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View synonyms for an

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

-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
“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


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

“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

an

3

the internet domain name for

  1. Netherlands Antilles
“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

an

4

/ æn; ən /

conjunction

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

An

5

the chemical symbol for

  1. actinon
“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

an-

6

prefix

  1. not; without

    anaphrodisiac

“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

-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

“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

An

8

/ ɑːn /

noun

  1. myth the Sumerian sky god Babylonian counterpartAnu
“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
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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
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Grammar Note

See a 1.
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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
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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
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Example Sentences

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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