Again
adverbOnce more; another time, or returning to a previous state or place.
How to spell again
5 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce again
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does again mean?
- adverbOnce more; another time, or returning to a previous state or place.
Again in a sentence
-
She read the contract again before signing it.
-
The printer jammed, so he had to start the job again.
Where does again come from?
Language of origin: Germanic
This word descends from the Old English ongean, which meant 'opposite to', 'back', or 'in return', formed from the prefix on- and gegn meaning 'against' or 'straight towards'. The same gegn element survives in the word 'gainsay', which literally means to speak against something. Over the medieval period the spelling drifted through forms like 'agayn' and 'ageyn', and the modern -ai- spelling settled by the early modern era even though most speakers no longer say it to rhyme with 'gain'. It is a thoroughly native Germanic word, never borrowed from Latin or French, and its cousins appear across the older Germanic languages. The mismatch between the spelling -gain- and the common pronunciation 'uh-gen' is precisely what makes people second-guess it.
How the word is built
- a- (on, towards; from Old English on-)
- gain (against, opposite, in return; from Old English gegn)
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