An definition | Dictionary.com

an

1 [uh

n; when stressed an]

–indefinite article

the form of a before an initial vowel sound (an arch; an honor) and sometimes, esp. in British English, before an initial unstressed syllable beginning with a silent or weakly pronounced h: an historian.

Origin:
bef. 950; ME; OE ān one in a weakened sense

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
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Language Translation for : An

Spanish:

contra,

German:

an,

Japanese:

～にもたれて

View 30 other languages »

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an

2 [uh

n; when stressed an]

–conjunction

1.	Pronunciation Spelling. and.

2.	Archaic. if.

Also, an', 'n, 'n'.

Origin:
1125–75; ME, unstressed phonetic var. of and

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

An

[ahn]

–noun

the Sumerian god of heaven: the counterpart of the Akkadian Anu.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

AN

Anglo-Norman.

Also, A.-N.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
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An

Symbol, Chemistry.

actinon.

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an.

in the year.

Origin:
< L annō

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

A.N.

1.	Anglo-Norman.

2.	Associate in Nursing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Cite This Source

an¹ (ən; ān when stressed) Pronunciation Key
indef.art. The form of a used before words beginning with a vowel or with an unpronounced h: an elephant; an hour. See Usage Notes at a², every.

[Middle English, from Old English ān, one; see oi-no- in Indo-European roots.]

Word History: The forms of the indefinite article are good examples of what can happen to a word when it becomes habitually pronounced without stress. An is in fact a weakened form of one; both an and one come from Old English ān "one." In early Middle English, besides representing the cardinal numeral "one," ān developed the special function of indefinite article, and in this role the word was ordinarily pronounced with very little or no stress. Sound changes that affected unstressed syllables elsewhere in the language affected it also. First, the vowel was shortened and eventually reduced to a schwa (ə). Second, the n was lost before consonants. This loss of n affected some other words as well; it explains why English has both my and mine, thy and thine. Originally these were doublets just like a and an, with mine and thine occurring only before vowels, as in Ben Jonson's famous line "Drink to me only with thine eyes." By the time of Modern English, though, my and thy had replaced mine and thine when used before nouns (that is, when not used predicatively, as in This book is mine), just as some varieties of Modern English use a even before vowels (a apple).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

an² also an' (ən, ān when stressed) Pronunciation Key
conj. Archaic
And if; if.

[Middle English, short for and, and, from Old English; see and.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

AN
abbr. airman, Navy

indefinite article, 12c., from O.E. an (with a long vowel) "one, lone," also used as a prefix an- "single, lone;" see one for the divergence of that word from this one. Also see a, of which this is the older, fuller form. In other European languages, identity between indefinite article and the word for "one" remains explicit (e.g. Fr. un, Ger. ein, etc.) O.E. got by without indefinite articles: He was a good man in O.E. was he wæs god man. Circa 15c., a and an commonly were written as one word with the following noun, which contributed to the confusion over how such words as newt and umpire ought to be divided (see N). In Shakespeare, etc., an sometimes is a contraction of as if (a usage first attested c.1300), especially before it.

an
noun
an associate degree in nursing [syn: Associate in Nursing]

an networking
The country code for the Netherlands Antilles (Dutch Antilles).
(1999-01-27)

An#asco zona, PR (urbana, FIPS 2680) Location: 18.28847 N, 67.14135 W
Population (1990): 5826 (2088 housing units)
Area: 2.1 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)

U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau
Cite This Source

A\ ([.a] emph. [=a]). 1. [Shortened form of an. AS. [=a]n one. See One.] An adjective, commonly called the indefinite article, and signifying one or any, but less emphatically. "At a birth"; "In a word"; "At a blow". --Shak.

Note: It is placed before nouns of the singular number denoting an individual object, or a quality individualized, before collective nouns, and also before plural nouns when the adjective few or the phrase great many or good many is interposed; as, a dog, a house, a man; a color; a sweetness; a hundred, a fleet, a regiment; a few persons, a great many days. It is used for an, for the sake of euphony, before words beginning with a consonant sound [for exception of certain words beginning with h, see An]; as, a table, a woman, a year, a unit, a eulogy, a ewe, a oneness, such a one, etc. Formally an was used both before vowels and consonants.

2. [Originally the preposition a (an, on).] In each; to or for each; as, "twenty leagues a day", "a hundred pounds a year", "a dollar a yard", etc.

An\ ([a^]n). [AS. [=a]n one, the same word as the numeral. See One, and cf. A.] This word is properly an adjective, but is commonly called the indefinite article. It is used before nouns of the singular number only, and signifies one, or any, but somewhat less emphatically. In such expressions as "twice an hour," "once an age," a shilling an ounce (see 2d A, 2), it has a distributive force, and is equivalent to each, every.

Note: An is used before a word beginning with a vowel sound; as, an enemy, an hour. It in also often used before h sounded, when the accent of the word falls on the second syllable; as, an historian, an hyena, an heroic deed. Many writers use a before h in such positions. Anciently an was used before consonants as well as vowels.

airman, Navy
Anglo-Norman
Associate in Nursing

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