ad
1[ ad ]
/ æd /
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noun
advertising: an ad agency.
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Origin of ad
1First recorded in 1795–1800; by shortening
Other definitions for ad (2 of 12)
ad2
[ ad ]
/ æd /
noun Tennis.
ad in, the advantage being scored by the server.
ad out, the advantage being scored by the receiver.
Origin of ad
2First recorded in 1915–20; by shortening
Other definitions for ad (3 of 12)
ad3
[ ad ]
/ æd /
preposition
(in prescriptions) to; up to.
Origin of ad
3From Latin
Other definitions for ad (4 of 12)
ad-
Origin of ad-
<Latin ad, ad- (preposition and prefix) to, toward, at, about; cognate with at1
Other definitions for ad (5 of 12)
-ad1
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.
Origin of -ad
1Greek -ad- (stem of -as ), specialization of feminine adjective-forming suffix, often used substantively
Other definitions for ad (6 of 12)
Other definitions for ad (7 of 12)
-ad3
Anatomy, Zoology. a suffix forming adverbs from nouns signifying parts of the body, denoting a direction toward that part: dextrad; dorsad; mediad.
Origin of -ad
3From the Latin word ad toward, anomalously suffixed to the noun; introduced as a suffix by Scottish anatomist John Barclay (1758–1826) in 1803
Other definitions for ad (8 of 12)
ad.
abbreviation
adverb.
advertisement.
Other definitions for ad (9 of 12)
a.d.1
or A.D.
abbreviation
in the year of the Lord; since Christ was born: Charlemagne was born in a.d. 742.
Origin of a.d.
1From Latin annō Dominī
usage note for a.d.
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.
Other definitions for ad (10 of 12)
a.d.2
abbreviation
before the day.
Origin of a.d.
2From Latin ante diem
Other definitions for ad (11 of 12)
a.d.3
abbreviation
after date.
autograph document.
Other definitions for ad (12 of 12)
A.D.
abbreviation
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use ad in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for ad (1 of 7)
British Dictionary definitions for ad (2 of 7)
British Dictionary definitions for ad (3 of 7)
ad3
the internet domain name for
Andorra
British Dictionary definitions for ad (4 of 7)
AD
abbreviation for
(indicating years numbered from the supposed year of the birth of Christ) anno Domini70 ad Compare BC
military active duty
military air defence
Dame of the Order of Australia
Word Origin for AD
(sense 4) Latin: in the year of the Lord
usage for AD
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
British Dictionary definitions for ad (5 of 7)
ad-
prefix
to; towardsadsorb; adverb
near; next toadrenal
Word Origin for ad-
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
British Dictionary definitions for ad (6 of 7)
-ad1
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
Word Origin for -ad
via Latin from Greek -ad- (plural -ades), originally forming adjectives; names of epic poems are all formed on the model of the Iliad
British Dictionary definitions for ad (7 of 7)
-ad2
suffix forming adverbs
denoting direction towards a specified part in anatomical descriptionscephalad
Word Origin for -ad
from Latin ad to, towards
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Cultural definitions for ad
A.D.
An abbreviation used with a date, indicating how many years have passed since the birth of Jesus. The abbreviation may appear before the date (a.d. 1988), or it may appear after the date (1988 a.d.). It stands for anno Domini, a Latin phrase meaning “in the year of our Lord.” (Compare b.c.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.