58 results for: A
Audio Help [ey] Pronunciation Key | 1. | the first letter of the English alphabet, a vowel. |
| 2. | any spoken sound represented by the letter A or a, as in bake, hat, father, or small. |
| 3. | something having the shape of an A. |
| 4. | a written or printed representation of the letter A or a. |
| 5. | a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter A or a. |
| 6. | from A to Z, from beginning to end; thoroughly; completely: He knows the Bible from A to Z. |
| 7. | not know from A to B, to know nothing; be ignorant. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
A
To learn more about A visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
Audio Help [uh; when stressed ey] Pronunciation Key | 1. | not any particular or certain one of a class or group: a man; a chemical; a house. |
| 2. | a certain; a particular: one at a time; two of a kind; A Miss Johnson called. |
| 3. | another; one typically resembling: a Cicero in eloquence; a Jonah. |
| 4. | one (used before plural nouns that are preceded by a quantifier singular in form): a hundred men (compare hundreds of men); a dozen times (compare dozens of times). |
| 5. | indefinitely or nonspecifically (used with adjectives expressing number): a great many years; a few stars. |
| 6. | one (used before a noun expressing quantity): a yard of ribbon; a score of times. |
| 7. | any; a single: not a one. |
] The names of the consonant letters f, h, l, m, n, r, s, and x are pronounced with a beginning vowel sound. When these letters are used as words or to form words, they are preceded by an: to rent an L-shaped studio; to fly an SST. The names of the vowel letter u and the semivowel letters w and y are pronounced with a beginning consonant sound. When used as words, they are preceded by a: a U-turn; The plumber installed a Y in the line.
In some words beginning with the letter h, the h is not pronounced; the words actually begin with a vowel sound: an hour; an honor. When the h is strongly pronounced, as in a stressed syllable at the beginning of a word, it is preceded by a: a history of the Sioux; a hero sandwich. (In former times an was used before strongly pronounced h in a stressed first syllable: an hundred.) Such adjectives as historic, historical, heroic, and habitual, which begin with an unstressed syllable and often with a silent or weakly pronounced h, are commonly preceded by an, especially in British English. But the use of a rather than an is widespread in both speech and writing: a historical novel; a habitual criminal. Hotel and unique are occasionally preceded by an, but this use is increasingly old-fashioned. Although in some dialects an has yielded to a in all cases, edited writing reflects usage as described above.
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
| universal affirmative. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
| angstrom. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Audio Help [uh; when stressed ey] Pronunciation Key | each; every; per: ten cents a sheet; three times a day. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
| 1. | about. |
| 2. | acre; acres. |
| 3. | active. |
| 4. | adjective. |
| 5. | alto. |
| 6. | ampere; amperes. |
| 7. | year. [Origin: < L annō, abl. of annus ] |
| 8. | anonymous. |
| 9. | answer. |
| 10. | before. [Origin: < L ante ] |
| 11. | are; ares. |
| 12. | Baseball. assist; assists. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Audio Help [uh] Pronunciation Key | Pronunciation Spelling. a reduced, unstressed form of of (often written as part of a single, unhyphenated word): cloth a gold; time a day; kinda; sorta. |
] | Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Audio Help [uh] Pronunciation Key | a reduced, unstressed form of auxiliary have following some modals, as might, should, could, would, and must (usually written as part of a single, unhyphenated word): We shoulda gone. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
| 1. | the first in order or in a series. |
| 2. | (sometimes lowercase ) (in some grading systems) a grade or mark, as in school or college, indicating the quality of a student's work as excellent or superior. |
| 3. | (sometimes lowercase ) (in some school systems) a symbol designating the first semester of a school year. |
| 4. | Music.
|
| 5. | Physiology. a major blood group, usually enabling a person whose blood is of this type to donate blood to persons of group A or AB and to receive blood from persons of O or A. Compare ABO system. |
| 6. | (sometimes lowercase ) the medieval Roman numeral for 50 or 500. Compare Roman numerals. |
| 7. | Chemistry. (formerly) argon. |
| 8. | Chemistry, Physics. mass number. |
| 9. | Biochemistry.
|
| 10. | Logic. universal affirmative. |
| 11. | British. a designation for a motion picture recommended as suitable for adults. Compare AA (def. 5), U (def. 5), X (def. 9). |
| 12. | a proportional shoe width size, narrower than B and wider than AA. |
| 13. | a proportional brassiere cup size, smaller than B and larger than AA. |
| 14. | a quality rating for a corporate or municipal bond, lower than AA and higher than BBB. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
| are; ares. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
| a 1 or A
Audio Help (ā) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. a's or A's also as or As
|
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| a 2
Audio Help (ə; ā when stressed) Pronunciation Key
indef.art.
[Middle English, variant of an, an; see an1.] Usage Note: In writing, the form a is used before a word beginning with a consonant sound, regardless of its spelling (a frog, a university). The form an is used before a word beginning with a vowel sound (an orange, an hour). · An was once a common variant before words beginning with h in which the first syllable was unstressed; thus 18th-century authors wrote either a historical or an historical but a history, not an history. This usage made sense in that people often did not pronounce the initial h in words such as historical and heroic, but by the late 19th century educated speakers usually pronounced initial h, and the practice of writing an before such words began to die out. Nowadays it survives primarily before the word historical. One may also come across it in the phrases an hysterectomy or an hereditary trait. These usages are acceptable in formal writing. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| a 3
Audio Help (ə) Pronunciation Key
prep. In every; to each; per: once a month; one dollar a pound. [Middle English, from Old English an, in; see on.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| a 4
Audio Help (ə) Pronunciation Key
aux.v. Informal Have: He'd a come if he could. [Middle English, alteration of haven, to have; see have.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| a 5
abbr.
|
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| A
abbr.
|
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| ac·cel·er·a·tion
Audio Help (āk-sěl'ə-rā'shən) Pronunciation Key
n.
|
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| ad·e·nine
Audio Help (ād'n-ēn', -ĭn) Pronunciation Key
n. Abbr. A A purine base, C5H5N5, that is the constituent involved in base pairing with thymine in DNA and with uracil in RNA. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| al·to
Audio Help (āl'tō) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. al·tos
[Italian, from Latin altus, high; see al-2 in Indo-European roots.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| am·pere
Audio Help (ām'pîr') Pronunciation Key
n. Abbr. A
[After André Marie Ampère.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| ang·strom or ång·strom
Audio Help (āng'strəm) Pronunciation Key
n. Abbr. A or Å or angst A unit of length equal to one hundred-millionth (10-8) of a centimeter, used especially to specify radiation wavelengths. Also called angstrom unit. See Table at measurement. [After Anders Jonas Ångström.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| are 2
Audio Help (âr, är) Pronunciation Key
n. Abbr. a A metric unit of area equal to 100 square meters (119.6 square yards). [French, from Latin ārea, open space; see area.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
ar·e·a
Audio Help (âr'ē-ə) Pronunciation Key
(click for larger image in new window) n.
[Latin ārea, open space; possibly akin to ārēre, to be dry; see arid.] ar'e·al adj., ar'e·al·ly adv. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
a (1)
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
a (2)
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| a | |
noun | |
| 1. | a metric unit of length equal to one ten billionth of a meter (or 0.0001 micron); used to specify wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation [syn: angstrom] |
| 2. | any of several fat-soluble vitamins essential for normal vision; prevents night blindness or inflammation or dryness of the eyes [syn: vitamin A] |
| 3. | one of the four nucleotides used in building DNA; all four nucleotides have a common phosphate group and a sugar (ribose) [syn: deoxyadenosine monophosphate] |
| 4. | (biochemistry) purine base found in DNA and RNA; pairs with thymine in DNA and with uracil in RNA [syn: adenine] |
| 5. | the basic unit of electric current adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites; "a typical household circuit carries 15 to 50 amps" [syn: ampere] |
| 6. | the 1st letter of the Roman alphabet |
| 7. | the blood group whose red cells carry the A antigen |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
A [ei] noun
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Example: There is a boy in the garden.
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Example: An owl can see in the dark.
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Example: We earn $6 an hour.
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version), © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
| A
Abbreviation of adenine, ampere, angstrom, area |
| The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| Å
Abbreviation of angstrom |
| The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
- Without; not: acellular.
| The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. |
- absorbance (often italic)
- alveolar gas (used as a subscript)
- adenine
- ammeter
- AMP (in polynucleotides)
- ampere
- angstrom
- area
| The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. |
- area
- asymmetrical
- specific absorption coefficient (often italic)
- systemic arterial blood (used as a subscript)
- total acidity
| The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. |
Main Entry: a
Function: abbreviation
1 about
2 absent
3 absolute
4 absorbency; absorbent
5 accommodation
6
acetum
7 acid; acidity
8 actin
9 active; activity
10 allergist; allergy
11 alpha
12 anode
13 answer
14
ante
15 anterior
16 aqua
17 area
18 artery
19 asymmetric; asymmetry
| Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc. |
Main Entry: A
Function: abbreviation
1 adenine
2 ampere
| Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc. |
A
A Nasdaq stock symbol specifying that the stocks are Class "A" shares of the company.
Investopedia Commentary
Nasdaq-listed securities have four
or five characters. If a fifth letter appears, it identifies the issue as other than a single issue of common stock or capital stock.
See also: Class, Nasdaq, Stock Symbol
Also spelled: a, A, A
| Investopedia.com. Copyright © 1999-2005 - All rights reserved. Owned and Operated by Investopedia Inc. |
A-Share
In a family of multi-class mutual funds, this is the class that is characterized by a front load structure. Not all fund companies follow this class structure, however it
is the prominent method of distinction.
Investopedia Commentary
Typically the class A fund has a lower management expense ratio compared to the other classes within the
same family. This is due to the high initial front load.
