A
determinerThe indefinite article used before a singular noun beginning with a consonant sound, indicating one unspecified instance of something.
How to spell a
1 letters · 1 syllable
How to pronounce a
What does a mean?
- determinerThe indefinite article used before a singular noun beginning with a consonant sound, indicating one unspecified instance of something.
A in a sentence
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She booked a table for two at the restaurant.
-
He keeps a spare key under the doormat.
Where does a come from?
Language of origin: Germanic
The article 'a' descends from Old English 'an', meaning 'one', which itself goes back to the same ancient root that gives us the modern number 'one'. In early English 'an' served both as the numeral and as the indefinite article, and over time speakers reduced it before words beginning with a consonant sound, dropping the final 'n' to leave the lighter form 'a'. The fuller 'an' survived only before vowel sounds, where the 'n' eases pronunciation, which is why we still say 'an apple' but 'a pear'. This split was well established by the 1400s. The link to 'one' is worth remembering: an indefinite article literally signals a single, unspecified instance of something.
How the word is built
- a (indefinite article, an unstressed form of the older 'an')
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