A • FREE TRANSLATOR.ORG • Definition of A

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noun

A n.

1.

The first letter of the English and of many other alphabets. The capital A of the alphabets of Middle and Western Europe, as also the small letter (a), besides the forms in Italic, black letter, etc., are all descended from the old Latin A, which was borrowed from the Greek Alpha, of the same form; and this was made from the first letter of the Phoenician alphabet, the equivalent of the Hebrew Aleph, and itself from the Egyptian origin. The Aleph was a consonant letter, with a guttural breath sound that was not an element of Greek articulation; and the Greeks took it to represent their vowel Alpha with the ä sound, the Phoenician alphabet having no vowel symbols. This letter, in English, is used for several different vowel sounds. The regular long a, as in fate, etc., is a comparatively modern sound, and has taken the place of what, till about the early part of the 17th century, was a sound of the quality of ä (as in far).

2.

(Mus.) The name of the sixth tone in the model major scale (that in C), or the first tone of the minor scale, which is named after it the scale in A minor. The second string of the violin is tuned to the A in the treble staff. A sharp is the name of a musical tone intermediate between A and B. A flat is the name of a tone intermediate between A and G.

A per se, one preeminent; a nonesuch. (Obs.) "O fair Creseide, the flower and A per se Of Troy and Greece."

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Etymology of 'A'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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Words linked to "A" : tete-a-tete, touch a chord, A level, go a long way, page-at-a-time printer, chlorophyll a, haemophilia A, to a higher place, a lot, give a hoot, take a chance, strike a chord, element of a cylinder, A horizon, have a look, characteristic root of a square matrix, send a message, bright as a new penny, amp, drop a line, tete a tete, domain of a function, broth of a man, blood group, abatement of a nuisance, in a heartfelt way, degree of a polynomial, hepatitis A, take a firm stand, in a similar way, folie a deux, chock-a-block, at a lower place, pied-a-terre, have a good time, explode a bombshell, take a dare, vis-a-vis, pull a face, as a matter of fact, ring-a-rosy, a great deal, picometre, Thomas a Becket, a couple of, turn a loss, micromillimeter, eigenvalue of a matrix, paint a picture, at a loss, rent-a-car, a la mode, in a higher place, a bit, a posteriori, A-list, in a way, A battery, for a bargain price, degree of a term, ring-around-a-rosy, imaginary part of a complex number, take a powder, draw a bead on, give a damn, pit-a-pat, cap-a-pie, take a joke, take a dive, half a dozen, A-horizon, biochemistry, take a breath, a trifle, to a T, a priori, get a noseful, dehydroretinol, rat-a-tat, once in a while, a good deal, without a stitch, retinol, make a stink, to a man, as a group, in a nutshell, Linear A, deoxyadenosine monophosphate, play a joke on, high-muck-a-muck, many a, grind to a halt, a-okay, blood type, character-at-a-time printer, on a lower floor, make a motion, eigenvalue of a square matrix, a few, take a shit, man-on-a-horse, moment of a couple, hardly a, letter, to a lesser extent, turn a blind eye, naked as a jaybird, do a job on, hang by a thread, turn a profit, by a long shot, to a greater extent, current unit, take a breather, term of a contract, pig-a-back, Al-Jama'a al-Islamiyyah al-Muqatilah bi-Libya, to a lower place, like a shot, care a hang, cock-a-doodle-doo, of a sudden, call it a day, in a broad way, draw a line, a cappella, feel like a million dollars, A-one, pull a fast one on, a Kempis, beat a retreat, catch a wink, two-a-penny, get a load, take a leak, to a fault, A'man, son of a bitch, 5-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, A-line, lobster a la Newburg, provitamin A, throw a fit, get a whiff, smart as a whip, have a fit, as a formality, a-ok, turn on a dime, adenine, jack-a-lantern, turn a nice penny, beyond a shadow of a doubt, nm, in a beastly manner, have a go, since a long time ago, a capella singing, moment of a magnet, millimicron, immunoglobulin A, cock-a-leekie, a fortiori, a little, for a while, strike a note, catch a glimpse, range of a function, a million times, shoot a line, on a higher floor, feel like a million, bric-a-brac, St. Thomas a Becket, spend a penny, in a pig's eye, give it a whirl, a hundred times, on a regular basis, rope-a-dope, to a great extent, take a hop, roman a clef, after a fashion, turn a trick, play a trick on, turn a nice dollar, forever and a day, deaf as a post, picometer, not by a long sight, cock-a-hoop, type A, in a bad way, a la carte, have a bun in the oven, take a hit, get a look, angstrom, raise a stink, element of a cone, even a little, hepatitis A virus, make a point, have a ball, ampere, love-in-a-mist, make a face, group A, turn a nice dime, coenzyme A, A-team, make a clean breast of, take a bow, blow a fuse, draw a blank, axerophthol, at a low price, hemophilia A, A-scan ultrasonography, rat-a-tat-tat, in a flash, micromillimetre, take a crap, in a low voice, pate a choux, give it a try, purine, at a time, al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, micromicron, a cappella singing, A-bomb, vitamin A, drag a bunt, rub-a-dub, Saint Thomas a Becket

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