an
1
[ uh n; when stressed an ]
/ ən; when stressed æn /
indefinite article
the 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
1
before 950; Middle English; Old English
ān
one in a weakened sense
usage note for an
See
a1.
Words nearby an
Definition for an (2 of 11)
an
2
[ uh n; when stressed an ]
/ ən; when stressed æn /
conjunction
Origin of an
2
1125–75; Middle English, unstressed phonetic variant of
and
Definition for an (3 of 11)
An
[ ahn ]
/ ɑn /
noun
the Sumerian god of heaven: the counterpart of the Akkadian Anu.
Definition for an (4 of 11)
Definition for an (5 of 11)
Definition for an (6 of 11)
an-
1
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.
Also
before a consonant,
a-.
Definition for an (7 of 11)
Definition for an (8 of 11)
Definition for an (9 of 11)
an.
in the year.
Origin of an.
From the Latin word
annō
Definition for an (10 of 11)
Definition for an (11 of 11)
-an
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
Middle English < Latin
-ānus, -āna, -ānum; in some words replacing
-ain, -en < Old French < Latin
British Dictionary definitions for an (1 of 8)
an
1
/ (æn, unstressed ən) /
determiner
a form of the indefinite article used before an initial vowel sound
an old car; an elf; an honour
Word Origin for an
Old English
ān
one
usage for an
An was formerly often used before words that begin with
h and are unstressed on the first syllable:
an hotel;
an historic meeting . Sometimes the initial
h was not pronounced. This usage is now becoming obsolete
British Dictionary definitions for an (2 of 8)
an
2
an'
/ (æn, unstressed ən) /
conjunction
(subordinating) an obsolete or dialect word for if See and (def. 9)
British Dictionary definitions for an (3 of 8)
an
3
the internet domain name for
Netherlands Antilles
British Dictionary definitions for an (4 of 8)
An
1
/ (ɑːn) /
noun
myth
the Sumerian sky god
Babylonian counterpart: Anu
British Dictionary definitions for an (5 of 8)
An
2
the chemical symbol for
actinon
British Dictionary definitions for an (6 of 8)
AN
abbreviation for
Anglo-Norman
British Dictionary definitions for an (7 of 8)
an-
before a consonant a-
prefix
not; without
anaphrodisiac
Word Origin for an-
from Greek
British Dictionary definitions for an (8 of 8)
-an
-ean or -ian
suffix
(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
Word Origin for -an
from Latin
-ānus, suffix of adjectives
Medical definitions for an
an-
pref.
Variant ofa-