â
    • Dutch: a

Old English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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

Adverb[edit]

ā

  1. ever, always

Descendants[edit]

Old French[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Etymology 2[edit]

From Latin ad.

Alternative forms[edit]

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

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. to
  2. towards
  3. belonging to
    fil a putain ― son of a whore
Derived terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
  • French: à

Etymology 3[edit]

From the verb avoir, aveir.

Alternative forms[edit]

Verb[edit]

a

  1. third-person singular present indicative of avoir

Old Irish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Proto-Celtic *sindom (“this”).

Alternative forms[edit]

  • (relative pronoun): an

Article[edit]

a

  1. nominative / accusative singular neuter of in
    • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 15b28
      A mbás tiagme-ni do·áirci bethid dúib-si.
      The death to which we go causes life unto you.

Pronoun[edit]

a (triggers eclipsis, takes a leniting relative clause)

  1. that which, what
    • c. 875, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 112b13
      Is demniu liunn a n-ad·chiam hua sulib ol·daas an ro·chluinemmar hua chluasaib.
      What we see with the eyes is more certain for us than what we hear with the ears.
Descendants[edit]
  • Irish: a

Etymology 2[edit]

Conjunction[edit]

a (triggers eclipsis, takes a nasalizing relative clause)

  1. when
    • c. 875, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 55d11
      Ícaid-som didiu anisin, a n-as·mbeir “iudicia Domini abyssus multa”.
      He solves that then, when he says “iudicia Domini abyssus multa”.
    • c. 875, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 112b17
      ⁊ a no·nda imbide
      and when thou art hedged round

Etymology 3[edit]

From Proto-Celtic *esyo (m and n), *esyās (f), and *esōm (pl); compare Welsh ei (“his, her, its”), eu (“their”); Old High German iro (“their”); and Sanskrit अस्य (asyá, “his, its”), अस्यास् (asyā́s, “her”), and एषाम् (eṣā́m, “their”).

Alternative forms[edit]

Determiner[edit]

a (3rd person possessive) (triggers lenition in the masculine and neuter singular, an unwritten prothetic /h/ before a vowel in the feminine singular, and eclipsis in the plural)

  1. his, its
    • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 5a23
      Cossóit a thuaithe fri Dia inso.
      This is a slandering of his folk before God.
    • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 5d10
      Bad hi forcitul .i. a chomalnad condib desimrecht do chách.
      Let it be in teaching, that is, to fulfill it [lit. "its fulfillment"] so that he may be an example to everyone.
  2. her, its
    • c. 845, St. Gall Glosses on Priscian, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1975, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. II, pp. 49–224, Sg. 32b6
      A mmuntar-sidi ad·rothreb-si lee, it he con·rótgatar in cathraig.
      Her folk whom she had with her, it is they who built the city.
  3. their
    • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 24a38
      Ní epur a n-anman sund.
      I do not say their names here.
Descendants[edit]
  • Irish: a (“his, her, its, their”)
  • Scottish Gaelic: a (“his, her, its”); an (“their”)

Etymology 4[edit]

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

Alternative forms[edit]

Particle[edit]

a (triggers lenition)

  1. O (vocative particle)
    • c. 875, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 134d3
      Ar·troídfe-siu inna drochdaíni, a Dǽ, dia n-anduch, air is fechtnach a n-andach mani erthroítar húa Día.
      Thou wilt restrain the evil men, O God, from their iniquity, for their iniquity is prosperous if it be not restrained by God.
Descendants[edit]
  • Irish: a

Etymology 5[edit]

Particle[edit]

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

  1. introduces a numeral
    a deich ― ten
Descendants[edit]
  • Irish: a

Etymology 6[edit]

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

Preposition[edit]

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

  1. out of
    • c. 875, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 127d6
      in tan ro·mmemaid re n-Abrachan forsna coíc riga bertar Loth a Sodaim
      when the five kings who carried Lot out of Sodom had been routed by Abraham
Inflection[edit]
Inflection of a
Person Normal Emphatic
1st person sing. asum
2d person sing. essiut
3d sing. masc./neut., dative ass, as, es
3d sing. masc./neut., accusative
3d sing. fem. essi, esse, eissi
1st person pl.
2d person pl.
3d person pl., dative essib, eissib, esib
3d person pl., accusative
Related terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
  • Irish: as
  • Manx: ass
  • Scottish Gaelic: à

References[edit]

Old Portuguese[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. to; towards
Descendants[edit]
  • Fala: a
  • Galician: a
  • Portuguese: a

Etymology 2[edit]

Article[edit]

a

  1. Alternative spelling of á

Polish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Conjunction[edit]

a

  1. and; but
    A ty? ― And you?
    Wolisz tabletki, a ja wolę zastrzyki. ― You prefer pills and I prefer injections.
  2. and
    walka między dobrem a złem ― battle between good and evil

Portuguese[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

letter
article, pronoun

Etymology 1[edit]

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

Letter[edit]

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also[edit]

Quotations[edit]

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:a.

Noun[edit]

a m (plural as)

  1. Alternative spelling of á
Quotations[edit]

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:a.

Related terms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

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

Article[edit]

a f

  1. Feminine singular of article o.
    • 2005, Lya Wyler (translator), J. K. Rowling (English author), Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), Rocco, page 219:
      Então, como foi a última festinha de Slughorn?
      So, how was the last Slughorn's little party?
    • 2007, Lya Wyler (translator), J. K. Rowling (English author), Harry Potter e as Relíquias da Morte (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), Rocco, page 147:
      Entregou a foto rasgada, [...]
      He handed over the torn photograph, [...]
Quotations[edit]

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:o.

See also[edit]

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[edit]

a f (third-person singular)

  1. 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.
Quotations[edit]

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:a.

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

Etymology 3[edit]

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

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. to (introduces the indirect object)
    • 2005, Lya Wyler (translator), J. K. Rowling (English author), Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), Rocco, page 143:
      Deixe-me mostrar a você...
      Let me show it to you...
    • 2007, Lya Wyler (translator), J. K. Rowling (English author), Harry Potter e as Relíquias da Morte (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), Rocco, page 516:
      Não é bonito dizer isso a uma pessoa.
      It's not nice to say that to a person.
    Dê-o a mim. ― Give it to me.
    Meu coração pertence a você. ― My heart belongs to you.
  2. to; towards (indicates destination)
    Vamos a Paris! ― Let’s go to Paris!
  3. away (indicates a physical distance)
    A vila fica a onze milhas ― The village is eleven miles away.
    Comunicação à distância. ― Communication at a distance.
  4. with; by means of (using as an instrument or means)
    Mataram o cão a pauladas. ― They bludgeoned the dog to death. (literally: they killed the dog with bludgeonings)
    A cavalo. ― On horseback.
    Livro escrito a lápis. ― A book written with a pencil.
  5. with; on (using as a medium or fuel)
    Quadro pintado a óleo. ― A painting painted with oil.
    Fornalha a carvão. ― Coal furnace.
  6. 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.
  7. (preceded and followed by the same word) by (indicates a steady progression)
    Calma lá. Resolva o problema passo a passo. ― Easy there. Solve the problem step by step.
  8. in the style or manner of; a la
    Ele puxou o temperamento ao pai. ― He inherited his temperament from his father.
    Camarão à grega. ― Greek-style shrimp.
  9. (limited use, see usage notes) at (during the specified period)
    Dormimos à noite. ― We sleep at night.
    O filme começa às duas horas. ― The film starts at two o’clock.
  10. (rare except in set terms) at; in (indicates a location or position)
    Isso fica à frente do altar. ― This stays in front of the altar.
  11. 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.”)
  12. (Portugal, followed by a verb in the infinitive form) forms the present participle; in Brazil, the gerund is used instead
    Estou a preparar a canja ― I am preparing the chicken soup
  13. (followed by an infinitive or present passive) to (forms the future participle)
    Um trabalho a ser feito. ― A job to be done.
    Nada a fazer. ― Nothing to be done.
Quotations[edit]

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:a.

Usage notes[edit]

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

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:

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”).

Synonyms[edit]
  • (introducing an indirect object): para
  • (indicating a destination): para, até
  • (by means of): com, por meio de
  • (indicating a steady progression): por
  • (a la): ao modo de
  • (in the specified time period): em, de
  • (indicating location): em
  • (forming the future participle): para, por
See also[edit]

Etymology 4[edit]

Interjection[edit]

a

  1. oh (expression of mild surprise)
    A, tudo bem então.
    Oh, all right then.
Quotations[edit]

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:a.

Etymology 5[edit]

From homophone há

Verb[edit]

a

  1. Misspelling of há.
Quotations[edit]

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:a.

Etymology 6[edit]

From homophone à

Contraction[edit]

a

  1. Misspelling of à.
Quotations[edit]

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:a.

Rapa Nui[edit]

Particle[edit]

a

  1. possessive particle marking an alienable possession; of

Usage notes[edit]

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

Romanian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Usage notes[edit]

In Romanian, the letter a represents the phoneme /a/.

See also[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Article[edit]

a (feminine singular possessive article)

  1. of
    sora mea și a lui Alexandru
    My and Alexandru's sister
    cartea este a mea
    the book is mine
Coordinate terms[edit]
  • al (masculine/neuter singular)
  • ai (masculine plural)
  • ale (feminine/neuter plural)

Etymology 2[edit]

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

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. (used with infinitive verbs) the infinitive marker: to
    A fi.
    To be.
  2. (archaic) at (now almost completely replaced by la)

Etymology 3[edit]

From proto-Romanian, from a late Vulgar Latin *ae(t), from Latin habet[1].

Verb[edit]

(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[edit]

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

Related terms[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ http://www.lingv.ro/RRL%201-2%202009%20Nevaci,%20Todi.pdf

Satawalese[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA(key): /a/

Pronoun[edit]

a (third-person singular)

  1. he
  2. she
  3. it

References[edit]

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

Scots[edit]

Determiner[edit]

a

  1. Alternative form of a'

Adverb[edit]

a (not comparable)

  1. Alternative form of a'

Noun[edit]

a (uncountable)

  1. Alternative form of a'

Scottish Gaelic[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

a

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

Usage notes[edit]

  • As his/its lenites the following word.
    a mhac - his son
    a mac - her son
  • As his/its is omitted if the following word begins with a vowel or fh followed by a vowel.
    athair - a father or his father (depending on the context)

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. Alternative form of do

Particle[edit]

a

  1. to (precedes the infinitive form)
    Tha mi a' dol a chadal. ― I'm going to sleep.
  2. Used before cardinal numbers which are not followed by a noun.
    A bheil agad a ceithir? ― Do you have four?
  3. Used before the vocative form.
    Hallo, a Ruairidh. ― Hello, Roderick.

Serbo-Croatian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

See Translingual section.

Alternative forms[edit]

  • (uppercase): A

Letter[edit]

a (Cyrillic spelling а)

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

Etymology 2[edit]

From Proto-Slavic *a (“and, but”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō.

Conjunction[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

a (Cyrillic spelling а)

  1. oh, ah
    a da? ― oh really?

References[edit]

  • “a” in Hrvatski jezični portal
  • “a” in Hrvatski jezični portal
  • Skok, Petar (1971) Etimologijski rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika (in Serbo-Croatian), volume 1, Zagreb: JAZU, page 1

Skolt Sami[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (upper case A)

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

See also[edit]

Slovak[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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

Letter[edit]

a (upper case A)

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

See also[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Proto-Slavic *a (“and, but”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ōd. Cognates include Old Church Slavonic а (a), Lithuanian õ (“and, but”) and Sanskrit आत् (ā́t, “so, then, afterwards”).

Conjunction[edit]

a

  1. and
Derived terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • a in Slovak dictionaries at korpus.sk

Slovene[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Slovene alphabet, written in the Latin script.
See also[edit]

Interjection[edit]

a

  1. oh
Synonyms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Conjunction[edit]

a

  1. but

Particle[edit]

a

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

Spanish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /a/
  • Audio (Latin America)
    		(file)
  • Audio (Spain)
    		(file)
  • Homophone: ha
  • Rhymes: -a

Etymology 1[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Noun[edit]

a f (plural aes)

  1. Name of the letter A.
See also[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

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

Alternative forms[edit]

  • (obsolete) á
  • (obsolete) à

Preposition[edit]

a

  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
  4. Used before words referring to people, pets, or personified objects or places that function as direct objects: personal a.
    Lo busca a Usted.
    He is looking for you.
Usage notes[edit]
  • Personal a is not translated into English.

See also[edit]

Sranan Tongo[edit]

Noun[edit]

a

  1. it

Swahili[edit]

Particle[edit]

-a

  1. The genitive particle; adjectival particle; of

Usage notes[edit]

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

Inflection[edit]

Inflected forms of -a
Noun class singular plural
M-wa class wa wa
M-mi class wa ya
Ma class la ya
Ki-vi class cha vya
N class ya za
U class wa za
Pa class pa pa
Ku class kwa kwa
Mu class mwa mwa

Swedish[edit]

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. from (very formal, seldom used outside written formal texts.)
Usage notes[edit]

See also[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (name a, uppercase form A)

  1. The first letter of the Swedish alphabet, written in the Latin script.
See also[edit]

Tagalog[edit]

Interjection[edit]

a

  1. ah: an exclamation of pity, admiration or surprise
    A! Kailan namatay ang iyong ina? ― Ah! When did your mother die?

Letter[edit]

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also[edit]

Tarantino[edit]

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. in
  2. at
  3. to

Tok Pisin[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Imitative or onomatopoeia.

Interjection[edit]

a

  1. eh?
    • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 3:1 (translation here):
      God, Bikpela i bin wokim olgeta animal, tasol i no gat wanpela bilong ol inap winim snek long tok gris. Na snek i askim meri olsem, “Ating God i tambuim yutupela long kaikai pikinini bilong olgeta diwai bilong gaden, a?”
This entry has fewer than three known examples of actual usage, the minimum considered necessary for clear attestation, and may not be reliable. Tok Pisin is subject to a special exemption for languages with limited documentation. If you speak it, please consider editing this entry or adding citations. See also Help and the Community Portal.

Turkish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (lower case, upper case A)

  1. The first letter of the Turkish alphabet, called a and written in the Latin script.
See also[edit]

Noun[edit]

a

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

See also[edit]

Turkmen[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (phoneme) IPA(key): /a/, /aː/

Letter[edit]

a (upper case A)

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

See also[edit]

Upper Sorbian[edit]

Conjunction[edit]

a

  1. and
  2. the (establishing a parallel between two comparatives)
    starši a mudriši ― the older, the smarter
    dlěje a hórje ― the longer, the worse

Vietnamese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowing from French a or Portuguese á

Pronunciation[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (upper case A)

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

Noun[edit]

a

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

See also[edit]

Walloon[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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

Preposition[edit]

a

  1. at

Welsh[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

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

Letter[edit]

a (name â, uppercase form A)

  1. The first letter of the Welsh alphabet, written in the Latin script.
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

a

  1. (colloquial) first-person singular future of mynd
Synonyms[edit]
  • af (literary)

Etymology 3[edit]

EB1911 - Volume 01 - Page 001 - 1.svg This entry lacks etymological information. If you are familiar with the origin of this term, please add it to the page per etymology instructions. You can also discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.

Pronunciation[edit]

Conjunction[edit]

a (triggers Aspirate Mutation (but not always in the colloquial language))

  1. and
Synonyms[edit]
  • ac (used before a vowel)

Etymology 4[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

a (triggers the 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 (as opposed to a periphrastic construction with bod, to be)).
    Y dyn a welais i ― The man that I saw

Usage notes[edit]

  1. a is not used with the third person singular present of the verb bod, where the relative verb form sydd is used instead
    Mae'r dyn yn ifanc ― The man is young
    Not *Y dyn a fae'n ifanc but Y dyn sydd yn ifanc
  2. a is not used in indirect relative clauses, where the pronoun is part of a genitive or periphrastic construction. Instead the second relative pronoun y is used
    Oedd y chwaer y dyn yma ― The man's sister was here
    "The man whose sister was here": not *Y dyn ac oedd ei chwaer yma but Y dyn yr oedd ei chwaer yma

Yoruba[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

a

  1. First-person plural subject pronoun: we
    A lo.
    We went.

Zazaki[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

a

  1. she

Zhuang[edit]

Etymology[edit]

EB1911 - Volume 01 - Page 001 - 1.svg This entry lacks etymological information. If you are familiar with the origin of this term, please add it to the page per etymology instructions. You can also discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “Chinese 鴉?”

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (Standard Zhuang) IPA(key): /a˨˦/
  • Tone numbers: a1
  • Hyphenation: a

Noun[edit]

a (old orthography a)

  1. crow

Synonyms[edit]

Zulu[edit]

Letter[edit]

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also[edit]

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