an

¹

[ uhn; when stressed an ]

indefinite article

1. 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.

an-

²

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.

an

³

[ uhn; when stressed an ]

conjunction

1. Informal. and.
2. Archaic. if.

an-

⁴

1. variant of ad- before n: announce.

an-

⁵

1. variant of ana- before a vowel:

   anion.

An

⁶

[ ahn ]

noun

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

An

⁷

Symbol, Chemistry.

1. actinon.

AN

⁸

or A.-N.

abbreviation for

1. Anglo-Norman.

-an

⁹

1. 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.

an.

¹⁰

abbreviation for

1. in the year.

A.N.

¹¹

abbreviation for

1. Anglo-Norman.
2. Associate in Nursing.

AN

¹

abbreviation for

1. Anglo-Norman

an

²

/ æn; ən /

determiner

1. a form of the indefinite article used before an initial vowel sound

   an honour

   an old car

   an elf

an

³

the internet domain name for

1. Netherlands Antilles

an

⁴

/ æn; ən /

conjunction

1. subordinating an obsolete or dialect word for if See and

An

⁵

the chemical symbol for

1. actinon

an-

⁶

prefix

1. not; without

   anaphrodisiac

-an

⁷

suffix

1. forming adjectives and nouns belonging to or relating to; a person belonging to or coming from

   European

2. forming adjectives and nouns typical of or resembling; a person typical of

   Elizabethan

3. forming adjectives and nouns adhering to or following; an adherent of

   Christian

4. forming nouns a person who specializes or is expert in

   phonetician

   dietitian

An

⁸

/ ɑːn /

noun

1. myth the Sumerian sky god Babylonian counterpartAnu

Usage

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

Grammar Note

See a ¹.

Word History and Origins

Origin of an¹

before 950; Middle English; Old English ān one in a weakened sense

Origin of an²

< Greek. See a- ⁶, in- ³, un- ¹

Origin of an³

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, unstressed phonetic variant of and

Origin of an⁴

Middle English < Latin -ānus, -āna, -ānum; in some words replacing -ain, -en < Old French < Latin

Origin of an⁵

From the Latin word annō

Word History and Origins

Origin of an¹

Old English ān one

Origin of an²

from Greek

Origin of an³

from Latin -ānus, suffix of adjectives

Example Sentences

My younger, straighter-than-an-arrow son was stopped and arrested in two separate jurisdictions a few years ago.

From The Daily Beast

A half-an-hour earlier they had been caught in the middle of a mortar barrage in a skirmish with separatists.

From The Daily Beast

The full translation follows: In the region of Torez, a AN-26 was just shot down, crashing behind the “progress” mine.

From The Daily Beast

In those accounts, neither Buzzelli nor the eager-for-an-angle reporters dubbed the man a World Trade Center “surfer.”

From The Daily Beast

Or is he just a straight-as-an-arrow Eagle Scout, far more Clark Kent than Superman?

From The Daily Beast

They had searched Mortlake House for Alice, and that vain quest had not wasted more than half-an-hour.

From Project Gutenberg

On the first day's journey toward Chang-an-sa the party made good progress.

From Project Gutenberg

Passing through the gate, our friends found themselves at once in the midst of the Chang-an-sa monastery buildings.

From Project Gutenberg

It was the merest baby—half-an-ounce, perhaps—and it fell from the hook into the herbage some yards from the stream.

From Project Gutenberg

In half-an-hour he was sound asleep, and a dead silence reigned in Azalea Lodge.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• an