| A (a) |
|---|
| letter | |
|---|
| A |
| (named ā in the English, and most commonly ä in
other languages) |
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 Phœnician 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 Phœnician alphabet
having no vowel symbols.
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 (A♯) is the name of a
musical tone intermediate between A and B. -- A flat (A♭) is the name
of a tone intermediate between A and G.
A barbarous corruption of have, of he, and sometimes of it and of they.
An expletive, void of sense, to fill up the meter
|
An adjective,
commonly called the indefinite article, and signifying one or
any, but less emphatically.
In each; to or for each; as, "twenty leagues a
day", "a hundred pounds a year", "a dollar a yard",
etc.
|
| A (a) |
|---|
| prep. | (å) |
|---|
| A |
| [Abbreviated form of
an (AS. on). See On.] |
In; on;
at; by.
In process of; in the act of; into; to; -- used
with verbal substantives in -ing which begin with a consonant. This
is a shortened form of the preposition an (which was used before the
vowel sound); as in a hunting, a building, a
begging.
Of.
|
Why Donate?
Here are a number of reasons:
To indicate your approval.
To express your appreciation.
To help pay for website expenses and keep this website online.
Donate Using PayPal
If you have a major credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express) or a PayPal account, donating is easy. Just click the dollar amount below to donate:
Donations from Outside of the United States
We welcome donations from anywhere in the world and in any currency. PayPal accepts a number of international currencies.
Donations by Other Methods
If you wish to donate via direct bank deposit or mail a cheque or money order, please
email me
.
|
|
In celebration of Noah Webster's Birthday (October 16, 2009), we have prepared an updated website. 