AD Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

View synonyms for ad

[ ad ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

advertisement ( defs 1, 2 ).
advertising:
an ad agency.

-ad

a suffix occurring in loanwords from Greek denoting a group or unit comprising a certain number, sometimes of years: dyad; triad .
a suffix meaning “derived from,” “related to,” “concerned with,” “associated with” ( oread ), introduced in loanwords from Greek ( Olympiad; oread ), used sporadically in imitation of Greek models, as Dunciad , after Iliad .

a.d.

or A.D.

abbreviation for

in the year of the Lord; since Christ was born:
Charlemagne was born in a.d. 742.

⁴

[ ad ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, Tennis.

advantage ( def 5 ).
ad in, the advantage being scored by the server.
ad out, the advantage being scored by the receiver.

-ad

⁵

variant of -ade ¹: ballad .

a.d.

⁶

abbreviation for

before the day.

⁷

[ ad ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

preposition

(in prescriptions) to; up to.

-ad

⁸

Anatomy, Zoology. a suffix forming adverbs from nouns signifying parts of the body, denoting a direction toward that part: dextrad; dorsad; mediad .

a.d.

⁹

abbreviation for

after date.
autograph document.

ad-

¹⁰

a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin, where it meant “toward” and indicated direction, tendency, or addition: adjoin . Usually assimilated to the following consonant; a- ⁵, ac-, af-, ag-, al-, an- ², ap- ¹, ar-, as-, at-.

ad.

¹¹

abbreviation for

adverb.
advertisement.

A.D.

¹²

abbreviation for

active duty ( def ).
anno Domini ( def ). Also a.d.
art director ( def ).
assembly district ( def ).
assistant director.
athletic director.
average deviation.

the internet domain name for

Andorra

-ad

suffix forming adverbs

denoting direction towards a specified part in anatomical descriptions
cephalad

abbreviation for

See BC
indicating years numbered from the supposed year of the birth of Christ anno Domini Compare BC
70 ad
military active duty
military air defence
Dame of the Order of Australia

ad-

⁴

prefix

to; towards
adverb
adsorb
near; next to
adrenal

⁵

/ æd /

noun

See advantage
short for advantage Brit equivalentvan

⁶

/ æd /

noun

See advertisement
short for advertisement

-ad

⁷

suffix forming nouns

a group or unit (having so many parts or members)
triad
an epic poem concerning (the subject indicated by the stem)
Dunciad

Discover More

Usage Note

Because anno Domini means “in the year of the Lord,” its abbreviation a.d. was originally placed before rather than after a date: The Roman conquest of Britain began in a.d. 43 (or began a.d. 43). In edited writing, it is still usually placed before the date. But, by analogy with the position of b.c. “before Christ,” which always appears after a date ( Caesar was assassinated in 44 b.c. ), a.d. is also frequently found after the date in all types of writing, including historical works: The Roman emperor Claudius I lived from 10 b.c. to 54 a.d. Despite its literal meaning, a.d. is also used to designate centuries, being placed after the specified century: the second century a.d.

Discover More

Usage

In strict usage, ad is only employed with specific years: he died in 1621 ad , but he died in the 17th century (and not the 17th century ad ). Formerly the practice was to write ad preceding the date ( ad 1621 ), and it is also strictly correct to omit in when ad is used, since this is already contained in the meaning of the Latin anno Domini (in the year of Our Lord), but this is no longer general practice. bc is used with both specific dates and indications of the period: Heraclitus was born about 540 bc ; the battle took place in the 4th century bc

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of ad¹

First recorded in 1795–1800; by shortening

Origin of ad²

Greek -ad- (stem of -as ), specialization of feminine adjective-forming suffix, often used substantively

Origin of ad³

From Latin annō Dominī

Origin of ad⁴

First recorded in 1915–20; by shortening

Origin of ad⁵

From Latin ante diem

Origin of ad⁶

From Latin

Origin of ad⁷

From the Latin word ad toward, anomalously suffixed to the noun; introduced as a suffix by Scottish anatomist John Barclay (1758–1826) in 1803

Origin of ad⁸

< Latin ad, ad- (preposition and prefix) to, toward, at, about; cognate with at ¹

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of ad¹

from Latin ad to, towards

Origin of ad²

(sense 4) Latin: in the year of the Lord

Origin of ad³

from Latin: to, towards. As a prefix in words of Latin origin, ad- became ac-, af-, ag-, al-, an-, acq-, ar-, as-, and at- before c, f, g, l, n, q, r, s, and t, and became a- before gn, sc, sp, st

Origin of ad⁴

via Latin from Greek -ad- (plural -ades ), originally forming adjectives; names of epic poems are all formed on the model of the Iliad

Discover More

Example Sentences

Arab traders began traveling to the Kenya coast beginning the first century A.D. and settling on the coast in the 17th century.

From The Daily Beast

Prices start at around $1,000 for Greek-Roman coins (250 A.D.) and top $25,000 for ornate Sarcophagus lids.

From The Daily Beast

The original Russian state, “Old Russia,” was established at Novgorod in A.D. 862 by marauding Vikings.

From The Daily Beast

A Bible sequel titled A.D. is set to air next year on NBC.

From The Daily Beast

But when John II was born, in A.D. 470, his parents named his Mercurius.

From The Daily Beast

How many of the books published in 1905 would have any copyright cash value in A.D. 2000?

From Project Gutenberg

In 536 A.D. the sun is said to have been darkened for a year and two months!

From Project Gutenberg

What could be more humiliating than the circumstances under which it took place (A.D. 846)?

From Project Gutenberg

What will the modern chasubles and copes around us, now so fresh and splendid, look like in A.D. 2500?

From Project Gutenberg

Reader, what was the condition of the so-called church in A.D. 270 that could make the introduction of such abominations possible?

From Project Gutenberg

Word of the Day

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

Meaning and examples

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

Browse