Ada

[ ey-duh ]

/ ˈeɪ də /

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noun Computers.

a programming language particularly suited to real-time applications: developed for use by the U.S. Department of Defense.

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Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of Ada

Named after Augusta Ada (Byron), Countess of Lovelace (1815–37), English mathematician, who assisted Charles Babbage in developing a precursor of the modern computer

Words nearby Ada

acylation, acyl group, acyl halide, acyloin, ad, Ada, ad absurdum, adactylous, Adad, adage, adagio

Other definitions for Ada (2 of 4)

Ada²

[ ey-duh ]

/ ˈeɪ də /

noun

a city in central Oklahoma.

Douay Bible. Adah.

a female given name: from a Germanic word meaning “noble.”

Other definitions for Ada (3 of 4)

ADA

abbreviation

adenosine deaminase.

American Dental Association.Also A.D.A.

American Diabetes Association.Also A.D.A.

Americans for Democratic Action.Also A.D.A.

Americans with Disabilities Act: a federal law prohibiting discrimination against people with physical or mental impairments and guaranteeing access to employment opportunities and access to state and local government programs and services, signed by President George H. W. Bush in 1990.

Other definitions for Ada (4 of 4)

A.D.A.

or ADA

abbreviation

American Dental Association.

American Diabetes Association.

Americans for Democratic Action.

How to use Ada in a sentence

Eventually, she read into the ADA and wrote again, threatening legal action unless she was accommodated.
TEDx Talks Have a Disability Problem—but This Incredible Young Woman Is Working to Change That|Nina Strochlic|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When Wales and his new wife had a daughter in 2011, they named her Ada, after Lady Lovelace.
You Can Look It Up: The Wikipedia Story|Walter Isaacson|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It also harkened back to Ada Lovelace, who asserted that machines would be able to do almost anything, except think on their own.
You Can Look It Up: The Wikipedia Story|Walter Isaacson|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
McAndrews agreed that the androgenic hormone pill would be problematic for those with a genetic propensity for ADA.
Birth Control Made My Hair Fall Out, and I’m Not the Only One|Molly Oswaks|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Some of the most important accommodations are not line-skipping, nor expensive ADA-compliant building regulations.
Disney World Means Everything to a Special Needs Mom|Elizabeth Picciuto|July 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Only a few shillings stood between her and Ada and absolute starvation.
The Weight of the Crown|Fred M. White
The younger girl, Ada, was very delicate, and so Jessie had to cast about to make a living for the two.
The Weight of the Crown|Fred M. White
Ada's a good child, as good as a born egoist can be, but—well—we are not all made on the same plan.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Both at Ravenna and at Pisa he was miserable if he did not hear from Ada.
My Recollections of Lord Byron|Teresa Guiccioli
Pointing them out to Ada, I hurried her past them downstairs to the street.
A Confederate Girl's Diary|Sarah Margan Dawson

British Dictionary definitions for Ada

Ada

/ (ˈeɪdə) /

noun

a high-level computer programming language designed for dealing with real-time processing problems: used for military and other systems

Word Origin for Ada

C20: named after Ada, Lady Lovelace, the English mathematician, daughter of Lord Byron (1815–52), who worked with Charles Babbage (1792–1871) and whose description of his computing machines preserved them for posterity

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012