# an

Pronunciation: say "AN" /ˈæn/

## Article

1. The form of the indefinite article a used before a word that begins with a vowel sound, as in an apple or an hour.
   - Simple: The word a, used before a word that starts with a vowel sound, like an apple or an hour.
   - _An old friend called last night to say she was moving back to town._
   - _There's an Ethan Moore at the front desk asking for you._
3. Used instead of a before an h at the start of an unstressed syllable, as in an historic, now old-fashioned. Formerly also before stressed h, one, or a you sound.
   - Simple: Used instead of a before some words that begin with an h sound.
   - _Voters knew they were taking part in an historic election._
   - _The college appointed an historian of medieval Europe as its new dean._

## Preposition

2. In, to, or for each; used to state a rate, with the same meaning as per.
   - Simple: In each or for each, used when giving a rate like speed or price.
   - _At the market, saffron was going for twelve dollars an ounce._
   - _The old press printed about three thousand copies an hour._

## Conjunction

4. If, or so long as, introducing a condition. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: If, used to say what must be true for something to happen.
5. Used with the meaning of as if or as though, to say how someone or something seems or behaves. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Used like as if, to say how something seems or acts.

## Other meanings

- (article) In the dialect of southwest England, used in place of a before a word beginning with a consonant.
- (numeral) The cardinal number one, naming a single person or thing.
- (noun) The first letter of the Georgian alphabet, written ა in Mkhedruli, Ⴀ in Asomtavruli, and ⴀ in Nuskhuri.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 3** — Old English ān, which meant "a, an" and literally "one," became Middle English an.
**Meanings 4–5** — From Middle English an, meaning "and" or "if". It is a doublet of and: the two words share the same origin.
**Meaning 2** — From the Old English preposition an, also found as on.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/an (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).