English
an
/ˈæn/
Used before a vowel sound.
Etymology graph
- inherited
- borrowed
- derived
- parts
- meaning component
- sound component
- related
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Origin
Etymology 1
From Middle English an, from Old English ān (“a, an”, literally “one”). More at one.
Etymology 2
From Middle English an (“and, if”). Doublet of and.
Etymology 3
Borrowed from Georgian ან (an).
Etymology 4
From the Old English an, on (preposition).
From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lineage
- inheritedMiddle Englishan “and, if”
- derivedEnglishHollow
- derivedEnglish1390
- derivedEnglishintermittent “Stopping and starting, occurring, or presenting at intervals; coming after a particular time span.”
- borrowedMiddle Frenchintermittent
- derivedEnglishdraoi “druid”
- derivedEnglishpidgin “An amalgamation of two disparate languages, used by two populations having no common language as a …”
- derivedEnglishbusiness “A specific commercial enterprise or establishment.”
- derivedEnglishLenape “A member of a group of aboriginal Americans who were living in what is now New Jersey and along the…”
- borrowedUnamiLënape “Lenape”
- derivedEnglisha “The first letter of the English alphabet, written in the Latin script.”
- derivedEnglishleer “To look sideways or obliquely; now especially with sexual desire or malicious intent.”
- derivedEnglishflap “Anything broad and flexible that hangs loose, or that is attached by one side or end and is easily …”
- derivedEnglishjam “A sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar and allowed to congeal. Often spread on bread or toast o…”
- derivedEnglishwindow “An opening, usually covered by one or more panes of clear glass, to allow light and air from outsid…”
- derivedEnglishwind “Real or perceived movement of atmospheric air usually caused by convection or differences in air pr…”
- partEnglishAllhallowmas “All Saints' Day.”
- derivedEnglishbog “An area of decayed vegetation (particularly sphagnum moss) which forms a wet spongy ground too soft…”
- derivedEnglishclosing “The act by which something is closed.”
- derivedEnglishBritain “The United Kingdom, a kingdom and country in Northern Europe including the island of Great Britain …”
- derivedEnglishsoylent “An undesirable, lackluster, and artificial foodstuff, as a substitute for real meat.”
- derivedEnglishCicero's
- partEnglishThomas “An infidel or doubter.”
- derivedEnglishMiddle “A sheading of the Isle of Man.”
- derivedEnglishbradán “salmon”
- derivedEnglishrotary “Capable of rotation.”
- derivedEnglishwithin “In the inner part, spatially; physically inside.”
- derivedEnglisheating “Bred to be eaten.”
- derivedEnglishblue “Of a blue hue.”
- borrowedEnglishFrench “The language of France, shared by the neighboring countries Belgium, Monaco, and Switzerland and by…”
- partEnglishStanley “A habitational surname from Old English.”
- derived (possibly)EnglishCarolina “A female given name from Latin, Latinate form of Caroline; rare in English.”
- derivedEnglishlate “Near the end of a period of time.”
- derivedEnglishtso
- derivedEnglishteneō “to hold, to retain”
- derived (possibly)Englishtechnical “Specifically related to a particular discipline.”
- derivedEnglishwaffle “A flat pastry pressed with a grid pattern, often eaten hot with butter and/or honey or syrup.”
- derivedEnglishHugh “A male given name from the Germanic languages.”
- derivedEnglishWilkin “A surname originating as a patronymic.”
- derivedEnglishJohan “A female given name from Hebrew.”
- derivedEnglishMonty “A diminutive of the male given names Montgomery and Montague.”
- derivedEnglishRichard “A male given name from the Germanic languages.”
- derivedEnglishMassachusett “A Native American tribe who traditionally live in the Massachusetts Bay area in the state of Massac…”
- derivedEnglishDravidian “A family of related ethnicities and languages primarily in Southern India, Northeast Sri Lanka, and…”
- derivedEnglishOld “A surname.”
- partOld Englishdū̆ce “duck”
- derivedEnglishtolowechek' “I speak Tolowa”
- derivedEnglishpuff “A sharp exhalation of a small amount of breath through the mouth.”
- derivedEnglishBela “A short river in south Cumbria, England, which flows into the estuary of the River Kent; in full, t…”
- derivedEnglishole “An interjection used to stir up excitement.”
- derivedEnglishsense “Any of the manners by which living beings perceive the physical world: for humans sight, smell, hea…”
- derivedEnglishpituitary “Of or relating to the pituitary gland.”
- derivedEnglishvariable “Able to vary or be varied.”
- derivedEnglishBolama “One of the islands of the Bijagós Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau”
- derivedEnglishleg “A limb or appendage that an animal uses for support or locomotion on land.”
- derivedEnglishThe
- derived (possibly)Englishtransport “To carry or bear from one place to another; to remove; to convey.”
- derivedEnglishNovak “A surname.”
- derivedEnglishvan “A covered motor vehicle used to carry goods or (normally less than ten) persons, usually roughly cu…”
- derivedEnglishਰਾਵਾ “commander, king”
- derivedEnglishof “From (a place); off.”
- derivedEnglish1535:
- derivedEnglishabfraction “A proposed mechanism for noncarious tooth tissue loss, owing not to decay but rather to biomechanic…”
- derivedEnglishhide “To put (something) in a place where it will be out of sight or harder to discover.”
- derivedEnglishLa “A surname”
- derivedEnglishMargaret “A female given name from Ancient Greek.”
- derivedEnglishhis “Belonging to him.”
- derived (possibly)Old Norsein
- derivedClassical Latinumbilicus
- derivedEnglishmy “Belonging to me.”
- calqueJapanese頭
- derivedEnglishbloodroot “A North American plant, Sanguinaria canadensis, of the poppy family, which has a red root and sap a…”
- derivedEnglishwet “Made up of liquid or moisture, usually (but not always) water.”
- derivedEnglishWilliam “radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter W.”
- derivedEnglishobscurity “Darkness; the absence of light.”
- derivedEnglishc.
- derivedEnglishother “See other (determiner) below.”
- derivedOld EnglishTæbba
- derivedEnglishclassic “Of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art.”
- derivedEnglishKlemens
- derivedEnglishtea “The tea plant (Camellia sinensis); (countable) a variety of this plant.”
- derivedEnglishCritique
- partEnglisheven “Flat and level.”
- partEnglishknife “A utensil or a tool designed for cutting, consisting of a flat piece of hard material, usually stee…”
- partOld Englishworþ “enclosure”
- inheritedMiddle Englisha
- inheritedMiddle Englishof
- inheritedMiddle Englishaw
- borrowedRussianа
- derivedEnglishwhich “What, of those mentioned or implied.”
- inheritedMiddle Englishwhich
- derivedMiddle Frenchescuirie
- derivedMedieval Latinscuria “stable”
- derivedEnglishaden “mountain”
- partEnglishwil “will”
- derivedEnglishor “Connects at least two alternative words, phrases, clauses, sentences, etc., each of which could mak…”
- derivedProto-Indo-European*
- derivedLatinclāvis “key, deadbolt, bar”
- inheritedMiddle Englishor “gold”
- inheritedOld Englishār “honour, grace, kindness, mercy”
- derivedMiddle Frenchbougette “little pouch”
- derivedEnglishplaisance “pleasance”
- derivedEnglishPowhatan “A member of a Native American confederation of tribes in Virginia.”
- derivedEnglishsordidus “dirty, vile”
- derivedCantonese胡
- derived (possibly)Englishdugan “to avail, serve”
- derivedEnglishWaltheri
- derivedEnglishwalt “To roll; tumble”
- derivedEnglishthe “...because it has already been mentioned, is to be completely specified in the same sentence, or ve…”
- derivedEnglish7th
- derivedEnglishweald “A forest or wood.”
- derivedEnglishsunna “sun”
- partEnglishhæle “warrior, hero”
- derivedEnglishepisode “A discrete but connected event, situation, or period within a broader sequence, narrative, or life …”
- partEnglishburh “A fortified dwelling place belonging to a king or noble; a prehistoric fort.”
- partEnglishhealh
- rootProto-Indo-European*h₂en- “on, onto”
- borrowedGeorgianან
- inheritedOld Englishān “one”
Related: English and (doublet)
Words built on it: any, two, another, earlier, said the thing, believe you me, C
Sources
- Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wiktionary: an