an
1the form of a before an initial vowel sound (an arch; an honor) and sometimes, especially in British English, before an initial unstressed syllable beginning with a silent or weakly pronounced h: an historian.
Origin of an
1Grammar notes for an
Other definitions for an (2 of 11)
Origin of an
2- Also an', 'n, 'n'.
Other definitions for An (3 of 11)
the Sumerian god of heaven: the counterpart of the Akkadian Anu.
Other definitions for An (4 of 11)
actinon.
Other definitions for AN (5 of 11)
Other definitions for an- (6 of 11)
a prefix occurring before stems beginning with a vowel or h in loanwords from Greek, where it means “not,” “without,” “lacking” (anarchy; anecdote); used in the formation of compound words: anelectric.
Origin of an-
6- Also before a consonant, a-.
Other definitions for an- (7 of 11)
variant of ad- before n: announce.
Other definitions for an- (8 of 11)
variant of ana- before a vowel: anion.
Other definitions for -an (9 of 11)
a suffix occurring originally in adjectives borrowed from Latin, formed from nouns denoting places (Roman; urban) or persons (Augustan), and now productively forming English adjectives by extension of the Latin pattern. Attached to geographic names, it denotes provenance or membership (American; Chicagoan; Tibetan), the latter sense now extended to membership in social classes, religious denominations, etc., in adjectives formed from various kinds of noun bases (Episcopalian; pedestrian; Puritan; Republican) and membership in zoological taxa (acanthocephalan; crustacean). Attached to personal names, it has the additional senses “contemporary with” (Elizabethan; Jacobean) or “proponent of” (Hegelian; Freudian) the person specified by the noun base. The suffix -an, and its variant -ian also occurs in a set of personal nouns, mainly loanwords from French, denoting one who engages in, practices, or works with the referent of the base noun (comedian; grammarian; historian; theologian); this usage is especially productive with nouns ending in -ic (electrician; logician; technician). See -ian for relative distribution with that suffix.
Origin of -an
9Other definitions for an. (10 of 11)
in the year.
Origin of an.
10Other definitions for A.N. (11 of 11)
Anglo-Norman.
Associate in Nursing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use an in a sentence
My younger, straighter-than-an-arrow son was stopped and arrested in two separate jurisdictions a few years ago.
What Would Happen if I Got in White Cop’s Face? | Goldie Taylor | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA half-an-hour earlier they had been caught in the middle of a mortar barrage in a skirmish with separatists.
The full translation follows: In the region of Torez, a an-26 was just shot down, crashing behind the “progress” mine.
Latest News on Malaysian Airliner Reportedly Shot Down Over Ukraine | The Daily Beast | July 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn those accounts, neither Buzzelli nor the eager-for-an-angle reporters dubbed the man a World Trade Center “surfer.”
The Search for the Elusive 9/11 Surfer: Pasquale Buzzelli’s Story on Discovery Channel | Matthew DeLuca | September 12, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTOr is he just a straight-as-an-arrow Eagle Scout, far more Clark Kent than Superman?
Calvin Coolidge’s Bone-Dry Humor Is a Lesson in Laughs for Candidates | Mark Katz | February 20, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
They had searched Mortlake House for Alice, and that vain quest had not wasted more than half-an-hour.
Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le FanuOn the first day's journey toward Chang-an-sa the party made good progress.
Our Little Korean Cousin | H. Lee M. PikePassing through the gate, our friends found themselves at once in the midst of the Chang-an-sa monastery buildings.
Our Little Korean Cousin | H. Lee M. PikeIt was the merest baby—half-an-ounce, perhaps—and it fell from the hook into the herbage some yards from the stream.
Uncanny Tales | VariousIn half-an-hour he was sound asleep, and a dead silence reigned in Azalea Lodge.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume II (of 3) | Charles James Wills
British Dictionary definitions for an (1 of 8)
/ (æn, unstressed ən) /
a form of the indefinite article used before an initial vowel sound: an old car; an elf; an honour
Origin of an
1usage For an
British Dictionary definitions for an (2 of 8)
an'
/ (æn, unstressed ən) /
(subordinating) an obsolete or dialect word for if See and (def. 9)
British Dictionary definitions for an (3 of 8)
Netherlands Antilles
British Dictionary definitions for An (4 of 8)
/ (ɑːn) /
myth the Sumerian sky god: Babylonian counterpart: Anu
British Dictionary definitions for An (5 of 8)
actinon
British Dictionary definitions for AN (6 of 8)
Anglo-Norman
British Dictionary definitions for an- (7 of 8)
not; without: anaphrodisiac
Origin of an-
7British Dictionary definitions for -an (8 of 8)
(forming adjectives and nouns) belonging to or relating to; a person belonging to or coming from: European
(forming adjectives and nouns) typical of or resembling; a person typical of: Elizabethan
(forming adjectives and nouns) adhering to or following; an adherent of: Christian
(forming nouns) a person who specializes or is expert in: dietitian; phonetician
Origin of -an
8Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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