indefinite article

noun

Grammar.

1. an article, as English a, an, that denotes class membership of the noun it modifies without particularizing it.

indefinite article

noun

1. grammar a determiner that expresses nonspecificity of reference, such as a, an, or some Compare definite article

indefinite article

1. The word a or an introducing an unspecified noun or the name of a general category: “a dog,” “an apple,” “an orange.” An is used when the next word begins with a vowel or a silent (unpronounced) h , as in “an egg” or “an hour.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of indefinite article¹

First recorded in 1720–30