## Meanings
1. used before a noun to refer to one person or thing that is not specific or not already known
2. the first letter of the English alphabet

## Examples
- I bought a book at the store.
- The word "apple" begins with an A.

## Synonyms
- an
- one

## Antonyms
- every
- the

## Derived Forms
- a-game
- a-list
- aa
- aaa
- coulda
- shoulda
- woulda

## Related Forms
- a-
- an
- on

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: a
- Root: an

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ís? Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos Proto-Germanic *ainaz Proto-West Germanic *ain Old English ān Middle English an Middle English a English a From Middle English a, an, from Old English ān (“one; a; lone; sole”). More at one. The "n" was gradually lost before consonants in almost all dialects by the 15th century. Cognate with Alemannic German a (“a, an”), East Franconian a (“a, an”).

## AI Etymology
A comes from Middle English a, an, from Old English ān (“one; a; lone; sole”). Compare one. The "n" was gradually lost before consonants in almost all dialects by the 15th century. Cognate with Alemannic German a (“a, an”), East Franconian a (“a, an”). The historical chain runs from Proto-Indo-European *ís? through Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos, Proto-Germanic *ainaz, Proto-West Germanic *ain, Old English ān, Middle English an, and Middle English a to English a.

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- Grammar & Function Words

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