▪ I.†a,a.¹ (def.numeral) Obs.or dial.[OE.án, one, of which the n began to disappear before acons.about 1150. In the definite numeral sense, án and á, following the ordinary course ofOE.long á, became in the southbef.1300, on (oon, one), o (oo); and eventually o becameobs., leaving one as the form in all positions; while an and a, pronounced lightly and indistinctly, became the ‘indefinite article.’ See next word. But in the north an (or ane) and a were written in both senses, the stress or emphasis alone distinguishing the numeral from the article.]Apocopate form of an, ane, used only before a consonant. See ane, o a., and one.c1200Trin.Coll.Hom.39Ure drihten drof fele deules togedere ut of á man, þe was of his wit.c1300K. Alis. 5955An eighe he had in his vys, And a foot, and no moo Iwys.c1350HampoleProse Tr. 32Some ere of a tre and some er of anoþer.1483Caxton,Geoffroi de la Tour, lf. iiii b,They satte att dyner in a hall and the quene in another.A in the various forms a, ae, eae, eea, yea, yà, is still the regular form of the numeral one when used adjectively, in the northern dialects, the absolute form being an, ane, ean, yen, yàn, etc.▪ II.a,a.² (indef.article)(tonelessə;emph.eɪ)Before a vowel-sound an (ən,emph.æn).[A weakening ofOE.án, ‘one’, already by 1150 reduced before acons.to a. About the same time the numeral began to be used in a weakened sense (usually unexpressed inOE.as he wæs gód man, ‘he was a good man’;cf.Chron.1137 ‘he wæs god munec & god man,’ and 1140 ‘he wæs an yuel man’); becoming in this sense proclitic and toneless, ăn, ă, while as a numeral it remained long, ān, ā, and passed regularly during the nextcent.into ōn, ō; see theprec.word. Though an began to sink to a inmidl.dial.by 1150, it often remainedbef.acons.to 1300;bef.sounded h, an was retained after 1600, and somet. after 1700, as an house, an heifer, an hermitage. The present rule is to use anbef.a vowel-sound (incl. h mute, as an hour); abef.a consonant-sound (including h sounded, and eu-, u- with sound of yū-, as a host, a one, a eunuch, a unit). But in unaccented syllables, many, perhaps most, writers still retain anbef.sounded h, some evenbef.eu, u, as an historian, an euphonic vowel, an united appeal, though this is all but obsolete in speech, and in writing a becomes increasingly common in this position. A, an has been indeclinable inmidl.andnorth.dial.since 1150, but vestiges of theOE.declension (asnom.f.ane,gen.m. anes,gen.&dat.f.are,acc.m. anne) remained much later in southern. Innorth.an was frequently written ane (with e mute), the use of a and an(e being as elsewhere; but about 1475 Scottish writers began to use ane in all positions, a practice which prevailed till the disuse of literary Scotch after 1600. Quotations illustrating the history of the forms:—c1131O.E.Chron.(Laud.MS.) anno 1125Se man ðe hafde an pund he ne mihte cysten ænne peni at anne market.c1150Ibid.anno 1137,Wel þu myhtes faren all a dæis fare, sculdest þu neure finden man in tune sittende.c1175Lamb.Hom.221God þa ȝeworhte aenne man óf láme.a1200Trin.Coll.Hom.47ȝif hie was riche wimman, a lomb.1205Layamon I. 3A[masc.]Frenchis clerc, Wace wes ihoten, þa luuede he a[fem.]maide, þeo was Lauine mawe.1483CaxtonGeoffroi de la Tour E 4A baronnesse, ryght a hyghe and noble lady of lygnage.1532MoreConf.TyndaleWks.1557 447/2We haue two articles in english, a & the: a or an (for bothe is one article, the tone before a consonant the tother before a vowell) is commen to euery thinge almost.1611BibleActs vii. 47But Solomon built him an house[1881 Revised a house].Ibid.vii. 27An eunuch of great authority[Revised a eunuch].1732PopeEssay Man iv. 78Nor in an hermitage set Dr. Clarke.1763JohnsonAschamWks.1816 XII. 306An yearly pension.1823LingardHist.Eng.VI. 219An eulogium on his talents.1850Mrs. JamesonSac. &Leg.Art 206A eulogium of Mary Magdalene.1857LeverTom Burke xxxix. 387A eulogium on their conduct.1843PennyCycl.XXVI. 25/2In November[1835]the great seal was put to a charter creating a University of London.1847TennysonPrincess i. 149All wild to found an University For maidens.About the 15thcent.a or an was commonly written in comb. with the followingn.as aman, anoke, anele. When they were separated, much uncertainty prevailed as to the division; thus we find a nend, a noke, a nadder, an adder, an est. In some words a mistaken division has passed into usage: see adder, newt.c1420Chron.Vilod. 515And ryȝt with þat worde he made a nend.]A is strictly adjective and can only be used with a substantive following. Meanings:—1.One, some, any: the oneness, or indefiniteness, being implied rather than asserted. It is especially used in first introducing an object to notice, which object, after being introduced by a, is kept in view by the; as ‘I plucked a flower; this is the flower.’ Used before a noun singular, and its attributes.a.Ordinarily before the name of an individual object or notion, or of a substance, quality or state individualized, and before a collective noun, as a tree, a wish, an ice, a beauty, a new ink, a greater strength, a second youth, a legion, a hundred, a pair.c1175Lamb.Hom.121Vre drihten wes iled to sleȝe al swa me dede a scep.1297R.Glouc.78He hadde a gret ost in a lutel stonde.1847LongfellowEv. i. i. 59A celestial brightness—a more ethereal beauty.Mod.An ink that will retain its fluidity; a permanent black. Is it a red wheat? What kind of a wine is this? To walk out in a pouring rain. There was a something—of that we may be sure. Oh, a mere nothing.b.Also before proper names, used connotatively, with reference to the qualities of the individual; or figuratively as the type of a class.1596Shakes.Merch.V. iv. i. 223A Daniel come to iudgement, yea a Daniel!1665–9BoyleOcc.Refl.iv. xii. 245 (1675)Our own History affords us a Henry the Fifth.1683D. A.Art of Converse 53Cannot ye praise a philosopher unless ye say he is an Aristotle.c1830A Fable (in 4th Irish Schbk. 50)He whom his party deems a hero, His foes a Judas or a Nero.1855TennysonMaud i. iv. 46Shall I weep if a Poland fall? shall I shriek if a Hungary fail?c.A follows theadj.in many a, such a, what a! and theobs.ordial.each a, which a; it follows anyadj.preceded by how, so, as, too, as how large a sum; and in earlierEng.the genit. phrases what manner, no manner, whatkins, nakins, what sort, etc., as what manner a man=cujusmodi homo? (See these words.)In none of these was the a found in Old English.Many a is not to be confused with the approximative a many(see2). Such a was earlier (2–3) a such. Each a and which a survive in the north, as ilk a, whilk a. What manner a, and its likes soon became corrupted to what manner of. See aprep.²=of.1593Shakes.3Hen.VI, v. iv. 12Ah, what a shame! ah, what a fault were this!1611―Wint. T. v. iii. 140And haue (in vaine) said many A prayer vpon her graue.1611BibleRuth iv. 1Ho, such a one![Later reprints, such an one.]―James iii. 5Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth[1881 Revised Behold, how much wood is kindled by how small a fire.]Mod.Too high a price for so small an advantage. As fine a child as you will see.d.With nouns of multitude, after which thegen.sign, orprep.of, has been omitted, a comes apparently beforepl.nouns. Compare a score of men, a dozen (of) men, hundreds of men, a hundred men, a thousand miles; and theobs.a certain of men or a certain men, now certain men. (See under these words.)c1225Sawles Warde 251Þah ich hefde a þusent tungen of stele.1523Ld.Berners Froissart I. lxxx. 101A certayne of varlettes and boyes, who ran away.Ibid.xiv. 13A certayne noble knightis..she kept.1600Shakes.A.Y.L. i. i. 2It was upon this fashion bequeathed me by will, but poore a thousand crownes.1653HolcroftProcopius i. 32Belisarius commanded Bessas with a 1000. selected men to charge them.1860TyndallGlaciers ii. §11. 290He had to retreat more than a dozen times.2.A with numeral adjectives removes their definiteness, or expresses an approximate estimate: some, a matter of, about; as a sixty fathom, a six years, a two hundred spears; so also a many men, a few retainers, the latter already inOE.áne feawa (áne plural=some). An exceedingly common use of a in 14–16th c. Nowobs.except in a few, a great many, a good many (a many, a good few, a small few, dialectal). See also under these words.c1000Gosp.Nicod. (1698) 5Ane feawa worda.1297R.Glouc.18Þe kyng with a fewe men hymself flew.1366Mandeville 57That See is wel a 6 myle of largenesse in bredth.c1386ChaucerSqr.'s T. 275And up they risen, a ten other a twelve.1523Ld.Berners Froissart I. xxxvii. 50A ii hundred speres.Ibid.xxxviii. 51,A xx. M. Almaynes.1551TurnerHerbal ii. 7Stepe them a fiue or sixe dayes in vineger.1595DrakeVoyage (Hakl.Soc.) 5He had a three hundred men more in his squadron.1600Shakes.A.Y.L. i. i. 121And a many merry men with him.1611BibleLuke ix. 28An eight days after these sayings.1684BunyanPilg. Prog. 11 Introd.Have also overcome a many evils.1833TennysonMiller'sDau.221They have not shed a many tears.c1860H. BonarHymnA few more struggles here, A few more partings o'er, A few more toils, a few more tears, And we shall weep no more.Mod.A great many acquaintances, a good many well-wishers, a few tried friends.3.In a more definite sense: One, a certain, a particular; the same. Now only used in a few phrases like once on a day; two at a time; two, three, all of a sort, a size, a price, an age.c1220St.Katherine (Abb.Cl.) 1Constantin & Maxence weren on a time..hehest in Rome.1523Ld.Berners Froissart I. cx. 132In his dayes, ther was at a tyme, a great tournayeng before Cambray.1551RobinsonMore's Utopia 45The killing of a man or the takyng of his money{ddd}were both a matter.1553–87FoxeA. & M. 695/1 (1596)Whether the christians yeeld to them, or yeeld not, all is a matter.1601Shakes.All's Well i. iii. 244He and his Phisitions Are of a minde.1602―Ham.v. ii. 277These Foyles haue all a length.1694Bp.Tenison in Evelyn Mem.(1857) III. 344Six little pieces of coin (all of a sort) found in an urn by a ploughman.1701SwiftWks.(1755) II. i. 25The power of these princes..was much of a size with that of the kings in Sparta.Mod.Provb.Fowls of a feather flock together.4.‘Denoting the proportion of one thing to another.’ J.; chiefly of rate or price: in each, to or for each; as a hundred a year, twenty pounds a man, thirty shillings a head, sixpence an ounce, a penny a line. This was originally the preposition a,OE.an, on, defining time, as in twice a day; whence by slight extension, a penny a day (par jour, per diem). Then, being formally identified with theindef.art., a, an was extended analogically from time, to space, measure, weight, number, as a penny a mile, sixpence a pound (la livre), tenpence a hundred, so much a head. See aprep.¹ 8 b.c1000Ags.Gosp.Luke xvii. 4Seofen siðum on dæᵹ.a1200Trin.Coll.Hom.67Enes o dai.Ibid.109Anes á dái.1382WyclifMatt.xx. 2A peny for the day.1526Tindaleib.A peny a daye.1584W. E[lderton]A new Yorkshire song[Yorke, Yorke, for my Monie, etc.]Yorksh.Anth. (1851) 2And they shot for twentie poundes a bowe.1725De FoeVoyage round the World (1840) 50His men to whom I gave four pieces of eight a man.1794SoutheyBotany Bay Ecl. 3Wks.II. 82To be popt at like pigeons for sixpence a day.1849MacaulayHist.Eng.I. 305Three hundred and eighty thousand pounds a year.▪ III.aalso a',a.³|ɔː|[from all; l lost as in alms, talk. A occurs rarely and doubtfully inME.north.orn.midl.; a' is the current spelling in modern literary Scotch.]=all.1280Havelok 610He sal hauen in his hand A denemark and england.1795Burns III. 234For a' that, an' a' that, His ribbond, star, an' a' that, The man o' independent mind He looks an' laughs at a' that.▪ IV.†a,pron.Obs.or dial.|ə|[for ha=he, heo, hi, he, she, (it), they, when stressless; chiefly in southern and western writers. A for he (ha in the Ayenbit) is common from 3 to 5; in the dramatists of 6, 7, it is frequent in representations of familiar speech. A for ha, heo,=she, they, is rarer and somewhat doubtful in Layamon, but common in Trevisa; not found after 1450. Owing to the persistence of grammatical gender in the south, Trevisa also uses a=he of inanimate objects, and so apparently=it, which takes its place when rationality and sex are substituted for gender in the concord of the pronouns. Thes.w.dialects still apply he to inanimate objects. See further under he.]1.He.1250Layamon (later text) I. 59Þat a lond a verde sechinge ware he mihte wonie[1205 he ferde sechinde].c1315ShorehamPoems 3Ac a deythe and he not[i.e.wots not]wanne.1387TrevisaHigden (Norm.Inv.in Morris Specim.341)Kyng Edward hadde byhote duc William þat a scholde be kyng after hym if he dyede wyþoute chyldern.c1440Arthur 370He went ouer to þe hulle syde, And þere a fonde a wommane byde.1553Sir T. Gresham (in FroudeHist.Eng.V. xxix. 472/2)For that the retailer doth sell..a doth not only take away the living of the Merchant.1584PeeleArraign. Paris ii. i. 22Tut, Mars hath horns to butt withal, although no bull 'a shows, 'A never needs to mask in nets, 'a fears no jealous foes.1604Shakes.Ham.iii. iii. 74Now might I doe it, but now a is a praying, And now Ile doo't, and so a goes to heauen.1610Histriomastix i. 157A speaks to you players: I am thepoet.2.She.1205Layamon III. 127Ne beo ich nauere bliðe, þa wile a[the queen]beoð aliue.c1220St.Katherine (Abb.Cl.) 136þus hwil a wiste hire & þohte ai to witen hire meiden in meidenhad.1387TrevisaMS.Cott. Vesp. D. vii. 29 b,He ran home to uore & prayede hys wyf þat hue wolde helpe for to saue hym,..bote a dude þe contrary.3.It (for he).1387Trevisa (in MorrisSpecim.334)Yn þis ylond groweþ a ston þat hatte gagates; ȝef me axeþ hys feyrnesse—a ys blak as gemmes buþ..a brenneþ yn water & quencheþ in oyle..ȝif a ys yfroted & yhat, a holdeþ what hym neyȝheþ; ȝef me axeþ hys goodnes, hyt heeleþ þe dropesy & hyt be ydrongke, etc.c1500Spirit. Rem. (in Nugæ Poeticæ 67)Cordys contrycio ys the too[=second]A wasshyth the woundes as doth a welle.4.They.1205Layamon I. 149Ouer se a icomen; hauene sone a nomen[1250 Ouer see hii comen, and hauene hi nomen].1387TrevisaHigden (Descr.Brit.in Morris Specim.340)Þe kinges of Engelond woneþ alwey fer fram þat contray, for a buþ more yturnd to þe souþ contray; & ȝef a goþ to þe norþ contray, a goþ wiþ gret help & strengthe.¶A still retains all these meanings, and especially that of he, in southern and western dialects, where it appears as|ə,ə(r)|. See Elworthy Gramm.of West SomersetDial.33, and Halliwell.Inmod.north.dialects a, also aa, ah, aw|ɑː,ɔː|=I, being the first half of the diphthong|aɪ,ɔɪ|.1853AkermanWiltshire Tales 169One night a was coming whoame vrom market, and vell off's hos into the rood, a was zo drunk.1864TennysonNorth. FarmerBut Parson a comes an' a goos, an' a says it eäsy an' freeä.Ibid.Doctors, they knaws nowt, for a says what's nawways true: Naw soort o' koind o' use to saäy the things that a do.1864T. ClarkeJonny Shippard (Westm.dial.)Let ma git theear, an a's mebbie preeave a bit aaldther ner tha tak ma ta be.▪ V.a,v.For ha, ha', a worn-down form of have (cf.French a from habet) when unaccented or obscure in compound verbal forms, or where the independent meaning is sunk in a phrase, as might a been, would a said, should a thought, a done!=have done, a mind!=have a mind. Exceedingly frequent in 13–17th c.; in later times chiefly in representations of colloquial or familiar speech, in which it is still often said, though infrequently written, except in specimens of local dialects, where also, under literary influence, it is generally spelt ha, ha', although no h is pronounced.1350Will.Palerne 1177A mynde on me lord, for þi moder love help me.1366Mandeville viii. 86The Iewes wolde a stoned him.c1400Apol.for Lollards,I knowlech to a felid & seid þus.1468Cov.Myst.38 (1841)Ha don; and answere me as tyght.1477Earl RiversDictes (Caxton) 13,& might a made you as euil as he.1543Supp. to Hardyng 105Richard might..a saved hymself, if he would a fled awaie.1556Chron.Grey Friars 28The byshoppe shulde a come agayne to Powlles, & a preched agayne.1684BunyanPilg. ii. 84,I might a had Husbands afore now, tho' I spake not of it.1864TennysonNorth. Farmer,I done my duty by un, as I 'a done by the lond.1864Mrs. LloydLadies of Polcarrow 149We would a-had ‘hurrahs’ and a tar-barrel, Miss Loveday, ma'am.1866Mayne ReidHeadless Horseman lxvii. 334If 't hedn't a been for the savin' o' her, I'd a let 'em come on down the gully.1952E. WilsonTuesday & Wednesday i, in Equations of Love 11If I'd a known there was a luncheon party on I'd a stayed home.1968E. Gaines in A. ChapmanNew Black Voices (1972) 97If I wasn't hungry, I wouldn't 'a' ate it at all.b.Inmod.use,repr.colloq.ordial.pronunc.of have in could (must, should, etc.) have: see coulda, musta, shoulda, etc.▪ VI.†a,adv.Obs.Also aa, o, oo.[OE.á, áwa, cognate withON.ǽ,OHG.eo, io,Goth.aiw,cf.aiws an age, L. aevum,Gr.αἰών andadv.αἰεί. This word becameobs.in 13th c., being replaced by the cognate Norse word aȝ, ai, ei, ay, aye, still used. See aye, and o.]Ever, aye, always.a1000Beowulf 915Gæð á wyrd swá hió sceal.Ibid.1914Þæt þin[dóm]lyfað · áwa tó aldre.c1175Lamb.Hom.183Te engles .a. biholdeþ þé.1205Layamon II. 54And a[1250 euere]to ure liue · witen ure leoden.c1220St.Kath. 279þat ha schulen lasten a.1230Ancren Riwle 36World a buten ende.1230Hali Meid. 15Þer is a feht & mot beon aa nede.▪ VII.a,prep.¹|ə|Also o.[A worn-down proclitic form ofOE.preposition an, on. In compounds and common phrases this became a even inOE., as abútan, a timan. The separate an was labialized to on, which form also (in West Saxon) absorbed theprep.in, and so had the meanings on, in; unto, into, to. In 11th c., on began to be reduced before consonants to o, which from its tonelessness soon sank to a (ə). Before a vowel an was occasionally used; when emphatic on remained. The separate a is now rarely used, being replaced by the full on, in, or the various prepositions which represent them in modern idiom; except in a few verbal constructions, as to go a begging, to set a going; and in temporal distributive phrases, as twice a day, once a year, where it has been confused with the ‘indefinite article.’ See a a.² 4. But the preposition a really remains in a large number of combinations, where present spelling treats it as a prefix to the governed word, and the whole as a compound adverb, as abed, afoot, aback, around, atop, afloat, asleep, alive. As these combinations are now viewed as individual words, they will be found in their alphabetical places. The separate uses of a, treated here, are very numerous, but all included in those ofOE.on.]1.Superposition: on; as a the ground, a water and a land, a the book, a the rood, a bed, a bench, a shipboard, a wheels, a foot, a horseback. Obs.except in a few combinations, abed, aboard, ashore, afield, afoot, etc.a1200Moral Ode in Lamb.Hom.173Wise men..a boken hit writen, þer[me]mei hit reden.1205Layamon III. 7Þa folc..þat þer eoden a uoten[1250 afote].1230Ancren Riwle 430Ase ofte ase ȝe readeð out[=aught]o þisse boc.c1420LydgateStor. Thebes 1561 (Skeat)But he, allas! was mad light a foote.1523Ld.Berners Froissart I. xvii. 18They are all a horsbacke.1599Shakes.Hen.V, iv. iii. 42He..will stand a tip-toe.1611ChapmanMay-Day (Plays 1873) II. 328Let her meditate a my late motion.1616PurchasPilg., Desc.Ind.(1864) 157He almost first starued a ship⁓boord.1645HowellEngl.Tears 173/1All my neighbour Countreys were a fire.1861All Y. Round V. 13And made him trot, barefooted, on before Himself, who rode a horse⁓back.2.Motion: on, upon, on to; as a the ground, a the folk, a the stead, a field, a bed. Obs.exc.as inprec.as go a-shore.1205Layamon I. 97Moni eotend ic leide dead a þene grund.c1305E.E.P.,St.Katherine 92[Thou]þus fole maistres of clergie: bringest and settest a benche.1523Ld.Berners Froissart I. cxlvii. 176The quene was brought a bedde of a fayre lady named Margarete.3.Juxtaposition: on, at; chiefly in the phrases a right (or left) half, a this (or that) side, a God's half=on God's side or behalf; and a-to-side=a t' o side, on (the) one side, aside. Obs.exc.in comb.c1175Lamb.Hom.141And þer stod a richt halue and a leeft? alse an castel wal.c1380Sir Ferumbras 1680A þes half Mantrible þe grete Citee? ys þe brigge y-set.1449PecockRepressor 336In the daies of Princis A this side the Emperour Constantyn.1477Earl RiversDictes (Caxton) 1To sette a parte alle ingratitude.1483CaxtonGeoffroi de la Tour E. v,And bothe..wente and leyd them self abothe his sydes.1600HollandLivy xxxvii. xi. 950Those vessels which lay atone side upon the land.1684BunyanPilg. ii. 67I thought he gave you something, because he called you a to-side.†4.Position or situation: in; as a thy hand, a the world, a the folk, a the shroud, a water, a blood, a Rome. Obs.c1000Blickl.Hom.89On bendum & o wope.c1066O.E.Chron.(Cott.MS.) an. 1011Man nolde him átiman gafol beodon.1205Layamon I. 49A þon heðene lawen[1250 In þan heþene lawe].a1300Judas, in Reliq.Ant.I. 144Al it lavede a blode.1401Pol.Poems II. 43Liȝtly a lewid man maye leyen hem a water.1525Ld.Berners Froissart II. ccxxxii. 721So the bysshoppe returned and came into Almaygne, and founde the kyng a Conualence.1608TourneurReveng. Tragœdie v. i. 129That's enow a' conscience!1660HarringtonPrerog.ofPop.Sov. (1700) ii. v. 362Which is enough, a conscience!5.General direction or position: in the direction of, towards; as, a back, a fore, a far, a head, a side. Still used in comb. aback, etc.c1420LydgateStor. Thebes 1170 (Skeat Spec.Eng.Lit.)And the remnaunt amased drogh a bak.6.Partition: in, into; as a two, a three, a twelve, a pieces. Obs.except in comb. asunder, apart.c1175Lamb.Hom.141And þa fouwer weren ideled a twelue.c1280E.E.P., Fall & Passion 14Hir þoȝt hir hert wol a two.1398TrevisaBarth. DePr.R. iii. xii.The vertu sensible þat meueþ is departid a thre[ed.1535 on thre, 1582 in three].1509FisherWks.(1876) 55An other sawed a two.1535CoverdaleActs i. 18,& brast a sunder in the myddes.1613Shakes.Hen.VIII, v. iv. 80Being torne a pieces.1623BinghamHist.Xenophon 75Their legs and sides crushed, and broken a peeces.†7.Position in a series: at, in; as a first, a last, a the(n) end. Obs.1205Layamon III. 106þ̶ he com a þan ende.1230Ancr. R. 46A last schal siggen, hwo se con: Oremus.8.Time: in, on, by; as a day, a night, an eve, a morrow, a Monday, a doom's day. Occ. prefixed toOE.adverbial genitives dæȝes and nihtes, giving a nights, now-a-days. Obs.exc.in a few archaic phrases.c1000Ags. Gospels Mark iv. 27,& sawe & arise daeᵹes & nihtes[Lindisf. & slepeð & arisað on næht and on daeᵹ. Hatton, & sawe & arise daiᵹes & nihtes].Ibid.Luke xxi. 37He was on dæᵹ on þam temple lærende . & on niht he eode & wunode on þam munte.1205Layamon II. 401ȝif mon mihte mid crafte · a dæi oðer a nihte[1250 Bi daiȝe oþer bi nihte].a1200CottonHom.239A domes deie.1362LanglandP. Pl. A i. 99And not to faste a Friday.c1430Syr Generides 1797Sith yesterday a eve, This sekenes first did him greve.1525Ld.Berners Froissart II. xxvii. 77He had not thanne this vsage to ryn a nyghtes, as he doeth nowe.1575LanehamLetter 20 (1871)A Sunday, opportunely, the weather brake vp again.1601Shakes.Jul. C. i. ii. 193Let me haue men about me, that are fat, Sleekeheaded men, and such as sleepe a-nights.1669DigbyCloset Opened (1677) 134Monsieur de Bourdeaux used to take a mornings a broth thus made.1688BunyanHoly War 336The bold villain{ddd}lurks in the Diabolonian dens a days and haunts like a ghost honest men's houses a nights.1721SwiftEpist.Corr.II. 557Why did you not set out a Monday, like a true country parson?b.Especially, with adverbs of repetition: once, twice, many times, oft a day (OE.on dæȝe), twice a week, thrice a year.In this construction a is now generally explained as the ‘indefinite article’; and it has, through such phrases as a penny a day, fourteen shillings a week, led to the use of a to express rate, or proportion, as in a penny a mile, tenpence a pound.Comp.French deux francs par jour, and deux francs la livre. See a a.² 4.c1000Ags. Gospels Luke xx. 4Seofan siþun on dæᵹ[Lindisf. Seofa siðe on dæᵹe].c1150HattonGosp., ibid.Seofen syðan on daiᵹ.a1200Trin.Coll.Hom.67Ete nu leinte mete, and enes o day.Ibid.109Hie arist anes á dái.c1305St.Edmund 72And werede here þrie a wyke, oþer tueye atte leste.1382WyclifExod.xxiii. 17Thries a ȝeer[1388 in the ȝeer]shal apere al thi maal child before the Lord thi God.c1386ChaucerKnt.'s T. 498Ful ofte a day he swelte and seyde alas!1611BiblePs.cxix. 164Seuen times a day doe I praise thee.1878HuxleyPhysiogr.174It moves at the rate of between four and five miles an hour.†9.Manner: in, with, etc.; as a this wise, a some wise, a gram=in wrath, a scorn, a blisse; a French, a Latin; a great speed, a purpose=on purpose, a colour=under colour, in the pretence, a that'n=in that way.Cf.OE.on þissre wisan, on Englisc,mod.on this wise, in English. Obs.1230Ancren Riwle 100þis is a cruel word, & a grim word mid alle, þ̶ vre Louerd seið ase a grome & a scorn.c1305E.E.P.,St.Katherine 92For ich wole bet þat ȝe hire ouercome: mid resouns a somme wise.1387TrevisaHigden Polychr. (in Morris Specim.338)To construe here lessons & here þingis a Freynsch.c1400Apol.for Lollards 49A color of takyng of almis.1533MoreAnsw.to Poysoned Boke (Wks.1557) 1117/2Els may he neuer make himself so sure, and face it out a this fashion.1590MarloweJew of Malta iv. iii. 312Stands here a purpose.1601Shakes.All's Well ii. iii. 265Why dooest thou garter vp thy armes a this fashion?1695CongreveLove for Love iii. vii. 218 (1866)[A sailor says]An' you stand astern a that'n we two will never grapple together.†10.Capacity: in any one's name;esp.a God's name. Obs.c1300Life of Beket 146And wende forth a Godes name: to the holi londe.c1386ChaucerDoctor's T. 250Do with your child your wille, a goddes name!1523Ld.Berners Froissart I. cxix. 142Let them depart whyder they woll a goddes name.a1577J. NorthbrookeAgainst Dicing (1843) 152Daunce a God's name.1577T. VautrollierLuther'sEp.to Galathians 129Worke on a Gods blessing.1600HollandLivy ix. iv. 315/2Go then, Consuls, a gods name, redeem the cittie.1702PopeChaucer's Wife of Bath 48Let such (a God's name) with fine wheat be fed.11.State: in; as a live, a sleep, a work, a jar, a thirst, a blaze, a fright, a float, a stare. In these the word governed by a was originally a noun,e.g.life, sleep, work, float (‘on the Mediterranean flote,’Shakes.Temp.i. ii. 234), but being often the verbaln.of state or act, it has been in modern times erroneously taken as a verb, and used as a model for forming such adverbial phrases from any verb, as a-wash, a-blaze, a-bask, a-swim, a-flaunt, a-blow, a-dance, a-run, a-stare, a-gaze, a-howl, a-tremble, a-shake, a-jump. These are purely modern and analogical.1205Layamon I. 59Wel wes him on liue.[1250 Wel was him aliue.]c1225Sawles Warde 249Lest sum for-truste him, ant feole o slepe.1533MoreAnsw.to Poysoned BokeWks.(1557) 1119/1Al the while that al those holy folke were a worke therwith.1556Chron.Grey Friars 47And[they]sette it alle a fyer, and went their wayes agayne.1611Cotgr.Estre au dessus du vent, To flourish, live in prosperitie, be al a flaunt, or a hoight.1611Bible2Chron.ii. 18Three thousand and sixe hundred ouerseers to set the people a worke.1616R. C.Times' Whistle v. 1843One straight falles a sleep.1663SpaldingTroubles in reign ofChas.I (1829) 44The soldiers sleeping carelessly in the bottom of the ship upon heather, were all a-swim, through the water that came in at the holes and leaks of the ship.1868Morning Star 18 June,Rocks which are a-wash at low tide.12.Process; with a verbaln.taken passively: in process of, in course of, undergoing. Varying with in: ‘forty and six years was this temple in building.’ arch.or dial.(In modern language the a is omitted and the verbaln.treated as a participle, passive in sense; as the house was a building, the house was building. In still more modern speech a formal participle passive appears: the house was being built.)1393LanglandP. Pl. C iv. 51We haue a wyndow a worchyng.1489CaxtonFaytes of Armes i. xiv. 37Suche fortyfycacyons are in dooyng.1523Ld.Berners Froissart I. cxx. 143Ther they brake all[the bridge]to peaces that had been longe a makynge.1598StowSurvay of London i. 3 (1603)Whilst these things were a doing.1611Bible1 Peter iii. 20In the dayes of Noah while the Arke was a preparing.1662H. MoreAnt.ag. Atheism (1712) iii. xiii. 130The shrieks of men while they are a murthering.1692BentleyB.L. 211The state or condition of matter before the world was a-making, which is compendiously exprest by the word chaos.1727WodrowCorresp.(1843) III. 296Tomorrow, all day, papers will be a-reading.13.Action; with a verbaln.taken actively.a.with be: engaged in. arch.or dial.(In literaryEng.the a is omitted, and the verbaln.treated as a participle agreeing with the subject, and governing its case, to be fishing, fighting, making anything. But most of the southern dialects, and the vulgar speech both in England and America, retain the earlier usage.)1523Ld.Berners Froissart I. xviii. 20They had ben a fyghtyng with theyr ennemies.c1590HorseyTravels (Hakl.Soc.) 163His enyme..that was a preparinge to invade his countrys.1683tr.Erasmus Moriae Encomium 18She imitates me in being always a laughing.1684BunyanPilg. ii. (1862) 209She is a taking of her last farewell of her Country.1716–18Lady M. W. MontaguLetters I. xxvii. 88Orders{ddd}which may possibly be a month a-coming.1769RobertsonCharles V, III. viii. 65The tempest which had been so long a gathering was ready to break forth.1815Leigh HuntFeast of the Poets 11You'd have thought 'twas the Bishops or Judges a coming.1845DisraeliSybil 296 (Routl.)‘A-dropping wages, and a-raising tommy like fun,’ said Master Waghorn.b.with verb of motion: to, into; to go a fishing, come a wooing, fall a laughing, crying, fighting, to set the bells a ringing, to send children a begging. Arch.or dial.save in a few phrases, as to go a begging (mostly of offices); and with set, as to set the clock a going, the bells a ringing, folk a thinking, where also a is often omitted.1526TindaleJohn xxi. 3Simon Peter sayde vnto them: I goo a fysshynge.1551RobinsonMore's Utopia 43Whither, I pray you, but a beggynge or elles a stealing.1621BurtonAnat.Mel. (1651) iii. 4. i. 3. 667..he would burst out a laughing.1692BentleyB.L. 61Watches must be wound up to set them a going.1715BurnetHist.own Time II. 207 (1766)As soon as he was taken he fell a crying.1788Th.Jefferson Writings II. 373 (1859)We were able to set the loan a going again.Mod.Such positions rarely go a begging.▪ VIII.a,prep.² Obs.|ə|[worn down from of, f being droppedbef.acons., and the toneless o sunk into the neutral ə, which being the ordinary sound of toneless a, as in a man, ămain, Americă, was here also written a. It was once the ordinary representative of of in certain phrases, as men a war, cloth a gold, inns a court, time a day, fustian a Napes, out a doors (where apparently confused with at,cf.in a doores) and familiarly in many others. Inmod.spelling, of when contracted is written o', but the familiar pronunciation is still (ə) as in man o'|ə|war.]1.Of. Usu.repr.colloq., popular, ordial.pronunc.,esp.in American and Black English. Freq. appended to the preceding word (sometimes with reduplication of final consonant), as cuppa, kinda, lotsa, lotta, etc.1500Chevy Chase (MS.Ashmole 48) 84He spendyd A spere a trusti tre.1523Ld.Berners Froissart I. xxxviii. 52The cyty was strong, and well furnysshed of men a warr.1532MoreConf.Dr. Barnes viii. (Wks.1557) 804/2,Ye shall beare no part of that flesh foorth a dores.1593Shakes.Rich.II, i. iii. 76The name of John a Gaunt.1599―Much Ado iii. iv. 19Cloth a gold and cut, and lac'd with siluer.1599ChapmanAn humerous dayes myrth (Plays, 1873) I. 63Theeues, Puritanes, murderers, in adoores, I say.1631F. LentonLeasures char. 29A young innes a court gentleman.1673J. JanewayHeaven upon Earth (1847) 286'Tis not time-a-day for you to be sleeping or playing.1800M. EdgeworthCastle Rackrent 78‘Judy's out a luck,’ said I, striving to laugh—‘I'm out a luck,’ said he.1928[see bullshit 1].1965C. Colter in A. ChapmanNew Black Voices (1972) 72See that squad car?—up in fronta the drug store.1976CRCJrnl.July 14/1All a we is one, all a we not the same.1981Westindian World 31 July 4/1Who should I buck up last Saturday night but man about town and boss man a Root Magazine Godfrey Hope.†2.Especially common in the phrase a clock=of the clock, o'clock. Obs.c1450Wills andInv.BurySt.Edm. 17At vii of the clokke.1480PlumptonCorr.40Uppon Munday by viii a clocke.1593T. FaleArt of Dialling A. 3.The Meridian and twelve a clock line are all one.1598B. JonsonEv. Man in Hum. (1616) i. iv. 14It's sixe a clocke: I should ha' carried two turnes, by this.1665BoyleOcc.Refl.vi. xv. 254 (1675)To know what a Clock it was.1713DerhamPhysico-Theol. 18 note,Sea-Breezes commonly rise in the Morning about Nine a Clock.1741AmherstTerræ Filius I. 3Coming into college at ten or eleven a clock at night.†3.After manner, kind, sort, etc. a,orig.the ‘indef.article,’ was taken as=of.Orig.what manner was in the genitive relation, thus: what manner a man? cujusmodi homo? what manner men? cujusmodi homines? By being taken as=of, a was first extended to the plural, as ‘what manner a men?’ and then changed to of, as in themod.‘what manner of men?’ which no longer answers to cujusmodi homines? but to qui modus hominum? The dialects retain the original ‘kind a’ as kinda, kinder. Obs.See furthers.v.mannern.¹ 9.1388WyclifJudg.viii. 18What maner men weren thei[1382 What weren the men]that ȝe killiden in Thabor[1611What maner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor?].1523Ld.Berners Froissart I. lxxv. 96Ther abode alyue no maner a person.1583GoldingCalvin onDeut.vi. 33. 17 a,We know what maner a one that is.1592R. Hyrdetr.Vives'Instr.Christ. Woman G iij,What maner a ones they shoulde be, S. Peter, & S. Paule,..teach.▪ IX.†a,prep.³ Obs.Inphr.a þe, a later form ofOE.oððe=oð until + þe that, whereby a came to representOE.oð till.c1175Lamb.Hom.5Þus ha hine hereden a þe he rad in et þan est ȝete.Ibid.45Ic ham ȝeue reste{ddd}from non on saterdei a þa cume monedeis lihting.▪ X.†a,conj.Obs.A form apparently occurring occasionally before a consonant for an=and, if. In some cases, if not all, the correctMS.reading may be ā, compendium for an.1.=And.c1280Fall & Passion in E.E.P. (1862) 13Seue daies a seue niȝt . vte of heuen hi aliȝt..an in to hellë wer iþrow.c1400Apol.for Lollards 56He þat lettiþ not silk ȝeuing, wen he is holden a may, is strenid by þe same gilt.c1450Morte Arth. (Roxb.Cl.) 91Wendyth home a leue youre werryeng.2.=and, an', if.c1450Morte Arth. (Roxb.Cl.) 91And yit a thow woldyst nyghe me nye, Thow shalt wele wete I am not slayn.▪ XI.†a,int.Obs.or dial.form of Oint.and ahint.1.(In northern and early southernEng.) O! (for which ā! eh!|ɛː,eː|is still the ordinary northern form) of invocation, surprise, admiration.c1175Lamb.Hom.45A! hwi wepest þou, Paul?c1340HampolePr.Tr. 1A, a! that wondyrful name! A! that delittable name!―Pr.Consc.481For when it es born it cryes swa: If it be man it says ‘a.a.’ And if þe child a woman be, When it es born it says ‘e.e.’c1460TownleyMyst.109A, Gylle! what chere?2.(In later southernEng.) Ah! of pain, grief, aversion.c1305E.E.P. 58A beau frere quaþ þis oþer: strong is þi misdede.1340Ayenb. 92A God hou hi byeþ foles and more þanne a best.c1386ChaucerKnt.'s T. 220He bleynte and cryed, a! As that he stongen were vnto the herte.c1400Apol.for Lollards 30A ȝe vniust prestis, þorow ȝour bidding þe prest of God stintiþ þe office of blessing.1485CaxtonParis & Vienne (1868) 28A Veray God! I am wel dyscomforted.3.Prefixed to proper names as a war-cry, as A Warwick! Modern writers treat it as the ‘indefinite article’.c1450Merlin (1866) ii. 287Than thei cried a Clarance with a lowde voyse.1808ScottMarm. vi. xxvii.The Border slogan rent the sky: A Home! a Gordon! was the cry.4.Appended to lines ‘in burlesque poetry, to lengthen out a syllable, without adding to the sense.’ J. Not originally burlesque, but probably originating in the necessary retention of theME.final -e where wanted for measure, the origin of which being forgotten, it was treated as an addition of ă. ThusME.sonne—yronne, would be treated as sun a!—run a!Henceprob.the modern ballad and lyrical O! (which is not burlesque) as in ‘My Nannie, O.’1567Triall of Treasure (1850) 33Wherein I doe delight, a;{ddd}To liue still in such plighte, a.1611Shakes.Wint. T. iv. iii. 133And merrily hent the Stile-a..Your sad tyres in a Mile-a.▪ XII.†a,a-,particle|ə|prefixed to thepa.pple.and occasionally to other parts of the verb,=earlier ȝe-[Ger.ge-,Goth.ga-, together, altogether, completely], which inOE.was sparingly used as a prefix to thepple.(more commonly making a compound verb), but in 2–4 became, as ȝe-, y-, i-, the regular sign of thepa.pple.in the south, as y-come, i-don, i-sen, y-ben, i-ben, i-be, etc. The toneless|ɪ|afterwards sank into|ə|, as it is still pronounced in the south-western dialects, and was frequently written a distinct, or a- joined, in 14–16th c. As many verbs had also a derivative form in a- inOE.(as wake awake, rise arise), and many others were formed after them inME., it is not always easy to say whether apa.pple.in a- is to be referred to the simple verb, or to a derivative verb in a-, of which no other part is known. So inmod.G. ge-standen may bepa.pple.of stehen, or of ge-stehen. See i-, y-.c1270Owl & Night. 1602,Ah thu me havest sore i-gramed That min heorte is wel neh a-lamed.c1400Tundale's Vis. 700Then seyd Tundale ablissyd be thou.1458Domest.Arch.(AbingdonMS.) iii. 42Chees & chekenes clerelych a dyght.1684BunyanPilg. ii. 70The Highways have a been un-occupied heretofore.1859W. BarnesHwomely Rhymes (Dorsetdial.) 61An' we have all a-left the spot, To teäke, a-scatter'd, each his lot.