An.

Brit.

/eɪ/, U.S.

/eɪ/

Forms: A (capital), a (lower case).

Etymology: Letter form. The first letter of the English alphabet, as it was of the ancient Roman Alphabet (and as were its prototypes Alpha of the Greek alphabet, and Aleph of the Phoenician and ancient Semitic alphabets). The English letter form capital A reflects Latin A , itself reflecting Greek Α (capital alpha). Letter name. a is usual as the name of the letter in classical Latin, and hence in English. (In ancient Greek the name of the letter was ἄλϕα alpha n.) The plural has been written aes , A's , As . Sound. In both Greek and Latin this symbol represented the vowel formed with the tongue in the lowest position in the mouth, distinguished by vowel height from the next closest (front and back) vowel sounds represented by e and o . Long and short /a/ phonemes existed in each language. In Old English there was additionally a phonemic contrast between low front and back vowels; the back sound /ɑ/ (and its long equivalent) was represented by a , and the front sound /æ/ (and its long equivalent) by the digraph æ (called ash : see ash n.⁴). This phonemic contrast is not found in the sound system of later stages in the history of English, a subsequently being typically the representation of the lowest sound in the English sound system (as in Greek and Latin) rather than of a distinctively low back sound (as in Old English). In modern English the symbol a typically represents: (i) British English /a/, U.S. English /æ/, in e.g. man , rat (by some phoneticians the British English vowel is transcribed as /æ/ rather than /a/); (ii) British and U.S. English /eɪ/, in e.g. name , rate ; (iii) British English /ɑː/, U.S. English /ɑ/, in e.g. father , palm ; in British English typically also in e.g. calf , half , and (in some, typically southern or RP, varieties) also in e.g. bath , fast , dance , sample (standard lexical sets palm and bath : see J. C. Wells Accents of English (1982) I. p. xviii–xix, 142–4, 133–5); (iv) British and U.S. English /ɪ/, in e.g. village or (sometimes) climate ; (v) British and U.S. English /ə/, in e.g. comma , amoeba , or (sometimes) climate ; (vi) (after w ) British English /ɒ/, U.S. English /ɑ/, in e.g. wan , watch , want ; (vii) (after w ) British English /ɔː/, U.S. English /ɔ/, /ɑ/, in e.g. war , warm , water . On the spelling for British and U.S. English /ɛ/ in many and any see discussion at many adj., pron., n., and adv. A is the first letter of several digraphs, as follows: ai , ay , representing: (i) British and U.S. English /eɪ/, in e.g. pain , pay ; (ii) (before r ) British English /ɛː/, U.S. English /ɛ(ə)/, in e.g. pair ; (iii) (rarely) British English /ʌɪ/, U.S. English /aɪ/, in e.g. aye ‘yes’ or (in British English) Isaiah ; (in Scots and sometimes in English regional (northern) use this digraph also occurs for /e/ in e.g. ain ‘own’, ait ‘oat’, etc.); au , aw , representing: (i) British English /ɔː/, U.S. English /ɔ/ or /ɑ/, in e.g. laud , law , taut , taught , caught ; (ii) British English /ɑː/ or /a/, U.S. English /æ/, in e.g. laugh , draught , aunt ; (iii) British English /ɒ/, U.S. English /ɔ/, in e.g. laurel , Laurence (compare also Lawrence ); (iv) British English and U.S. English /eɪ/, in e.g. gauge ; (v) British English /əʊ/, U.S. English /ɔ/, /oʊ/, or (in some cases) /ɑ/, in e.g. mauve , sauté ; (vi) (rarely, in unnaturalized borrowings) British and U.S. English /aʊ/, in e.g. Rathaus , luau ; ae , representing (chiefly in words ultimately of Latin and Greek origin, the pronunciation of many of which varies considerably): (i) British English /iː/, U.S. English /i/, in e.g. aeon , aetiology , or (sometimes) abscissae ; (ii) British English /ɪ/, /ə/, U.S. English /ə/, in e.g. Aeneas , Aegean ; (iii) in U.S. English sometimes also /eɪ/ in e.g. aegis , Aegean ; (iv) in U.S. English /aɪ/ and in British English sometimes /ʌɪ/, in e.g. abscissae (as also regularly in words of Italian origin, as maestro ); (v) British English /ɛː/, U.S. English /ɛ/ in aerial and related words; (vi) British and U.S. English /ɛ/ in e.g. haemorrhage . ao , representing British and U.S. English /aʊ/ in e.g. tao , Maoism , maori ; also, in gaol , British and U.S. English /eɪ/; aa , representing (with varying distributions in different words) British English /ɑː/, /a/, /eɪ/, or /ɛː/, U.S. English /æ/, /ɑ/, /eɪ/, or /ɛ/, in e.g. ma'am , maas , Baal , Aaron . Main developments within English. The following gives a very brief outline of the origins and development of the main sounds represented by a in English. (i) The short vowel. In Germanic, short a corresponds both to a in other branches of Indo-European (compare e.g. Latin ager with the early forms and Germanic cognates at acre n.) and (as a result of an early merger in Germanic) to o (compare e.g. Latin hostis with the early forms and Germanic cognates at guest n.). As a result of a very early sound change in English short a (of whatever origin) in accented syllables was fronted to æ except when followed by a nasal consonant (compare dæg ‘day’ with mann ‘man’, and on the latter see further discussion at O n.¹), although a was later restored in open syllables before a following back vowel (compare within the paradigm of dæg ‘day’ the nominative and accusative singular forms dæg alongside the nominative and accusative plural forms dagas ). In Old English a and æ were distinct phonemes, and were affected by neighbouring sounds in different ways which have profound effects on the subsequent histories of many words; in some dialects of Old English (Kentish and some Mercian varieties) æ was also fronted further to e . In Middle English the phonemic distinction between a and æ was lost, surviving instances of æ (which had been neither affected by further sound changes nor fronted to e ) generally being merged with a . Sound changes have affected the reflex of Middle English a in a number of words: (i) after w , a was rounded in e.g. wan , watch , want ; this probably happened in the early 17th cent. or earlier, although even in standard English there was a good deal of variation in the 17th and 18th centuries, and later in some cases (compare swam , past tense of swim v., and also pronunciation history at quaff v., waft v.¹); in some cases the resultant sound occurred in a lengthening environment, as in war , warm (and anomalously in water ); (ii) father , palm , calf , half , bath , fast , dance , sample show various different processes of lengthening of historically short a in modern English; these changes have not all occurred in all varieties, and today provide significant distinctions between different national varieties of English (and in the case of the classes illustrated by bath , fast , dance , sample , considerable variation within standard British English). A further source of /a/ in modern English is lowering of e before r in late Middle English (as also in Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French), as in carve or tar , although the application of this sound change is very variable (compare person n. and parson n.), and in some cases the e spelling is retained even when the change in pronunciation to /a/ is found (compare clerk n.). (ii) The long vowel. The history of ā and ǣ is much less straightforward than that of the short sounds. Owing to an early merger of ā and ō in Germanic, ā in most other Indo-European languages corresponds to ō in Germanic (see O n.¹). The main source of Old English ā is Germanic ai : compare e.g. Old English stān ‘stone’ with the Germanic cognates listed at stone n.; in the Middle English period this sound became rounded in southern and midland dialects, giving Middle English open ō (see O n.¹); in the north and Scots this rounding did not occur, and Old English ā is generally continued in Scots as /e/ (often spelt ai , as in ain , ait , stain , more commonly stane ), and in northern English varieties frequently as a falling diphthong with high first element, /iə/. Old English ǣ as a spelling form represents sounds of two different origins with different distributions in the various Old English dialects. Firstly, it shows the reflex of Germanic ē , corresponding to ā in most other West Germanic (and North Germanic) languages; see e.g. the cognates listed at deed n. In the dialects of Old English other than West Saxon this sound (often called ǣ ¹) was ē rather than ǣ , hence West Saxon dǣd beside Anglian and Kentish dēd . Secondly, ǣ resulted from the i-mutation of ā (although in Kentish this was further fronted to ē ), as in heal v.¹, which is hǣlan in both West Saxon and Anglian; this sound is often called ǣ ². The reflexes of both ǣ ¹ and ǣ ² in modern English are mid or high vowels, generally spelt e , ea , or ee , and their later history is therefore dealt with at E n.¹ Middle English ā therefore does not continue Old English ā (or ǣ ). Its main origins are instead: (i) early Middle English lengthening of a in open syllables in disyllabic words; (ii) borrowing of words containing Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French ā ; also Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French au in certain phonological contexts, as in save , chamber . As a result of the Great Vowel Shift this sound became raised to a mid height vowel and subsequently diphthongized; however, a spellings were preserved as a result of the degree of standardization and conservatism by this stage found in the spelling system. (The new long low height vowel created by various lengthening processes after the Great Vowel Shift has already been described above.) Brief notes on digraph spellings in modern English. ai , ay generally reflects: (i) Old English or early Middle English diphthongs formed from a low vowel before palatal g , as in day n.; (ii) Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French ai , as in pay v.¹ or bailiff n. Since ai and ei merged in Middle English (see E n.¹), words historically showing ei sometimes show ai or ay spellings in modern English, as e.g. sail n.¹, way n.¹ au , aw generally reflects: (i) a low vowel before w in Old English, as in claw n. or raw adj.; (ii) Old English or early Middle English diphthongs formed from a low vowel before velar g or the fricative /x/, as in law n.¹ or slaughter n.; (iii) Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French au , as in jaundice n., laundry n., aunt n. Modern spellings with ae or æ show no continuity with æ spellings in Old English or early Middle English, but instead mostly show learned borrowings of Latin words showing (in classical Latin) the diphthong ae . In some instances ae in such words ultimately reflects substitution in Latin of ae for Greek αι in words borrowed into Latin from Greek; hence aether and æther as spellings of ether n. Many words which historically showed either ae or e spellings now always or predominantly show e (as e.g. ether n., phenomenon n.); ae is retained in many proper names relating to the ancient world, such as Caesar or Aeneas , and in some technical terms, such as (in British English) aetiology n., as well as a few slightly commoner words, such as aegis n.

I. The letter A (a).

1. The letter, and the sound it represents.

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society > communication > writing > written character > [noun] > letter

staffc888

bookstaffOE

Kc1000

Yc1000

Zc1000

AOE

EOE

GOE

MOE

ROE

letterc1225

print1340

tawc1400

Wc1465

J1591

stave1866

alphabet1972

X-

OE Ælfric Gram. (St. John's Oxf.) 5 Of ðam [stafum] syndon fif vocales, þæt synd clypiendlice: a, e, i, o, u.

c1175 Names of Letters in N. R. Ker Catal. MSS containing Anglo-Saxon (1957) 337 A a, B be uel bei, C ce uel cei, D de uel dei, [etc.].

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 16434 Þe firrste staff iss nemmnedd .a. Onn ure latin spæche.

a1398 J. Trevisa in tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. 40 I lerned a and be And oþir lettres by here names.

c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 161 On which was first writen a crowned .A. And after, amor vincit omnia.

a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) l. 481 When it [sc. the child] es born it cryes swa: If it be man it says ‘a, a,’ Þat þe first letter es of þe nam Of our forme-fader Adam.

c1450 in D. Thomson Middle Eng. Grammatical Texts (1984) 26 Þe furst coniugacyon..hath A long beforn þe -re in þe infenityf.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement Introd. 17 These thre letters M, N or E fynall..be the very and onely causes why these thre vowelles A, E, O, be formed in the brest and sounded by the nose.

1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost v. i. 54 Peda. I will repeate them: a e I. Pag. The Sheepe, the other two concludes it o u.

1678 S. Butler Hudibras: Third Pt. iii. i. 58 And love your Loves with A's, and B's.

1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 168. ⁋5 Whipped..for writing an O for an A, or an A for an O.

a1774 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued (1777) III. i. 233 Tully tells us, a hog has been known to make a perfect letter A with his snout upon the ground, but..no man ever saw a single A written by a hog, without a multitude of other irregular scratches round about it.

1842 Ld. Tennyson Epic in Poems (new ed.) II. 3 Mouthing out his hollow oes and aes, Deep-chested music.

1878 Pop. Sci. Monthly Aug. 445 We will..suppose that there are only twenty [muscles] involved in the pronunciation of A.

1919 J. E. Sandys Lat. Epigraphy (1927) iii. 36 In Latin this doubling is confined to the vowels A, E, U.

1976 M. K. Langdon Sanctuary of Zeus on Mount Hymettos 39 The single letter: -A-; broken away at either side.

2003 i-D Dec. 97/2 If you say to a lot of people, ‘PopArt is meant to be one word with a capital A in the middle,’ they look at you like you're really up your own arse.

a. As a distinguishing letter, usually as part of an alphabetical sequence, denoting one of a series of things, a point in a diagram, a sheet of a book, etc.

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1340 Ayenbite (1866) 1 (MED) A betocneþ þe uerste half of þe leave, b þe oþerhalf.

?c1400 in J. O. Halliwell Rara Mathematica (1839) 65 (MED) Make a quadrat..in þe manner of ABCD..and wite you that A es þe right cornel vpward.

1480 W. Caxton Chron. Eng. (printer's signature mark) a6.

1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. i. f. 16^v From the pointes..A and B, let there be drawn two right lines AC and CB to the point C.

1585 J. Blagrave Math. Iewel 4 A rule with a centrehole towards the one end to ride uppon the point A.

1675 J. Collins Let. 10 Apr. in H. Oldenburg Corr. (1977) XI. 260 Let the Points be ABCD and E , any three of which as A , B and C ioyne to make a Rectilinear Triangle ABC.

1724 H. Pemberton Let. ?Jan. in I. Newton Corr. (1977) VII. 257 Whence if a right line were drawn from A to T the triangle AZT would be given in species..for the angle under the lines AT and TZ will be given.

1842 Penny Mag. Sept. 379 Supposing a group of signature A to be thus folded, another of signature B, and others..these will have to be ‘gathered’ into volumes at the next process.

1949 A. C. Walshaw Heat Engines (ed. 3) xi. 241 The admission of steam from A to C shows, during the first part, AB, how the pressure of the steam in the cylinder rises.

1970 Pop. Mech. Feb. 193 Pier A is glued to the back of the 6-in. portal.

2005 S. Bright Maths Connect 54 Place a ruler from A to B and join A to the straight line.

b. Music. The sixth note of the diatonic scale of C major, or the first note of the relative minor scale of C. Also: (a) a key based on a scale which has A as its keynote; (b) the pitch of a musical instrument which is a minor third lower than written pitch.The A above middle C is usually used as the basis for tuning and in modern music has a standard frequency of 440 Hz.

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society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > system of sounds or intervals > [noun] > diatonic scale series > notes in diatonic scale > notes of specific scales

bemola1327

bequarrea1350

rec1550

G1562

E1596

B1597

A1609

Ca1616

middle C1660

A (also C, D etc.) sharp1783

high C1837

H1880

1609 J. Dowland tr. A. Ornithoparchus Micrologus 22 In the first part set A Base, in the third D sol re, in the fifth A lamire.

1676 T. Mace Musick's Monument xlii. 219 This next Line shall show you A-re, with all Its 3d's, 5th's, and 8th's, Natural.

1724 W. Turner Sound Anatomiz'd 71 Of the natural Capacity of each of the seven Degrees of Sound, that there are but five of them, to wit, A, B, D, E and G, that will admit of a Flat; and five also, to wit, A, C, D, F, and G, that will admit of a Sharp.

1785 European Mag. 7 355/1 We have the minor third in the natural key of A.

1806 J. W. Callcott Musical Gram. ii. 4 The Notes of Music are named from the first seven letters of the alphabet, A, B, C, D, E, F, G. When the Melody, or Tune, exceeds these seven, the same series of letters must be repeated.

1847 R. Platt New, Easy, & Correct Syst. Vocal Music iv. 71 The key of A minor (or rather its relative, C major) has no sharp in its signature.

1880 G. Grove Dict. Music I. 192 The beautiful and passionate Sonata in A which was inspired by and dedicated to his [sc. Beethoven's] friend Madame Ertmann.

1929 Musical Times 70 633/2 Leave F and A till the last. They involve the use of two toes followed by two heels... Work out a similar exercise in the key of A flat.

1953 Rotarian Dec. 56/2 Gus..sounded an ‘A’ to give the fiddler his pitch for tuning.

1983 D. Etheridge Mozart's Clarinet Concerto i. 20 There are many places where the note c can be used on a basset clarinet in A to sound a.

2003 New Yorker 8 Sept. 22/3 She performs the Impromptus in G-flat Major and B-Flat Major and the Sonata in A Major..along with a selection of waltzes and ländler.

c. Reduplicated as AA, AAA, etc., as an extension of an alphabetical sequence (preceding A), esp. denoting one of a series of sizes or classes.

ΚΠ

1877 J. T. Fanning Pract. Treat. Water Supply Engin. 608 Lead pipes of weights as in class A are used ordinarily when the head of water on them does not exceed 75 feet; class AA when the head is from 75 to 150 feet ; and class AAA when the head..is great.

1893 J. M. Crawford tr. Industries of Russia I. iii. 45 The manufactory produced..twist, weft and doubled yarns, class AAA, class AA and classes A, B and C.

1915 Spalding's Official Base Ball Rec. 8 7 Both National and American Leagues agreed that players drafted from Class AA clubs should finish the season.

1952 Good Housek. (U.S. ed.) Dec. 245/2 (advt.) QualiCraft opera highlighted by holiday sparkle Sizes 3 to 10, AAAA through C.

1973 Pop. Mech. Dec. 133 Batteries are penlight size (AA) in some cameras and size AAA in others.

1997 Financial Post (Canada) 13 Feb. 35/4 Dominion Bond Rating Service said it is assigning a rating of AA to British Columbia's 70-billion-yen issue of..Samurai bonds.

2002 Independent 20 June (Review section) 11/4 A company that caters to everyone from the most modestly sized (AA cup) to the stonkingly well-endowed (H cup).

d. Sociology. Denoting the highest (or formerly lowest) of a series of social classes. In later use spec. denoting the highest-earning socio-economic class for marketing purposes, including managerial and professional personnel. See also AB n. at Compounds.

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society > society and the community > social class > [noun] > distinction of class > level or grade > specific highest or lowest

higher class1737

A1887

society > society and the community > social class > the common people > specific classes of common people > [noun] > professional class > specific managerial or administrative > member of

A1936

1887 Jrnl. Royal Statist. Soc. 50 329 A. The Lowest Class—Consists of some (so-called) labourers... The total counted in Class A are 6,882.

1889 C. Booth Labour & Life People I. i. ii. 33 The 8 classes into which I have divided these people are: A. The lowest class of occasional labourers, and semi-criminals. B. Casual earnings—‘very poor’ [etc.].

1910 F. G. D'aeth in Sociol. Rev. 3 270 The present class structure is based upon different standards of life... These varying standards tend to fall into seven groups..A. The Loafer..B. Low-skilled labour..C. Artizan..D. Smaller Shopkeeper and clerk..E. Smaller Business Class..F. Professional and Administrative Class..G. The Rich.

1936 G. Harrison & F. C. Mitchell Home Market xii. 59 Blue Symbols represent A grade—where chief income earner receives £10 per week or more.

1950 D. C. Jones in Brit. Jrnl. Sociol. 1 51 It will simplify both our analysis and your classification if you begin by thinking in terms of five main social classes, which we have lettered in descending order A, B, C, D, E.

1984 Social Trends (Central Statistical Office) No. 14. x. 142 Almost every household in social classes A and B possessed a dictionary in May 1982.

2004 J. D. Healey Housing, Fuel Poverty, & Health ix. 178 One anomaly relates to the finding that 15.9% of those in social class A express some intermittent problems with fuel poverty.

e. Education. Denoting the highest class of academic mark. Cf. straight A n. at straight adj., n., and adv. Compounds 1c.

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society > education > educational administration > examination > [noun] > marks > specific marks

accessit1753

honour1774

credit1802

second class1810

firsta1830

first class1830

third class1844

Hons.1850

max1851

second1852

special mention1886

distinction?1890

A1892

E1892

pass mark1894

two-two1895

alpha1898

alpha plus1898

gamma1898

beta1902

delta1911

alpha minus1914

fourth1914

straight A1926

two-one1937

lower second1960

honourable mention2011

1892 Harvard Advocate 14 Apr. 63/1 Not a whit deterred by the fact of three E's and two D's at the mid years, she set out to make Harris take five A's at the finals.

1931 Titusville (Pa.) Herald 30 Dec. 6/5 An honour student must receive all A's and B's.

1978 Times 21 Mar. 3/1 The university is inviting applications for entry next September only from those who expect to get A or B grades at A level.

1988 B. Orser Orser: Skater's Life iii. 106 She studied her brains out every night and got As in everything.

2009 S. Faulks Week in December 22 Although the pupils regularly came near the top of the national league of exam results, most taking home a full house of A-stars and A's, they had little idea of spelling or grammar.

f. Chiefly British. Denoting the highest category of road below a motorway.

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society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > road > [noun] > road of specific class

second-class road1906

A1921

B1921

tertiary road1960

1921 Autocar 29 Oct. 829/2 Those roads, however, which have already received numbers are all of the first, or A, category... Six boundary roads radiating from London are taken as the basis. Road A1 is that from London to Edinburgh; A2 runs from London to Dover; A3 London to Portsmouth.

1953 Times 17 Sept. 11/2 It is virtually impossible for a stranger to decipher the geography of many industrial towns once the A-road has been left.

1988 Which? Dec. 574/3 Some atlases show..motorways in blue with white road numbers, and primary A-roads in green with yellow road numbers.

2006 Bristol Evening Post (Nexis) 20 June 16 Villages will be brought to a virtual standstill by rat-runners..when the busy A4 is closed to traffic..next month.

g. Denoting a series of international standard paper sizes, each with a fixed rectangular shape (the length being 41.4 per cent greater than the width) and with twice the surface area of the next size in the series, as A0, A1, A2, etc. Cf. B n. 4 (v), C n. 5.

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society > communication > writing > writing materials > material to write on > paper > [adjective] > designating international standard paper size

A1930

1930 Standards Yearbk. (National Bureau Statistics) 16 The discussions resulted in the setting up of a so-called A series of paper sizes... Size A4 of this series is the standard letter size.

1932 Industr. Standardization 3 203/2 The European main or A-series of paper sizes... The basic sheet with an area of one square meter is designated A0 (A zero); the next smaller sheet by A1; half of this by A2, etc.

1937 E. J. Labarre Dict. Paper 277/1 The basic sizes are therefore: A-series = A0 = 841 × 1189 mm; B-series = B0 = 1000 × 1414 mm; C-series = C0 = 917 × 1297 mm.

1962 F. T. Day Introd. to Paper vii. 71 At present there is much discussion of the advantages of what are termed A and B paper sizes.

1982 Financial Times 25 Oct. i. 12/7 The new chassis..is about the size of an A4 sheet of paper.

2006 New Yorker 5 June 32/2 The flat..was stocked with two sizes of stationery: U.S. Letter and the thinner, taller A4 that is standard in Europe.

3. from A to (also until) Z: from beginning to end, all through, in every particular.

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the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > completely [phrase] > thoroughly > from beginning to end or through and through

to the boneOE

through and throughc1225

out and outc1300

from top to tail1303

out and inc1390

(from) head to heel (also heels)c1400

(from) head to foot (also feet)c1425

from top to (into, unto) toec1425

to the skin1526

to one's (also the) finger (also fingers') ends1530

from first to last1536

up and down1542

whole out1562

to the pith1587

to the back1594

from A to (also until) Z1612

from clew to earing1627

from top to bottom1666

back and edge1673

all hollow1762

(all) to pieces1788

from A to Za1821

to one's (also the) fingertips1825

to one's fingernails1851

from tip to toe1853

down to the ground1859

to the backbone1864

right the way1867

pur sang1893

from the ground up1895

in and out1895

from soda (card) to hock1902

1612 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don-Quixote: Pt. 1 Pref. sig. A2 Thou needest doe nought else but seeke out a Booke that doth quote them all from the letter A. vntill Z.

1788 T. Holcroft tr. Life Baron Trenck III. 309 Noble Zetto, Kronsdorf, Krugel, and ye other nobles, from A to Z, I deserve your mighty wrath.]

1807 R. Estlack Ethick Diversions 48 Fight as folly may from A to Z.

a1821 J. Keats Otho v. v, in R. M. Milnes Life, Lett. & Lit. Remains Keats (1848) II. 193 We must obey The prince from A to Z.

1876 R. Browning Fears & Scruples v Ask the experts! How they shake the head O'er these characters,..Call them forgery from A to Z!

1912 L. Tracy Mirabel's Island (1915) v. 77 I know Ealing from A to Z, but have never visited Regent Street.

1961 Pop. Sci. Dec. 7/1 You see on this page a panel of experts who know Accounting from A to Z.

2008 N. Daniloff Of Spies & Spokesmen xxii. 267 UPI asked me to produce a ‘stem-winder’... (That journalistic term means a complete report from A to Z.)

4. The letter with reference to its shape; something having the shape of the letter. Frequently attributive.

ΚΠ

1816 W. Y. Ottley Inq. Early Hist. Engraving I. viii. 621 This piece somewhat resembles an a.

1873 J. Fogerty Lauterdale I. xix. 248 Two strong spars were secured as shear legs in an A-shape over the stern.

1878 Eng. Mech. 2 Aug. 526/2 Upon the goods lines the tail lamp should be placed high up, or upon the top of the van, to form an A.

1915 Pop. Mech. July 146/1 If desired, two half ranger tents with tapes may be purchased and fastened together to form an A, or wedge, tent.

1945 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 10 Nov. 639/1 After 3 days, as shown, there was lysis of the staphylococci round the streptothrix (planted in the shape of an A).

2008 J. Plummer Islands & Lifelines x. 197 A terrific gust of wind spun through the site, simultaneously snapping one of the A poles in both of the staff tents.

5. from A to B: from one designated place or point to another, esp. from one's starting point to one's destination; also in extended use, with reference to any finite process of development, progress, or transfer.

ΚΠ

?c1400 in J. O. Halliwell Rara Mathematica (1839) 65 Þe quadrat bitwene A and B mote be persede reulefully, in whilk persyng put a chippe..bot it sale be moveable fro A to B.

1797 T. J. Mathias Pursuits of Lit. iv. 33 Be regular: from science A to science B proceed, I hate your zig-zag verse and wanton heed.]

1851 Jurist 14 1048/2 This is not a right of way between two termini, a right to go from A. to B., but a right to go to and from any place I please.

1876 R. V. Rogers Law of Road 114 He remarked that the words usually printed on them..created a contract on the part of the company to convey the holder in one continuous journey from A to B.

1942 H. R. Desilva Why we have Automobile Accidents i. 5 People like automobiles because ‘everybody wants to go from A to B sitting down’.

1957 ‘H. MacDiarmid’ Battle Continues 57 All the bourgeoisie are alike in this, Running the whole gamut of life from A to B... They have all the same pettifogging spirit, So narrow it shows little but its limits.

1971 New Scientist 1 July 5/1 In traffic-choked cities the slender bike is the fastest means of getting from A to B.

2001 New Yorker 20 Jan. 71/2 I thought..if you give the people a chance to vote they'll solve the problem. But I didn't realize that from A to B was so far.

II. Symbolic uses (now usually written without a following point).

6. Logic. Esp. in syllogistic logic: (used to denote) a universal affirmative, i.e. a proposition of the form ‘All X are Y’.The universal affirmative is one of four propositions, the others being denoted by E, I, and O (see those entries).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical proposition > [noun] > affirmation or predication > signs and symbols

A1551

I1552

assertion-sign1906

1551 T. Wilson Rule of Reason sig. Gvij^v In these wordes there be foure vowels to be considered and marked. That is to saye, A, E, I, & O. And where we see A in Barbara thrise, we must considre that these thre AAA in this one worde, declare vnto vs thre vniuersall propositions affirmatiue.

1620 T. Granger Syntagma Logicum 262 The Vowels..signifie the qualities, and quantities of the premisses. A. An universall affirmative. E. An universall negative. I. A particular affirmative. O. A particular negative.

1685 tr. P. Nicole & A. Arnauld Logic ii. i. 166 A. An Universal Affirmative, as, All vicious Men are slaves.

1707 J. Oldfield Ess. Improvem. Reason iii. vi. 252 A (importing an universal Affirmative Proposition) might be follow'd [by]A, E, I, or O.

1773 E. Bentham Introd. Logick iii. iii. 55 The letters A, E, I, O, have been usually substituted, as technical marks; A, for an universal affirmative proposition.

1832 C. Wesley Guide Syllogism 9 There are four kinds of pure categorical propositions, distinguished by the symbols, A, E, I, O. Universal affirmative, A. Universal negative, E. [etc.]

1866 Mansel in F. C. Bowen Logic 201 A is declared by Aristotle to be the most difficult proposition to establish, and the easiest to overthrow.

1901 G. H. Smith Logic iii. 53 (note) There are four forms of the proposition, designated respectively by the letters, A, E, I, and O.

1980 A. S. McGrade in B. Tierney & P. Linehan Authority & Power 154 We may use ‘All crows are black’ as an example of the universal affirmative, or A, proposition.

2007 J. Barnes Truth ii. 141 In style A, X is true of what Y is true of if and only if there is nothing of which Y is true and X is not true.

7. Chiefly Logic and Law. A hypothetical person, thing, or example, usually the first of two or more.

ΚΠ

1569 J. Leslie Def. Honour Marie Quene of Scotl. ii. f. 61 Nowe the lande shall not descende either to A, or B. But shall goe to the lorde of the fee by waye of eschete.

1658 E. Wingate Maximes of Reason clvii. 613 B. is remitted, for that he was not party to the Covin, and shall hold in common with A. but A. was not remitted.

1752 H. Fielding Amelia IV. xii. v. 252 The Public..had no Manner of Interest in the Alternative, whether A. in whom the Right was, or B. to whom Mr. Murphy by the Means aforesaid, had transferr'd it.

1800 Monthly Mag. 1 238 A is partners with B.

1870 F. C. Bowen Logic iii. 49 Every conceivable thing is either A or not-A. Of course A and not-A, taken together, include the universe.

1933 Econometrica 1 424 The cost of commodity A is the cost of might-have-been commodity B is the cost of might-have-been commodity C.

1971 J. Rawls Theory of Justice viii. 487 If A cares for B, then failing a special explanation A is afraid for B when B is in danger.

2000 Econ. & Philos. 16 27 For a collection of egoists, a demonstration that each of them would be better off if they all performed some action A is not a reason for any one of them to do A.

8. Mathematics. Chiefly italicized. Representing the known or invariable quantity, or the first in a series of such quantities, the others being represented by b, c, etc. Cf. X n. 3a.

ΚΠ

1656 tr. T. Hobbes Elements Philos. ii. xiii. 127 Let B be added to, and substracted from the quantity A; so that A-B be the Remainder, and A+B the Aggregate.

1670 I. Newton Let. Jan. (1959) I. 19 If AC AH are its rectangled Asymptotes and ye area BDGE is desired: bisect BD in C, make AC = a, CF = b, & CD or CB = x. soe yet ^ab/ _{a + x} = DG & ^ab/ _{a - x} = BE.

1707 J. Ward Young Mathematician's Guide ii. 157 To Raise the Binomial Root a+ b to the Seventh Power.

1762 A. Fletcher Universal Measurer & Mechanic i. 187 If we divide..by A+B+C, and put the quote = v × SG, the velocity of the center of gravity, we'll have SG = [etc.].

1859 G. Boole Treat. Differential Equations 373 The index law, expressed by the equation m^am^b = m^a+b.

1935 A. H. G. Palmer & K. S. Snell Mechanics vii. 128 The particle of mass m whose position x at time t is given by x = a cos (nt + ε), a , n , and ε being constants.

1977 G. Caughley Anal. Vertebr. Populations viii. 96 The log-polynomial takes the form log f_x = a + bx + cx² + dx³ +..etc.

2006 A. Ash & R. Gross Fearless Symmetry xxi. 244 The equation a⁴ + b⁴ = C⁴ was shown to have no solutions by Fermat.

9. Physics. [Initial letter of acceleration.] Chiefly in form a. Acceleration; acceleration vector.

ΚΠ

1810 Encycl. Brit. VII. 469/1 The acceleration a is proportional to ^v/ _i, as in the case where the motion is uniformly accelerated.

1882 G. M. Minchin Uniplanar Kinematics ii. 54 At any instant a is the acceleration of the velocity of a moving point in any direction.

1919 J. Mills Realities Mod. Sci. xi. 134 Let a represent the acceleration, then if the initial velocity is zero the velocity at the end of t seconds is expressed as v=at.

1946 L. Toft & A. T. J. Kersey Theory of Machines (ed. 5) i. 4 Find the velocity V and the acceleration A if the units of length and time are the mile and the hour respectively.

2007 S. Holzner Physics Workbk. for Dummies iv. 64 Calculate the net force first and then use that in F = m · a.

10. Astronomy. In form A. In the classification system of stellar spectra: the division comprising spectra characterized by prominent Balmer hydrogen absorption lines. Also (esp. in A-star, A-type star): designating a white star with a surface temperature of approx. 7500–11,000 K which emits such a spectrum.

ΚΠ

1890 E. C. Pickering Draper Catal. Stellar Spectra in Ann. Astron. Observatory Harvard Coll. 27 2 When no other lines but those named above are visible the spectrum is indicated by the letter A.

1942 W. M. Smart Found. Astron. xii. 211 Stars belonging to a particular type or class, say A, are sub-divided as A0, A1, A2..A9.

1984 Chinese Astron. & Astrophysics 63 We found the main component to have spectral type A5V.

1994 Observatory 114 77 The Φ values of young neutron stars and magnetic white dwarfs are comparable to those of magnetic A-stars.

2006 Nature 13 Apr. 873/1 In the standard Morgan–Keenan system, which classifies stars into types O, B, A, F, G, K and M in order of decreasing temperature, Vega is the archetypal A-type star.

11. Chemistry. In form A. The element argon. disused.Superseded by Ar.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > chemistry > elements and compounds > metals > noble gases > argon > [noun]

argon1894

A1896

Ar1908

1896 Ld. Rayleigh & W. Ramsay in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 186 237 We would suggest for this element, assuming provisionally that it is not a mixture, the symbol A.

1908 A. Findlay tr. W. Ostwald Princ. Inorg. Chem. (ed. 3) xix. 441 The formula of gaseous argon is given by the simple symbol A₁ and not A₂.

1936 S. Glasstone Recent Adv. Gen. Chem. i. 45 The ³⁸A, radio-argon.

12. Medicine. Chiefly in form A. Denoting one of the principal erythrocyte antigens (agglutinogens) of the ABO blood group system, and the blood type characterized by the presence of this antigen. Frequently attributive. Cf. AB n. at Compounds, B n. 4b(a), O n.¹ 7.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > vascular system > blood > [noun] > blood group > specific

B1921

A1923

O1926

Rh1940

rhesus factor1941

1923 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 5 May 750/2 There are present in human blood two agglutinable substances, A and B, which react with specific agglutinins a and b.

1926 K. Landsteiner & D. H. Witt in Jrnl. Immunol. 11 242 The iso-agglutinin reactions of human blood can possibly be explained by the simple assumption of only two different agglutinogens and agglutinins. Designating these by α and β, and the agglutinogens by A and B, the following symbols are obtained for the blood groups: I–α, β; II A, β; III B, α; IV A, B–; if we include the factors A¹ and α¹ in the scheme, and if O and o signify the absence of agglutinogens or agglutinins, then the signs are: I O α, β, α¹; II A, β, and A, A¹, β; III B, α, α¹; IV A, B, o.

1948 New Biol. 5 69 Human beings are classified into the four categories A, B, AB or O according as to whether certain A and B substances can be detected in their red blood cells.

1976 Man 11 241 The frequency of the B gene in Iraq tends to increase from north to south, while the A gene is more frequent in the north.

2004 Healthy Sept. 46/2 People belonging to the most common blood group, A (over 40 per cent of us), have only the A substance.

13. Biochemistry. Denoting a form of double stranded nucleic acid comprising a right-handed double helix in which the base pairs form an angle of approximately seventy degrees with the helix axis; (also) designating DNA or RNA forming this structure; esp. in A-DNA. Cf. B n. Additions.This structure occurs commonly in double stranded RNA and DNA-RNA hybrids, but in DNA it is found only under conditions of low relative humidity or high salt concentration.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > biological processes > genetic activity > genetic components > [noun] > nucleic acid

nucleoproteid1886

nucleic acid1892

nucleoprotein1906

A1953

genophore1961

1953 R. E. Franklin & R. G. Gosling in Nature 25 Apr. 740/1 Sodium Thymonucleate fibres give two distinct types of X-ray diagram. The first corresponds to a crystalline form, structure A, obtained at about 75 per cent relative humidity... At higher humidities a different structure, structure B, showing a lower degree of order, appears and persists over a wide range of ambient humidity. The change from A to B is reversible.

1974 Jrnl. Molecular Biol. 88 524 We prepared specimens of D-DNA under the minimum retained salt conditions that would normally yield an A-DNA.

1988 P. W. Kuchel et al. Schaum's Outl. Theory & Probl. Biochem. vii. 185 This is a result of a change to the A form, in which the base pairs are not perpendicular to the helix axis.

2005 D. P. Clark Molecular Biol. iv. 92 Double-stranded RNA or hybrids with one RNA and one DNA strand usually form an A-helix.

III. Simple abbreviations.

14. In form A. A substitution in speech and text for various names (forename or surname).

ΚΠ

1377 Winchester Chamberlain's Roll in Middle Eng. Dict. at Bagge-man Et de xi s. vi d. receptis de R. Bosyngton et A. Baroun, Bagemanis, de arreragiis ultimi compoti.

1594 W. West Symbolæogr.: 2nd Pt. ii. Chancerie §85 Your said orator then referring especiall trust and confidence to the said J. T. and A. L.

1601 Let. 7 Nov. in F. Moryson Itinerary (1617) i. 152 I the President doe acknowledge the receit of such an intelligence, concerning Captaine A.

1655 E. Elys Dia Poemata 42 (title) To Mrs A. S. on the death of her two first children.

1709 W. Nicolson London Diaries 26 Apr. (1985) 503 A Letter..from Mr A. Grub of Stockholm.

1852 E. E. Stuart Let. 13 Jan. in R. Stuart et al. Stuart Lett. (1961) I. 253 Young A. has had quite a severe attack of Scarlet Fever—& has altered very much.

1941 N. Coward Diary 11 July (2000) 8 Lady A. delivered a tirade against Winston.

2002 M. Greenhough in Writing Wrongs 79 Guy, posing as Mr. P., then introduced Mr A. to a particularly dogged distributor of encyclopaedias.

15. Of various English words.

a. Answer. Cf. Q and A n. at Q n. Initialisms 2.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > [noun] > act or instance of

askOE

askingOE

questionc1350

demandc1386

inquestc1400

interrogationc1405

inquisitionc1440

questioninga1450

inquirea1500

manda1500

terogatores1511

interrogatory1533

inquiry1548

interrogator1561

interrogativea1586

quaere1589

intergatory1590

A1591

Q1591

query1610

interrogate1633

starter1673

querical1699

speer1788

qy.1819

Q1902

1591 W. Burton Certaine Questions & Answeres f. 2 Q. How is God to be considered? A. Two waies. Either as he is in himself, or as he is vnto vs.

1791 J. Wesley Wks. (1872) VIII. 309 Q. 25. What is the office of a Helper? A. In the absence of a Minister, to feed and guide the flock.

1883 Man. Seamanship for Boys' Training Ships Royal Navy 195 Q. What is ground chain? A. A piece of small chain shackled to the anchor shackle.

1936 I. Gershwin Fancy! Fancy! in Compl. Lyrics (1993) 248/2 Q: Why did Mother Eve have no fear of the measles? A: Because she'd Adam.

1981 N.Y. Times 7 Feb. i. 21/6 Q: Were you able to quiet her? A: You bet your sweet patootie I quieted her.

2008 J. Quinn Goodnight Ballivor xiii. 65 The annual catechetical test by the diocesan examiner—Q. What is Purgatory? A. It's a place in England, Father.

b. In form A (without point). As a brand or mark indicating that a person has been convicted of adultery: adulteress, adulterer, adultery. Cf. scarlet letter n. at scarlet n. and adj. Compounds 2a. Now historical.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > representation > physical representation of abstraction > symbolizing > [noun] > a symbol > specific symbols > others

Samian letter1616

A1651

Tetragrammaton1656

arrow1744

arrowhead1832

wind1847

scarlet letter1850

sun wheel1865

sacred axe1866

rising sun1868

crow's foot1871

Easter rabbit1881

hexagram1882

sun sign1882

Easter bunny1900

Staffordshire knot1908

sinsigna1914

tectiform1921

padma1954

smiley face1957

happy face1971

lexigram1973

emoticon1988

smiley1989

1641 Plymouth Coll. Rec. (1861) II. 28 The Court doth censure them as followeth: That..they shall weare..two letters, viz., AD, for adulteres, daly, Vpon the outeside of the vppermost garment.]

1651 in Province & Court Rec. Maine (1928) I. 164 Its ordered that mis Batcheller for her adultery shall..be branded with the letter A.

1779 in Vermont State Papers (1823) 290 An Act against, and for the punishment of Adultery... Both of them shall be..stigmatized, or burnt on the forehead with the letter A, on a hot iron; and each of them shall wear the capital letter A, on the back of their outside garment.

1850 N. Hawthorne Scarlet Let. ii. 66 Hester Prynne,..who stood on the scaffold of the pillory, an infant on her arm, and the letter A, in scarlet, fantastically embroidered with gold thread.

1906 J. Schouler Americans of 1776 iii. 26 That same year [sc. 1771], in New Haven, a mulatto was branded with an ‘A’ in the forehead for adultery with a white woman.

2000 L. J. Kreitzer Ciphers in Sand 181 We are given several close-up shots of both his branded ‘A’ and the embroidered letter on her bodice.

c. Grammar. In form a or (occasionally) A. (a) adjective; (b) active (of a verb). Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > a part of speech > adjective > [noun]

noun adjectivea1398

adjectivec1400

adject1584

nounc1620

adj.1656

adnoun1657

adname1710

A1735

attributive1860

adjectival1866

commonization1973

1735 W. Pardon Dyche's New Gen. Eng. Dict. sig. B2/2 Abject (a.), mean, base, vile, wretched, miserable.

1782 J. Entick New Lat. & Eng. Dict. p. viii An explanation of the several contractions used in this work. a. and act. a verb active.

1838 J. Bosworth Dict. Anglo-Saxon Lang. p. ccvii v. a. or act. verb active.

1884 C. R. Lanman Sanskrit Reader 293 List of Abbreviations..a. adjective.

1904 C. B. Waite Homophonic Vocab. 42 a stands for adjective, n for noun. Other abbreviations will be easily understood.

1945 G. S. Earlie Current Abbrevs. 7 a. or adj. adjective.

2009 G. Wilcock Introd. Ling. Annot. ii. 27 Label every token with a part-of-speech label... Adjective (A or Adj), Adverb (Adv) [etc.]

d. Accepted (of a bill).

ΚΠ

1828 N. Webster Dict. Eng. Lang. (at cited word) In commerce, A. stands for accepted, as in case of a bill of exchange.

1884 N.E.D. at A. A., a.,..stands for..accepted (of bills).

1945 G. S. Earlie Current Abbrevs. 7 a. or acc...accepted.

e. Cards. In form A (without point). Ace.

ΚΠ

1885 Boston Daily Globe 27 Apr. 2/3 (table) Whist Problem—..K, 4 C.; K, 7, 4 S.; A, 9 D.

1937 J. Crane Crane Syst. Contract Bidding 65 Suppose your partner opens with 2-C, and holds this hand:S.—A K J 8 6.

2000 J. D. Andrews Win at Hearts (rev. ed.) 80 Certainly an A of hearts can be useful, but not a K or Q of hearts (without the Ace).

f. In form A (also a) (without point). Ampere.

ΚΠ

1889 S. R. Bottone Electr. Instrument Making (ed. 3) ii. 56 Or if we like to use the initials of volts, ampères, and ohms..we may write ^V/ _R = A, or ^Volts/ _Ohms = Ampères.

1937 Rep. Joint Comm. Chem. Soc., Faraday Soc., & Physical Soc. Symbols Thermodynamical Quantities 11 Ampère (in sub-units) = a.

1978 Gramophone Apr. 1796/3 There is also a mains voltage adjuster and twin 2.5A protective mains fuses.

2000 K. Johnson et al. Adv. Physics for You xvi. 201/1 Only certain fuse values are available: e.g. 3 A, 10 A and 13 A.

g. British. In form A (without point). Adult, denoting a film, or a classification given to a film, considered to be suitable only for adults or children accompanied by an adult. Now historical.The A rating for films was abolished in 1982.

ΚΠ

1914 Times 16 Feb. 6/2 Since the inception of the board [sc. British Board of Film Censors]..627 have been passed for ‘public’ exhibition with the ‘A’ certificate.

1936 Sunday Express 13 Dec. 14/1 Cinema Theatres. Academy, Ox.-st. Finnish Epic ‘Fredlos’ (A).

1962 H. C. Bentwich Our Councils iv. 31 A notice flashed on the screen saying that the film he was going to see had been passed as an ‘A’ film.

2001 L. K. Greiff D. H. Lawrence 235 Quite suggestive.., the segment had to be deleted in order for the film to receive Great Britain's A rating (Adult; no unaccompanied child admitted).

h. In form A (without point). Australian, in A$, $A, and †£A.

ΚΠ

1936 Whitaker's Almanack 810/2 Total imports, 1935–36..£A104,687,000.

1941 Times 27 Sept. 3/4 In Queensland, no post-war credit remains from an income of £A.5,0; in Victoria, the credit is £655.

1963 A. Ross Australia 63 iv. 99 The four Test stars..whose appearance cost the Tasmanian authorities £A300, again individually and in bulk failed to earn their keep.

1996 Southern Cross 28 Feb. 3/1 Mr Connell..once earnt a record A$ 100 million broking fee.

2002 Austral. Financial Rev. (Sydney) 15 Apr. 24/1 A fund manager..can gain vicarious exposure to the US dollar market by buying $US bonds that have been repackaged as $A notes.

i. Science. In form a (without point). As prefix, in symbols of units of measurement: = atto- comb. form .

ΚΠ

1961 Symbols, Units & Nomencl. Physics (IUPAP) 5 The following prefixes should be used to indicate decimal fractions of multiples of a unit..femto..f..atto..a.

1992 Jrnl. Symbolic Logic 57 348 1·3707884 attometers as the central radius of electronic ether curvature; H_∗(½r_e)−H(0) = 49·335745 + 0·53678593 = 118·4111 am.

2008 S. Grimes & Ø. G. Martinsen Bioimpedance & Bioelectr. Basics (ed. 2) v. 143 A monovalent ion corresponds to an electric charge of 0·16aC (1 attocoulomb = 10⁻¹⁸C).

j. British colloquial. In form A (without point). A level. Usually in plural.

ΘΚΠ

society > education > educational administration > examination > [noun] > school examinations

entrance examination1819

entrance exam1857

standard1862

skew1866

leaving examination1868

Oxford1871

entry exam1886

Abitur1918

higher1923

scholarship1950

A level1951

C.S.E.1963

international baccalaureate1966

A1979

Certificate of Secondary Education1981

AS1984

STEP1985

SAT1988

A21999

1979 Country Life May 1594/2 (advt.) Lorraine went to the RNIB's Chorleywood College (with six ‘O’ levels and studying for her ‘A’s).

1998 L. R. Banks Fair Exchange 64 Things had not been so bad till she'd failed her A's at the comp.

2002 P. Hodkinson & M. Bloomer in K. Evans et al. Working to Learn ii. 37 Can I change one of my As to an AS?

16. Of Latin and Italian words.

a. Music. Alto.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > singer > singer by type of voice > [noun] > alto or counter-tenor

counter-tenor?a1527

contratenor1552

A1740

alto1784

1740 J. Grassineau tr. S. De Brossard Musical Dict. 1 A Majuscule in thorough Basses, marks the Alto.

1834 W. S. Porter Musical Cycl. 12 The more common abbreviations in music are A. Alto. [etc.]

1950 G. Santayana Let. 31 Jan. (2008) 232 B stands for bass, A for alto, and S for soprano.

2000 H. E. Smither Hist. Oratorio IV. p. xxiii Other Abbreviations A Alto.

b. ante (= before), esp. when preceding a date. See also a.m. adv.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > antecedence [preposition] > before

aforeeOE

toOE

toforea1000

atforea1250

forouthc1375

fornea1400

forrow1474

tilla1616

in advance1680

A1807

pre1960

1807 New Encycl. I. 2/1 A single stands for..ante [etc.].

1889 F. M. Warren Primer of French Lit. viii. 86 Georges Chastellain, a. 1415–1475.

1995 C. L. Allen Case Marking & Reanalysis App. C. 480 The MED gives the date of composition as a1250.

17. Physics. In form Å or A. Ångström.

ΚΠ

1921 Physical Rev. 17 574 The side of the cube being 2·895 Å., and the distance between nearest atoms 2·508 Å.

1944 Lancet 23 Dec. 818/2 The rays which constitute visible light vary from about 4000 A to 7000 A.

2005 Nature 7 July p. ix/1 The crystal structure of a tetranucleosome has now been determined at 9Å resolution.

Compounds

AB n. Medicine denoting the blood type of the ABO blood group system characterized by the presence of both the A and B erythrocyte antigens (agglutinogens); frequently attributive.

ΚΠ

1927 Jrnl. Amer. Med. Assoc. 88 1422/1 Dr. Karl Landsteiner has suggested the substitution of the well known letters O, A, B and AB for the Jansky numbers I, II, III and IV and the Moss numbers IV, II, III and I. The letters will..express the actual constitution of the blood corpuscles with respect to iso-agglutination, as far as it concerns the separation of the groups.

1962 T. G. Hiebert Abbrev. Basic Med. Physiol. (ed. 4) ii. ix. 169 Type AB persons may receive moderate amounts of any type of blood.

2009 Daily Record (Glasgow) (Nexis) 4 Apr. Obama travels with a six-strong medical team who have supplies of his AB blood.

AB n. [ < A n. + B n., the sigla used to identify two different manuscripts of the early 13th cent., MS Cambridge, Corpus Christi 402 and MS Oxford, Bodley 34, which have a high degree of similarity both orthographically and linguistically, though they were produced by different scribes] the early Middle English dialect of the west midlands used in two manuscripts of the early 13th cent., MS Cambridge, Corpus Christi 402 and MS Oxford, Bodley 34; frequently attributive in AB language.

ΚΠ

1929 J. R. R. Tolkien in Ess. & Stud. by Members of Eng. Assoc. XIV. vi. 108 I will even suggest here that the unity of (A) and (B) will bear minute analysis, and leave a residuum of discrepancy which, in view of the quite different textual history and value of B, is negligible. The two manuscripts are in fact in one language and spelling (AB).

1967 Speculum 42 415 In the discussions attached to each section of the book and in tables which dramatize the results of the discussions, the phonological history of AB is traced.

1977 Rev. Eng. Stud. 28 316 He remarks on the dialectal location of the AB language made by Tolkien..and argues..for an even closer association with the NW. Herefordshire-SW. Shropshire area.

1996 J. Smith Hist. Stud. Eng. vii. 147 A form such as wrecche ‘wretch’..is assigned to the strong declension in AB-language.

2003 R. Dance in Y. Wada Compan. Ancrene Wisse iv. 78 We should not allow the understandable, comfortable impression of authorial voice that permeates the AB texts to divert us from the plain fact that they are written documents.

AB n. (chiefly in plural) a member of either of the two highest social-economic classes A and B (also as adj.) (see sense 2d).

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social class > [noun] > distinction of class > level or grade > specific two highest

AB1966

1966 Punch 10 Aug. 212/1 We have shown..that the ABs watch the same kind of programmes as everybody else.

1969 Listener 31 July 164 Such trusts appeal primarily to AB readers.

1976 New Society 1 Jan. 5/1 Upper middle class ABs living in the prosperous southern counties.

1986 Age (Melbourne) 18 Jan. 8/4 The social niceties..are very A, B. When I say ‘dick’, Liz pounces.

2001 Australian 30 Aug. (Brisbane ed.) (Media section) 12/1 But a few media groups are frustrated with what could be called bias among advertising buyers over their AB tendencies.

A chromosome n. Genetics (a) a chromosome reckoned as the first in a classification varying from author to author (now disused); (b) a chromosome of the set which normally occurs in all the members of a species.

ΚΠ

1909 Amer. Naturalist 43 243 For each pair in the cells of a given individual there is a homologous pair in the cells of other individuals of the same species.... We may designate one of these pairs as A chromosomes, a second as B chromosomes, etc., the same pairs as a rule being found in different individuals of the same species.

1927 Amer. Jrnl. Bot. 14 80 The A-chromosomes are shown in this nucleus in the lower part of fig. 15. The second large pair (B-chromosomes) are represented in figure 20.

1928 L. F. Randolph in Anat. Rec. 41 102 In maize have been found supernumerary chromosomes of three types: a) Duplicates of members of the typical set... Type-A chromosomes appear in the progeny of triploids crossed with diploids.]

1941 Genetics 26 609 In somatic metaphases the B chromosomes are readily distinguishable from the A chromosomes.

1977 I. H. Herskowitz Princ. Genetics (ed. 2) xix. 465 A chromosomes will synapse with similar, but nonhomologous, B chromosomes.

2009 J. A. Coyne Why Evol. is True 242 The plant arising from this union will have eleven chromosomes. And it will be sterile, for while each A chromosome has a pairing partner, none of the B chromosomes do.

A-horizon n. see horizon n. 5b.

A-mode n. chiefly Medicine a mode of operation or functioning that is first in a group of two or more; spec. the mode of operation in A-scan ultrasound imaging; frequently attributive; cf. B-mode n. at B n. Additions.

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1946 Jrnl. Inst. Electr. Engineers 93 iiia. 931/2 These three modes [of vibration in a microwave resonator] were originally designated by Sayers as the AB-mode, the A-mode and the B-mode.

1966 Neurology 16 355/1 The term A-mode ultrasonics signifies that returning ultrasonic energy is represented by height of deflections on the ordinate of the oscilloscope screen.

1994 P.-M. Klews in K.-J. Wolf & F. Fobbe Color Duplex Sonography i. 4 Figure 1.4 shows the B-mode image of a liver and a gall bladder. One ultrasound scan line is displayed in A-mode.

2006 National Hog Farmer (Nexis) 15 Apr. 30 A commonly used A-mode ultrasound machine..was also used to estimate fat depth.

A-plus n. see plus adj. 5b.

A-shaped adj. having the shape of a capital letter A; cf. sense 4.

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1844 H. M. Noad Lect. Electr. (ed. 2) viii. 366 On the shaft is mounted an A shaped frame.

1909 Cent. Dict. Suppl. A-frame, the A-shaped support for the cylinder-beam and cross-head guides of a vertical engine.

2005 C. Holmes Garden of Evil xv. 111 When they got to the A-shaped greenhouse building, Gil led the way down the rows of newly potted seedlings.

A-side n. (the music recorded on) the more important side of a single (single n. 3p). Cf. B-side at B n. 4b(f).

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society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > a sound recording > [noun] > record or disc > side

side1926

coupling1934

A-side1937

flip side1949

flip1960

B-side1962

1937 Down Beat Feb. 14/1 The ‘A’ side is ‘Rockin' Chair’, which was originally coupled with ‘Barnacle Bill, the Sailor’.

1942 Billboard 28 Feb. 61 The A side is a catchy melody.

1968 Guardian 5 Jan. 18/4 The seven-man band arrived at the London recording studio to make the ‘A’ side of a new ‘single’.

1984 Sounds 1 Dec. 6/5 The A-side features the inimitable talents of Jim Thirlwell on lead vocal.

2003 J. Dawson & S. Propes 45 RPM xvii. 138 The A-side is surf-rock's national anthem.

A-star n. British Education a grade awarded in GCSE and A-level examinations (from 1994 and 2008 respectively) for performance exceeding the standards denoted by an ordinary A (also written A*).

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1994 Scotsman 3 Sept. 3/3 Of the top 50 British schools obtaining most A and new A-star grades, 34 were single-sex girls' schools.

2001 Observer 18 Mar. (Britain Uncovered Suppl.) 60/1 We thought he was no good at French but he got an A-star.

A-test n. [ < the initial letter of atom n. and atomic adj. + test n.¹, after A-bomb n.] a test explosion of an atomic bomb.

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1954 Britannica Bk. of Year 637/2 A-test, a test explosion of an atomic bomb.

1984 Times 29 Aug. 8/2 (headline) The A-test that tipped the balance of power Moscow's way.

2001 Sydney Morning Herald 28 Apr. 10/7 (headline) Papers back A-test victim claims.

Initialisms

Many of the terms given here without points are also frequently used with points, and vice versa. Less commonly, variation between upper- and lower-case letters may occur where the initialism is not a proper name.See also ABTA n., ACAS n., ADAS n., AIDS n., A-OK adj. and adv., Apex n.², Apex n.³, Apra n., asap adv., ASCII n., ASEAN n., Aslef n., AWACS n., etc. (as main entries).

AA n. chiefly U.S. Politics administrative assistant.

ΚΠ

1957 Newsweek 28 Jan. 34/1 A.A.'s make up ‘quotes’ for inquiring reporters and whisper strategic advice during floor debates.

1989 D. W. Ewing Justice on Job 149 The AA would write up the complaint when it came to the office and set the wheels in motion for a thorough investigation.

2002 G. Reeher & M. Mariani Insider's Guide to Polit. Internships 32 The AA is responsible for all the office's operations and serves as a top advisor to the member on both policy and political issues.

AA n. originally U.S. Alcoholics Anonymous; (also) a member of this organization.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > excess in drinking > [noun] > addiction to alcohol or habitual drinking > society for rehabilitation or support of

Alcoholics Anonymous1939

AA1940

Al-Anon1952

Alateen1958

the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > excess in drinking > [noun] > addiction to alcohol or habitual drinking > society for rehabilitation or support of > member of

AA1940

1940 Washington Star 5 May ii. c5/4 Attention was drawn to the movement recently by a dinner that John D. Rockefeller, jr..gave for 60 A.A.'s at the Union Club in New York.

1943 A.A. (Alcoholic Foundation) 1 As an active member of A.A. since 1939, I feel myself a useful member of the human race at last.

1977 M. French Women's Room ii. x. 89 I keep thinking I just have to get through today, you know? Like an AA.

2008 Daily Record (Nexis) 23 July 32 I am an alcoholic but, with the help of AA and friends, I have not had a drink for four years.

AA adj. (also A-A, A/A) anti-aircraft; cf. ack-ack adj.The abbreviation occurs in a work ostensibly dated 1909, E. Hospitalier Vocabulaire Technique, Industriel & Commercial (new ed.) 538, but this title-page date is thought to be an error for 1919.

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society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > piece of artillery > [adjective] > anti-aircraft

anti-aircraft1911

AA1914

ack-ack1916

1914 Times Bk. Navy 145 The abbreviations used in the lists are as follows:..A.A., Anti-air-craft guns.

1943 Notes & Queries 184 107/2 A.-A. barrage was audible from twenty miles away.

1978 MERIP Rep. No. 64 23/1 (table) Self-propelled A/A guns.

a1985 P. White With the Jocks (2003) 29 As the gun had AA mounting and sights it was difficult to keep the rapid bursts of fire consistently on target.

A.A. n. North American Education Associate of (also in) Arts.

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1857 Photogr. Notes 15 Dec. 464/1 Young men, whose age does not exceed 18 years, may, by successfully passing an examination in two or more..subjects,..receive the degree of A.A. (Associate of Arts).

1952 Good Housek. (U.S. ed.) Dec. 201/1 (advt.) Fully accredited. Awards A.A. degree. College transfer, terminal, and pre-professional courses.

2001 J. E. Rosenbaum Beyond College for All iii. 66 The A.A. is a shorter and perhaps easier degree than a B.A.

AA n. Automobile Association.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > driver or operator of vehicle > [noun] > driver of motor vehicle > motoring associations

AAA1902

AA1905

RAC1906

1905 Autocar 14 Oct. 443/1 Commonsense precautions taken with regard to villages, and at dangerous points, do not concern the A.A., for therein it is considered lies the duty of the policeman.

1937 Discovery July liv/2 (advt.) Victoria Hotel, A.A. H. & C. Electricity.

2009 Evening Gaz. (Middlesbrough) (Nexis) 4 Apr. 11 You contacted the AA for a routemap and the information you received was a loose leaf folder stapled at the top.

AAA n. Amateur Athletic Association.

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1880 Wheel World Oct. 273 This year has seen the formation of the Amateur Athletic Association.., the A.A.A.

1955 Times 20 July 3/5 B. S. Hewson, the A.A.A. mile champion.

1999 E. Afr. Standard (Nairobi) 5 Jan. 25/2 Her image had been tarnished by..the local Amateur Athletics Association (AAA)..as well as the sports ministry.

AAA n. American Automobile Association.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > driver or operator of vehicle > [noun] > driver of motor vehicle > motoring associations

AAA1902

AA1905

RAC1906

1902 Automobile May 1945/1 (heading) Constitution and by-laws of the A.A.A.

1955 Times 4 Aug. 10/2 Colonel Hallington, the chairman of the A.A.A. contest board, said that the decision had been prompted by the accident at Le Mans.

2003 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 23 Nov. viii. 3/1 The AAA is revamping its Web sites to compete with online travel agencies.

AAA n. Military (originally U.S.) anti-aircraft artillery; cf. triple-A n. at triple adj. and adv. Additions.

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1943 N.Y. Times 31 Mar. 13/2 (caption) Major Gen. Sanderford Jarman, commanding general of the AAA command.

1985 Washington Post 12 Mar. a8/5 The airfield was protected by light AAA.

1999 Belfast News Let. (Nexis) 28 Apr. 11 Despite the AAA fire, the Harriers pressed home their attack.

AAE n. Linguistics African American English.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [noun] > Indo-European > Germanic > English > American English > African American English

Negro English1808

Negro1884

Black English1968

Black English Vernacular1972

Ebonics1973

African American Vernacular English1991

1992 Pragmatics (Internat. Pragmatics Assoc.) June 142 Did AAE start as a Gullah-like Creole?

2002 L. J. Green Afr. Amer. Eng. ii. §2 39 In AAE, the simple past and present perfect can be distinguished only in emphatic affirmation environments.

2021 T. L. Weldon Middle-class Afr. Amer. Eng. 45 I..reflect on some of the tensions and expectations that inform my own identity performance in everyday interactions as a middle-class speaker of AAE.

AAF n. Auxiliary Air Force.

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1925 Flight 15 Jan. 32/2 The designating numbers of the A.A.F. units will start with 600.

1991 Air Force Mag. June 86/1 Forty-one AAF planes fell in combat, about half to flak, but 184 were lost to other causes, largely weather-related.

AAM n. air-to-air missile.

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1950 Pop. Sci. Monthly Mar. 158/1 AAM is thus Air to Air. The M stands for Missile.

1990 D. J. Calvert Harrier (‘Aircraft Illustr.’ Special) 21/3 Even more impressive was the fitting of the necessary wiring and switches to allow the GR3 to mount a pair of AIM-9G Sidewinder AAM on the outer pylons.

A and E n. (also A&E) Medicine (chiefly British and New Zealand) accident and emergency (department).

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > places for the sick or injured > [noun] > hospital or infirmary > hospital department > specific department

ambulatorium1834

emergency room1886

emergency department1889

recovery room1894

accident and emergency1898

outpatients1910

X-ray1916

casualty1927

abortorium1933

out1933

ER1955

A and E1966

emerg1978

1966 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 19 Mar. p. lii Senior House Officer in Surgery required... 54-bedded unit with O.P.D. Clinics and some work in A. and E. Department.

1970 Accident & Emergency Dept. S.W. Regional Hosp. Board: Dept. Design Ser. III. 68 (table) For X-ray Sub-dept. if main X-ray Dept. is not adjacent to A. & E. Dept.

1994 I. Welsh Soft Touch in Acid House 51 Ah hud tae go tae the A and E at the Infirmary.

2002 More! 3 Apr. 56/1 I've given countless people CPR in A&E.

A & M n. (also A and M) U.S. (in the names of colleges and universities) Agricultural and Mechanical.

ΚΠ

1865 Naturalists' Directory i. 65 GW Aderhold, A. & M. College, Lexington, Ky.

1954 Jet 22 July 54 Alex Burl, a sprinter-halfback from Colorado A. and M. College, was signed by the Chicago Cardinals.

2001 Chicago Tribune 27 Aug. i. 8/3 At Texas A & M, Clark puts the Aggies through ‘jingle-jangle’ drills.

A & M adj. and n. (also A and M) (a) adj. ancient and modern (as postmodifier in Hymns A & M); (b) n. used elliptically for Hymns A & M.Hymns Ancient and Modern is the title of a hymnal used in the Church of England, first published in 1861.

ΚΠ

1863 O. Shipley Lyra Eucharistica Contents p. xxxiv An ancient Anthem. O Esca viatorum..H. A. & M.]

1864 O. Shipley Lyra Eucharistica (ed. 2) Contents p. xli O Esca Viatorum. An ancient Anthem..Hymns A. and M.

1869 J. Miller Singers & Songs of Church (ed. 2) 542 The rendering in ‘A. and M.’ is altered by the compilers.

1999 Music & Lett. 80 304/2 The tunes chosen in Hymns A & M were often of a generic type that could well have been interchanged.

2009 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 14 Mar. 29 The Hymns Ancient and Modern version is by Edward Caswall. He published translations of 200 Latin hymns in Lyra Catholica (1848) and two dozen are included in A&M.

A and R n. (also A & R) artist and repertoire (also repertory; occasionally recording); (frequently attributive) designating a person in a recording company who selects performers, arranges recordings, etc.

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1948 Billboard 19 June 21/1 He has been operating as the firm's Coast a. and r. man. He will be..supervising popular, hillbilly, race, hot jazz, international and other specialties.

1958 Times 26 May 7/6 A and R men, dee-jays, pluggers—to use the abbreviated titles by which artists and recording managers, disc jockeys and exploitation men are known.

1990 F. Dannen Hit Men (1991) i. 9 Even the best A&R—artist and repertoire—staff in the world couldn't save you if radio gave you the cold shoulder.

2005 Future Music Winter 125/4 A and R men will not be at your gigs. These people will be at other gigs when you play.

AAVE n. Linguistics African-American Vernacular English; cf. BEV n. at B n. Additions.

ΚΠ

1993 Amer. Speech 68 371 The theoretical and political implications of Labov's study for scholarship on the historical and current status of AAVE were wide-ranging.

2003 E. Richardson Afr. Amer. Literacies i. 19 Sociolinguists have laid the groundwork for researchers to investigate the ways in which we might employ AAVE in literacy education.

A.B. n. able seaman (formerly able-bodied seaman).

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1810 C. James New & Enlarged Mil. Dict. (ed. 3) II. (at cited word) Seaman, Able-bodied seaman, a sailor capable of taking both helm and lead... He is rated A. B. on board the ships of war.

1845 Times 6 Nov. 7/6 The initials A.B. signify able seaman; O.S., ordinary seaman; R.M.A., Royal Marine Artillery.

1894 Gloss. Terms Evid. Royal Comm. Labour 36/2 in Parl. Papers 1893–4 (C. 7063–VC) XXXVIII. 411 Disrating, A nautical term for ‘disranking’, that is, reducing from a higher rank to a lower, such as lowering a man from A.B. to ordinary seaman, or from fireman to trimmer.

1962 ‘C. S. Forester’ Hornblower & Hotspur iv. 41 Of her hundred and fifty hands no fewer than a hundred were prime seamen, rated A.B.

1990 J. McPhee Looking for Ship 97 An A.B. gets five dollars and forty-seven cents an hour for not eating lunch, if mandatory work on deck keeps him away from the food. It's called penalty time.

A.B. n. [graphic abbreviation of post-classical Latin artium baccalaureus (1569 or earlier); compare baccalaureus artium (1517 in a British source); also bacallarius facultatis artium (1425 in a British source), bachilarius in artibus (1264 in a British source)] now chiefly U.S. Bachelor of Arts (cf. B.A. n. at B n. Initialisms 1).

ΚΠ

1697 E. Polsted Excise-man (title page) In an Essay. By Ezekiel Polsted, A.B.

1721 N. Amhurst Terræfilius (1754) No. 50. 273 Mr. Scurlock, A.B. fellow of Jesus-college, and a member of the constitution-club was..disgraced..for mentioning the word king in his declamation.

1773 Mass. Gaz. & Boston Weekly News-let. 29 Apr. 2/2 Last Friday departed this life..John Alden, A.B., aged 22.

1842 Knickerbocker 19 429 A man may..write A.B. after his name, and even A.M., and be no great things either.

1895 Rep. to Harvard Club of Chicago 2 Educational qualifications equivalent to the Harvard A.B.

1966 M. Pei How to learn Langs. 46 And finally to my appointment to the Romance Department of City College..two years before I finally achieved my A.B. from..the same college.

2004 Copeia No. 4. 946/2 Following his AB degree, George enlisted in officers' training with the Coast Guard.

ABC n. now historical Aerated Bread Company; (also) a cafeteria or shop run by the company.

ΚΠ

1889 E. Dowson Let. 17 Mar. (1967) 50 I did go down to the ABC after leaving my atrocity with you on Friday.

1894 Punch 15 Dec. 285/1 I pass an A.B.C., Where I purchase two or three Cakes and scones.

1941 E. Blunden Thomas Hardy 120 Afterwards we went to a Lyons tea-shop, at which he [sc. Hardy] was a little alarmed, being used only to an A.B.C.

2006 G. Shaw et al. in J. Benson & L. Ugolini Cultures of Selling iii. 86 Whilst a typical bakery might produce around 200,000 pounds of bread per year, ABC methods could produce ten times this from just one machine.

ABC n. American Broadcasting Company.

ΚΠ

1929 Radio Broadcast Apr. 372/2 (caption) Adolph E. Linden, President of the American Broadcasting Company which operates the ABC Western Network.

1948 Life 6 Sept. 41/1 The progress of ABC, a relative newcomer in the field, typifies the rapid expansion of television facilities this year.

2009 Sci. Amer. (U.K. ed.) Nov. 54/3 The first era arrived..via bunny ears and national broadcast networks, such as NBC and ABC.

ABC n. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (formerly Commission, Company).

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > broadcasting > broadcasting service > [noun] > broadcasting company

B.B.C.1923

British Broadcasting Corporation1926

C.B.S.1930

ABC1931

Portland Place1937

Independent Broadcasting Authority1954

ORTF1964

PBS1969

I.B.A.1971

LBC1973

1931 Austral. Broadcasting Co. Ltd. Year Bk. 1930 24 (heading) The widespread ramifications of the A.B.C.

1957 ‘N. Shute’ On Beach iv. 132 The A.B.C.'s been doing a good job in telling people just the way things are.

2006 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 12 July 20/2 The ABC studios at Toowong in Brisbane could fetch more than $45 million.

ABCA n. now historical Army Bureau of Current Affairs, an organization providing troops with information about current affairs during the 1939–45 war.

ΚΠ

1942 Rep. Comm. on Amenities in Women's Services (Cmd. 6384) 44 ABCA came into existence in September, 1941, to remedy this ignorance and to mitigate boredom.

1995 A. Croft in J. Fyrth Labour's Promised Land? iii. 202 Despite opposition from Churchill, ABCA material developed an increasingly radical strain, evident in the Why We Fight series.

ABH n. British Law actual bodily harm; cf. GBH n. at G n. Initialisms.

ΘΚΠ

society > law > rule of law > lawlessness > specific offences > [noun] > unlawful violence

mayhem1447

forcea1481

mutilation1517

actual bodily harm1837

grievous bodily harm1861

ABH1975

1975 P. Morris & F. Beverly On Licence 149 Theft, burglary, aid and abet rape, ABH.

1992 Independent 6 Jan. 14/7 You can nick me for ABH.., or whatever you're going to get me nicked for, I'll admit it.

2003 New! 3 Nov. 9/2 The 20-year-old..singer looked shaken..after the jury convicted her of ABH.

ABM n. originally U.S. anti-ballistic missile (cf. I.C.B.M. n. at I n.¹ Initialisms).

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > guided or ballistic missile > [noun] > types of

loon1947

seeker1949

Honest John1952

Nike1952

heat-seeker1956

anti-ballistic missile1957

Polaris1957

Pershing1958

SAM1958

cruise missile1959

sea-cat1959

minuteman1961

ABM1963

lance1964

Exocet1970

trident1972

MX missile1973

stinger1975

cruise1976

tomahawk1976

silo buster1977

Euromissile1979

Brilliant Pebbles1988

1963 Missiles & Rockets 16 Sept. 14 (heading) Soviets may have ultimate ABM.

2002 K. Matinuddin Nuclearization S. Asia xii. 242 The possibility of an aircraft being intercepted is greater than the interception of missiles, at least till such time that India acquires an anti-ballistic missile (ABM) capability.

ABO adj. Medicine designating a system of classifying human blood based on the presence or absence of A and B antigens on red blood cells, resulting in four blood types, A, B, AB, and O.

ΚΠ

1937 J. C. Thomas in Brit. Med. Jrnl. 14 Aug. 317/2 By far the most complete investigations of the heredity of the blood groups have been made with the ABO system.

2000 Chatham (Ont.) Daily News (Nexis) 10 Nov. 10 Everyone has heard about ABO blood types and how important it is to match a recipient's blood type with the same type of donor blood.

ABS n. Chemistry acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, a hard composite thermoplastic used to make rigid moulded products such as car bodies and cases for computers; frequently attributive.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > synthetic resins and plastics > [noun] > plastic > other plastics

hard plastic1896

Galalith1901

Paxolin1918

casein plastic1925

polyvinyl acetate1927

protein plastic1928

Mipolam1936

acrylic1940

styrene plastic1943

bioplastic1946

ABS1957

Noryl1966

1957 Mod. Plastics Oct. 27 (advt.) Royalite (the industry's standard for A.B.S. plastics) is extremely light, yet so durable it withstands everyday abuse.

1983 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Chem. 792/1 Ease of fabrication by a variety of methods..has led to the development of new uses for ABS resins.

2004 J. Emsley Vanity, Vitality, & Virility (2006) vi. 209 Polycarbonate will blend with other polymers, and the blend with ABS..is even stronger than polycarbonate itself.

ABS n. [perhaps originally after German ABS, initialism < the initial letters of Antiblockiersystem] Motoring anti-lock (occasionally anti-locking) braking (or brake) system.

ΚΠ

1980 Hartford (Connecticut) Courant 14 Sept. 2 f/4 ABS is meant to make safe driving easier, by avoiding crashes.

2003 Chatelaine Jan. 28/2 ABS won't always stop a vehicle in a shorter distance than conventional brakes.

ABV n. alcohol by volume, used to express the percentage of alcohol in an alcoholic beverage.

ΚΠ

1985 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 8 Apr. b9/4 Any beverage containing less than 0.5 per cent ABV is considered non-intoxicating by the liquor control legislation of all the provinces and territories.

2003 I. Banks Raw Spirit (2004) xiii. 299 I've already got a Rare Malts Edition 23-year-old at 53.6 abv.

AC n. and adj. (also A/C) (a) n. air conditioning; (b) adj. air-conditioned.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > freedom from impurities > removal of impurities > ventilation and air-conditioning > [noun]

ventilation1664

ventilating1743

air conditioning1909

central air conditioning1923

central air1955

AC1962

air-con1970

air1974

1962 G. Meckler & M. Meckler in Methods Building Cost Anal. 55 (table) Decrease in AC Cost as % TBC.

1970 Rotarian Nov. 59/3 (advt.) Kalamazoo-Southgate Motor-Inn:..124 A/C rooms, htd. pool.

2002 Sunday Times of India 22 Sept. 2/4 With the advent of the Metro, people can look forward to AC coaches, faster commuting, and pollution-free travel.

2008 A. Adiga White Tiger 69 This was a beautiful, modern car, with all the necessary comforts: a speaker system, A/C, nice glossy leather seats.

AC n. (also A/C) aircraftman; cf. S.A.C. n. at S n.¹ Initialisms 1.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > hostilities in the air > airman > [noun] > aircraftman or woman

aircraftman1919

AC1928

erk1928

aircraftwoman1939

plonk1941

ACW1942

1928 Times 25 May 6/7 Lance-Corporal Bosworth and A./C. Mallett, 3 defeats each.

1963 Times 8 Mar. 12/7 Airmen ranks to disappear are master technician, senior technician, corporal technician, and aircraftman 2nd class (AC 2).

2001 D. F. Clark Stand by Your Beds! vi. 178 AC Lott, for God's sake! AC Lott! This is the Controller at Dirleton here... Shift your bloody arse, Airman!

a.c. n. alternating current; cf. AC/DC adj. 1.

ΚΠ

1891 Med. Summary July 124/2 I then take a smooth-running, faradic instrument of mild current (No. 1 Kidder's Preferred, A. C. Current).

1903 Electr. Times 31 Dec. 962/1 (heading) The Ferranti A.C. Meter.

1958 Pop. Mech. June 135/1 The generator delivers 1200 watts of continuous duty 60-cycle a.c.

2000 Courier Mail (Brisbane) 18 May (What's On) 17 Pick up some..table-lamp-type a.c. cable from your hardware store.

A.C. adv. [graphic abbreviation of post-classical Latin ante christum (1544 or earlier)] now rare before Christ; cf. A.D. adv.

ΚΠ

1690 I. Newton Let. 14 Nov. in Corr. (1961) III. 95 He praises the Codex Lobiensis written A.C. 1084.

1834 Biblical Repository Oct. 426 In AC 135, an insurrection of the slaves in Sicily happened.

1975 I. Gershevitch in J. R. Hinnells Mithraic Stud. I. vi. 69 Those Parthians who in the third century a.c. were converted to Manichaeism identified the Manichaean god who had led the Third Emanation..with Mithra.

AC n. (with reference to wine, or some foods) appellation contrôlée.

ΚΠ

1965 M. A. Amerine & V. L. Singleton Wine xiii. 199 In France the appellations contrôlées are the most respected (often abbreviated A.C.).

1991 Decanter Aug. 23/1 The latest Clarets to join the range promise well for the future. Château Malard, AC Bordeaux Supérieur 1987 is a bargain.

2003 Decanter Aug. 102/2 In the outlying fields, Charolais cattle graze beside the goats that produce the region's other great AC, Crottin de Chavignol cheese.

AC n. athletic (or athletics) club.

ΚΠ

1868 H. F. Wilkinson Mod. Athletics iv. 66 BB Connolly, formerly of the Cambridge University AC, got off best and won as he liked in the 100 yards.

1956 Boys' Life Nov. 65/2 When we drew for lanes, the other first leg men stared at me suspiciously, suspecting some skulduggery on the part of the New York AC.

2010 Tamworth Herald (Nexis) 8 Apr. 89 Tamworth Athletics Club stars began their build-up to the summer's major events by competing at Mansfield Harriers AC's Track and Field Open Meeting over the Easter weekend.

AC n. Companion of the Order of Australia.

ΚΠ

1976 Titles & Forms of Addr. (ed. 15) 1 A.C... Companion of the Order of Australia.

2009 West Austral. (Perth) (Nexis) 26 Jan. 3 His contribution to defence policy was particularly recognised in his being awarded the AC.

A.C.C. n. Physiology now rare anodal (or anodic) contraction, contraction of a muscle to which the anode is attached when an electrical circuit is closed; an instance of this.

ΚΠ

1874 G. V. Poore in Lancet 9 May 649/1 On making a slight further increase of intensity, contraction occurs with anodal closure also (A. C.).]

1876 G. V. Poore Text-bk. Electr. in Med. & Surg. v. 95 The anodal closure contraction (A. C. C.) soon becomes very marked, and equals or even surpasses the cathodal closure contraction (C. C. C.).

1905 W. R. Williams Essent. Pract. Med. 327 Ascending currents that are somewhat stronger cause a contraction at the closure of the circuit, called the anodic closure contraction, A.C.C.

1920 R. Burton-Opitz Text-bk. Physiol. xiii. 155 The two making or closure contractions (C.C.C. and A.C.C.) must be stronger than the two breaking or opening contractions (A.O.C. and C.O.C.)

2003 R. L. Gupta Textbk. of Surg. 425 A change of polarity is seen in the affected muscles in which anodal closure contraction (ACC) becomes greater than KCC.

ACCM n. now historical (also with pronunciation

Brit.

/ˈakəm/

U.S.

/ˈækəm/

) Advisory Council for the Church's Ministry.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > church government > council > church's ministry > [noun]

ACCM1967

1967 Church of Eng. Yearbk. 177 Candidates for courses..are specially selected by ACCM.

2008 Times (Nexis) 12 Feb. 54 In 1971 he began a 15-year involvement on the Advisory Council for the Church's Ministry (ACCM).

ACF n. South African Military Active Citizen Force.

ΚΠ

1912 Diagram Syst. Mil. Def. S. Afr. Union (caption) in Times 24 May 14/3 A. C. F. Reserve, Class ‘A’.

1989 Combat & Survival Mag. Oct. 8/4 In August I was in the ACF and my battalion was at its annual camp in the north of Scotland.

1998 Jrnl. S. Afr. Stud. 24 747 Reference was made to Gideon Scheepers shot for wearing khaki in the Anglo-Boer War. The Minister of Justice hotly denied the ACF's contention: the colour of the uniform was ‘not khaki, but drab’.

A.C.H. n. R.A.F. (now historical and rare) = aircraft hand n. at aircraft n. Compounds 2.

ΚΠ

1925 T. E. Lawrence Let. 7 Oct. (1938) 484 Five are fitters, five are riggers, five are A.C.H.'s.

1941 ‘L. A. C. Errant’ R.A.F.'ing It iv. 18 A.C.H., ‘Aircraft Hand’..designates as a rule the non-tradesman.

ACL n. Anatomy anterior cruciate ligament (of the knee).

ΚΠ

1957 Zool. Soc. 129 221 (caption) ACL, anterior cruciate ligament.

1991 Skiing Mar. 122/1 The new generation of toepieces with upward release capability might help to reduce the incidence of at least boot-induced ACL injuries.

2006 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 15 Jan. iii. 4/5 Alabama senior forward Chuck Davis tore both the ACL and MCL in his right knee and will miss the rest of the season.

ACLU n. American Civil Liberties Union.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social attitudes > racial attitudes > [noun] > equality > specific civil rights organization

ACLU1923

black power1954

Chicano movement1968

1923 Year's Fight for Free Speech (Amer. Civil Liberties Union) 52 Receipts and Disbursements by American Civil Liberties Union from April 16, 1922, to July 31, 1922... A.C.L.U. Receipt Numbers 2155, 2162, [etc.].

1936 Amer. Mercury Dec. 385/2 The fiction of the ‘Liberalism’ of the ACLU has been firmly implanted in the popular mind.

2004 Village Voice (N.Y.) 1 Sept. 18/4 We wanted to..remind you that all media calls should be referred to the ACLU press office.

ACP n. African, Caribbean, and Pacific (countries), spec. the signatories to the Lomé Conventions (signed between 1975 and 1989) and the Cotonou Agreement (of 2000), establishing aid and trade cooperation between these countries and the member states of the European Union.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > rule or government > politics > international politics or relations > international agreements > [adjective] > convention > signatories of LoméConvention

ACP1974

1974 Times 12 June 10/5 Negotiations had been going on between the ‘associable’ countries—the African, Caribbean and Pacific states known as ACP—and the Community for some time.

1978 J. Paxton Dict. European Econ. Community (rev. ed.) 148 A.C.P. bananas were to enjoy duty-free access and were also to be included in the Stabex scheme.

1983 Financial Times 4 Oct. 14 It offers some protection against declining prices for a range of ACP commodities through the Stabex mechanism; and it is committed to buying 1.3m tons of ACP sugar a year.

2006 C. Bretherton & J. Vogler European Union as Global Actor (ed. 2) v. 123 The Cotonou Agreement requires that six regional groupings of the ACP negotiate distinctive Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) with the Union.

ACS n. Medicine (now rare) antireticular cytotoxic serum.

ΚΠ

1942 B. E. Linberg in A. A. Bogomolets Therapeutic Action of Antireticular Cytotoxic Serum ‘ACS’ 154 Everywhere where a weakening of the physiological system of the connective tissue takes place it can be activized by means of ACS.

1946 W. M. Mandel Guide to Soviet Union iii. 32 Thousands of wounded Red Armymen in deep shock and probably doomed to death were saved by this ‘ACS’ serum.

1972 Y. Halperin tr. L. V. Polezhaev Loss & Restoration Regenerative Capacity in Tissues & Organs Animals ii. v. 283 It has been shown that in small doses, ACS can stimulate regeneration of damaged tubular bones in rabbits.

ACT n. British advance corporation tax.

ΚΠ

1972 Accountant 25 Sept. 378/1 The three aims of avoiding transitional penalties, securing a windfall ACT (advance corporation tax) relief for dividends paid before that date and escaping an ACT forfeit for dividends paid after it.

1998 Economist 21 Mar. 36/2 At present, firms pay each financial year's tax (apart from any ACT already paid) in one lump.

ACT n. U.S. Education American College Testing (or Test).A proprietary name.

ΚΠ

1959 Daily Rev. (Hayward, Calif.) 8 Sept. 6/1 ACT will charge each student $3, and levy no charge against the high school.

1975 Ebony Mar. 79/1 The ACT has four parts: mathematics, English, social studies and natural sciences.

2006 B. Fey Statistics Hacks ii. 52 An officer could enter the student's ACT score into the regression formula and predict his GPA.

ACT n. Australian Capital Territory.

ΚΠ

1938 Official Year Bk. Austral. 390 A.C.T.

2007 L. Wallis et al. in C. Smith & H. Burke Digging it up Down Under v. 147 Weather conditions in the ACT can change rapidly, so when in the field make sure that you have adequate clothing, water and first-aid supplies.

ACTH n. Medicine adrenocorticotropic hormone.

ΚΠ

1943 Ann. Rev. Biol. 12 282 (heading) Adrenocorticotrophic Hormone (ACTH).

1977 Lancet 5 Nov. 955/2 Mean A.C.H.T. levels were raised..in addisonian outpatients on cortisone acetate.

2003 D. R. Mottram Drugs in Sport (ed. 3) vi. 198 ACTH is produced and secreted by the corticotroph cells of the anterior pituitary.

ACTRA n. Alliance of Canadian Television and Radio Artists.

ΚΠ

1963 Winnipeg Free Press 31 Aug. (TV & Radio guide) 12/3 They were referred to AFM and ACTRA, the unions involved.

2002 W. Pitman Louis Applebaum vi. 110 Best Television Program of the Year, ACTRA Award.

ACTT n. Association of Cinematograph, Television, and Allied Technicians.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > working > association of employers or employees > [noun] > trade union > other specific trade unions

NUT1889

AWU1904

Nalgo1909

NUJ1909

Aslef1914

NUR1914

AEU1921

NUPE1931

U.A.W.1936

USDAW1946

NUM1948

T.G.W.U.1955

ACTT1957

C.B.I.1965

ASTMS1967

AUEW1971

Apex1972

UDM1985

1957 Film & TV Technician 23 5/3 The new A.C.T.T. badges and brooches can be obtained from Head Office.

2007 Guardian (Nexis) 8 Sept. 45 Murray worked extensively with the film technicians' union, ACTT, to open up greater flexibility for the independent film workshop movement.

ACTU n. Australian (formerly also Australasian) Council of Trade Unions.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > working > association of employers or employees > [noun] > trade union > trade-union associations

trade union congress1860

Knights of Labour1886

Industrial Workers of the World1905

T.U.C.1910

Profintern1924

Histadrut1925

ACTU1928

WFTU1947

Sohyo1953

U.W.C.1974

1928 Econ. Rec. May 108 The 1927 Congress..set itself to construct machinery that might act adequately in the field of Interstate industrial disputes. Hence the new Australasian Council of Trades Unions (A.C.T.U.).

1972 J. Belfrage in G. W. Turner Good Austral. Eng. vi. 108 This is another local reference..to the active pro-labour work of the new President of the ACTU.

2005 Austral. Financial Rev. (Sydney) 12 Aug. 19/1 The ACTU said the criticism from a South Australian Industrial Relations Court judge was an example of the failings of the federal government's workplace agreements.

ACV n. air-cushion vehicle (see air cushion n. 2).

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > mechanically propelled vessels > [noun] > hovercraft

cushion-rider1959

hovercraft1959

hydroskimmer1960

ACV1962

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > air cushion vehicle > [noun]

ACV1962

aerotrain1965

1962 Flight Internat. 81 113 Free-moving ACVs will be going into business also, together with hydrofoil craft.

2005 Times Educ. Suppl. (Nexis) 6 May 4 ACVs work on land or sea and are the fastest ships in the world (60mph).

ACW n. aircraftwoman; cf. S.A.C.W. n. at S n.¹ Initialisms 1.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > hostilities in the air > airman > [noun] > aircraftman or woman

aircraftman1919

AC1928

erk1928

aircraftwoman1939

plonk1941

ACW1942

1942 J. A. Hammerton ABC of RAF (new ed.) 58 A.C.W., Aircraftwoman.

1943 K. B. Beauman Wings on her Shoulders v. 57 A plotter, A.C.W. Cooper, told me about the attack on North Weald.

1966 M. L. Settle All Brave Promises v. 97 Well. ACW Settle, we have been a bit of a fool, haven't we?

2007 Townsville (Austral.) Sun (Nexis) 26 Sept. 36 ‘After the event we had..a barbecue to say thanks to everyone,’ ACW Kelly said.

AD n. Military active duty.

ΚΠ

1942 Sun (Baltimore) 1 Feb. ii. 75 ‘DP following Reserve Officers ordered to AD.’.. Written out this reads: ‘By direction of the President, the following Reserve Officers are ordered to active duty.’

1990 Federal Reg. 7 Sept. 38086/3 Refer AD personnel with serologic evidence of HIV-1 infection for a medical evaluation of fitness for continued service.

2004 W. Taylor in H. J. Thie et al. Past & Future iv. 37 [They] often arrived at follow-on flying tours with considerably fewer flying hours than did their AD contemporaries.

AD n. Medicine Alzheimer's disease.

ΚΠ

1955 Jrnl. Mental Sci. 101 604 A.D. is a progressive dementia which usually occurs between the ages of 40 and 60 years.

1987 D. Collerton in S. M. Stahl et al. Cognitive Neurochem. xv. 285 A substantial noradrenergic deficit exists in some patients with AD.

2009 San Antonio (Texas) Express-News (Nexis) 25 Feb. 9 f AD leaves a specific type of brain damage different from what happens in schizophrenia.

A/D n. Electronics (also A-D) analogue-to-digital.

ΚΠ

1962 Electroencephalogr. & Clin. Neurophysiol. 14 414 (in figure) A-D converter.

1983 Analytica Chimica Acta 147 78 Up to four fast instruments..transferred data via a second A/D system to the central computer.

2002 Wired Nov. 135/1 What if every A/D converter incorporated lockware that prevents unauthorized digital recording?

A.D. adv. [graphic abbreviation of post-classical Latin anno domini Anno Domini adv.] = Anno Domini adv.The Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors (ed. 2, 2000) p. 4 notes: ‘precedes numerals, but follows numbers written as words’. The abbreviation is sometimes found after numerals.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > reckoning of time > chronology > [noun] > period with own chronological system or era > particular year in Christian era

year of gracec1325

(in) the year of our Lord (also our Lord God, our Lord's incarnation)1389

the year of Christc1392

Anno Dom.1438

year1482

anno1484

Anno Domini1485

the year of (our) redemption1513

A.D.1556

year of (man's) salvation1560

1556 in tr. A. Mainardi Anatomi (title page) A. D. 1556.

1663 W. Blundell in T. E. Gibson Cavalier's Note Bk. (1880) 223 This course, as it is now used upon the marshes..was stooped out by me W.B., a.d. 1654.

1683 I. Mather Kometographia viii. 101 A.D. 1558. A Comet was seen in the Evening under Coma Berenices, of a pale colour, continuing about 30 dayes.

1764 J. Grainger Sugar-cane i. 13 (note) The declension of the needle was discovered, A.D. 1492, by Columbus.

1819 J. Playfair Geogr. & Statist. Descr. Scotl. 1 78 Kelso... Here an abbey for Tironensian monks was founded, and richly endowed by David I, A.D. 1128.

1875 E. H. Bunbury in Encycl. Brit. II. 712/2 The whole country..continued subject to the Byzantine empire, until it was overrun by the Seljukian Turks in 1074 a.d.

1906 T. Čapek Slovaks of Hungary 395 There is no mention in Strabo of the Germanic and Pannonic wars of Tiberius of the years 4–11 a.d.

1963 G. H. Williams in S. C. Neill & H. R. Weber Layman in Christian Hist. i. 30 In a letter to the church in Corinth written about AD 95, Clement..makes brief reference to the participants in the liturgy.

2004 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 1 July a1/3 Preliminary research dates the settlement from about A.D. 900 to 1100.

AD n. autograph document.

ΚΠ

1889 L. C. Draper Ess. Autographic Coll. Signers Declar. of Independence (rev. ed.) 46 An A. D.—autograph document, not signed, is sometimes called into requisition to eke out a collection.

1912 F. K. Walter Abbrev. & Techn. Terms Bk. Catal. 1 A.D., Autograph document.

1962 D. D. Jackson Lett. Lewis & Clark Exped. 161 AD, in Clark's hand.

2009 D. Carpenter S. R. Bradley: Lett. Revolutionary War Patriot 108 AD... In the hand of SRB.

AD n. Military armoured division.

ΚΠ

1949 R. E. Dupuy St. Vith, Lion in Way v. 71 One counterattack [CCB 9th AD] has started, but other [CCB 7th AD] not started yet.

2002 H. Coyle Against all Enemies (2009) xxii. 348 After a rapid and all but unopposed advance, the 4th AD came to a halt just west of Twin City.

AD n. athletic director.

ΚΠ

1950 Catholic Lib. World Jan. 128/1 He was the ‘A.D.’, or athletic director, at Roosevelt High School in Chicago.

2006 M. Conrad Business of Sport iii. 34 The AD controls the athletic department budget.

AD n. chiefly Film assistant director, a person responsible for coordinating the production schedule of a film, and for oversight of the set, cast, and crew.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > filming > filming unit or team > [noun] > others involved in filming

director of photography1916

grip1918

continuity writer1921

script girl1922

gaffer1926

production manager1927

best boy1931

production assistant1932

continuity girl1933

titler1933

clapper-boy1937

AD1957

1957 Radio Daily-Television Daily 18 June 7/3 Another person worthy of a testimonial repast—or at least a snack—is the so-called A.D., or assistant director.

1986 Washington Post 13 Dec. b1/4 They just put the camera up... The AD [assistant director] was a friend of mine.

2008 Independent 2 June (Extra section) 2/6 ‘First positions, thank you very much,’ calls the first AD.

ADC n. aide-de-camp (hence ADC-ship).

ΚΠ

1777 A. Hamilton Let. 10 Nov. in G. Washington Papers (2002) Revolutionary War Ser. XII. 193 [Signed] A. Hamilton A.D.C.

1801 S. Owenson Poems 155 Captain E— celebrated the virtues of Capt. S—ll, (A. D. C. to his R. H. Prince William of Gloucester)..in a monody that did equal honor to his head and heart.

1837 E. Eden Let. 28 Oct. in Up the Country (1866) I. i. 9 The A.D.C.'s are very apt to assemble over our cabins at night.

1896 Punch 4 Jan. 5/2 Permitted to retain his A.D.C.-ship after promotion from field-rank.

1919 G. Frankau Peter Jackson, Cigar Merchant (1920) xxvi. 201 If you do change your mind about that ACD-ship, drop me a line.

1945 Ld. Alanbrooke Diary 13 Feb. in War Diaries (2001) 662 Rollie Charrington came to dinner and like the brick he is offered to take Barney's place as ADC.

2005 G. Sheffield & J. Bourne in D. Haig War Diaries & Lett. 1914–18 508 He served as ADC to Lord Roberts in India and was Kitchener's DAAG in the Sudan.

ADC n. Electronics analogue-to-digital converter; cf. A/D n.

ΘΚΠ

society > computing and information technology > hardware > [noun] > conversion unit

converter1950

digitizer1953

ADC1961

1961 Jrnl. Franklin Inst. 272 539/1 The ADC-1B Analog-to-Digital Converter.

1985 C. H. Vanderwolf & L.-W. S. Leung in A. A. Boulton & G. B. Baker Gen. Neurochem. Techiques ix. 316 An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) converts a continuous signal to a series of discrete, digital values.

2008 Maximum PC Feb. 59/2 The opposite of the ADC, the digital-to-analog converter turns a digital value into an analog waveform.

ADD n. Psychiatry attention (also attentional) deficit disorder.

ΚΠ

1979 Hosp. Pract. Jan. 66/1 The next edition of the American Psychiatric Association's official Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM III) will have relabeled ‘hyperactivity’ and MBD syndrome as attentional deficit disorder (ADD).

1994 Face Sept. 29/1 ADD..is only just being recognised in Britain as a genuine medical syndrome and a potential nightmare of late-twentieth century living.

2006 Total Film Feb. 24/3 My attention span is horrible, man. I've got ADD.

ADF n. automatic direction finder.

ΚΠ

1939 Aero Digest June 24/2 (advt.) The ADF-6—Automatic Direction Finder: Primarily a powerful radio receiver offering direction finding... Learadio offers the ADF-6 as the latest contribution to the art of safe flying.

1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. (rev. ed.) IV. 231/2 Radio stations erected specifically for use with the ADF are known as NDB (non-directional beacons or radiophares).

2000 Public Admin. Rev. 60 247/1 The plane was equipped with only one automatic direction finder (ADF).

ADGB n. now historical Air Defence of Great Britain.

ΚΠ

1926 Flight 6 May 272/2 The Fighting and Wessex Bombing Areas are under the A.O.C.-in-C., A.D.G.B.

1944 Times 1 Mar. 4/5 Sir Archibald Sinclair disclosed for the first time that the organization responsible for the air defence of this country is now known as A.D.G.B. (Air Defence of Great Britain).

2002 J. Ferris in S. Cox & P. Gray Air Power Hist. i. ii. 37 Experience at ADGB and as the RAF's Director of Research had taught him much about research and development.

ADH n. Medicine antidiuretic hormone.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > substance > process stimulators or inhibitors > hormone > [noun] > other hormones

thyro-iodine1896

parathormone1925

parathyroid hormone1925

oestrin1926

oestrogen1927

relaxin1930

theelin1930

prolan1931

galactin1932

inhibin1932

prolactin1932

oestriol1933

oestrone1933

oestradiol1934

adrenocorticotrophin1943

pancreozymin1943

ADH1945

adrenocorticotropin1945

cortisone1949

mineralocorticoid1950

electrocortin1953

aldosterone1954

angiotensin1958

melatonin1958

calcitonin1961

zeranol1971

amylin1988

adiponectin1999

adipokine2001

1945 Physiol. Rev. 25 573 The antidiuretic substance is a hormone (ADH) formed in the pars nervosa of the pituitary gland.

1983 D. J. Weatherall et al. Oxf. Textbk. Med. II. xviii. 20/2 Reliable assays for ADH in plasma or urine are now available.

2009 Modesto (Calif.) Bee (Nexis) 9 June d1 The ability to concentrate urine is controlled by the kidney as signaled from the brain via a hormone called ADH, or antidiuretic hormone.

ADHD n. (also AD-HD) Psychiatry attention deficit (also deficient) hyperactivity disorder.

ΚΠ

1987 Behavioral Assessment 9 228 If AD-HD is viewed as a dimensional disorder lying on a continuum with normal child behavior..then another approach to assessment is required.

1994 N.Y. Times 24 July iv. 1/4 Today, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn surely would have been diagnosed with both conduct disorder and ADHD.

2006 The Word July 19/1 He was also prescribed Ritalin for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

ADL n. originally and chiefly U.S. = activity of daily living n. at activity n. 3d.

ΚΠ

1952 E. B. Lawton Physical Rehabilit. for Daily Living i. 5/2 A given A.D.L. for a given group of patients..is the sum total not only of all the motions of the specific activity but also of everything that was learned on the preceding level.

2001 F. Popcorn & A. Hanft Dict. Future 2 You don't know how important ADLs are until you aren't capable of doing them anymore.

ADP n. Biochemistry adenosine diphosphate.

ΚΠ

1942 Jrnl. Biol. Chem. 143 300 Adenosine diphosphate (ADP) was incubated with myokinase or deaminase or both.

1967 Brain 90 577 The hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and inorganic phosphate.

2008 E. Regis What is Life? v. 86 The original ATP molecule is converted to adenosine diphosphate, ADP, a dangling phosphate (P), and energy.

ADP n. automatic (also automated) data processing.

ΘΚΠ

society > computing and information technology > data > database > data entry > [noun]

data entry1930

data processing1944

read-in1946

input1948

ADP1955

data capture1962

capture1971

1955 Office Oct. 248 Moore's ADP training... Classes in automated data processing.

1980 Amer. Banker (Nexis) 21 Nov. 2 Provident president William Maytum said his bank was one of the first to use ADP services.

2003 N. Rush Mortals xxxvi. 677 You don't know anything about ADP, do you? You need to. That's where the world is going, ADP, ASAP.

ADR n. chiefly North American alternative dispute resolution.

ΚΠ

1982 Business Week 23 Aug. 56/1 A new Washington-based company..is beginning to provide dispute-management services—including cost-benefit analyses, ADR, and training.

2004 Philadelphia June (Advertising Suppl.) s32 DM&S always fights for its clients' rights, both in the courtroom, and when appropriate, using mediation and ADR.

ADR n. U.S. Stock Market American depository receipt.

ΚΠ

1956 N.Y. Times 5 Aug. iii. 7/3 Other banks issuing ADRs are expected to look into the possibility of making similar arrangements with some companies whose shares are or may be represented by depository receipts.

2003 D. L. Scott Wall St. Words (ed. 3) 354 Holders of sponsored ADRs have all the rights of common stockholders.

ADS n. autograph document signed.

ΚΠ

1861 Sotheby & Wilkinson Catal. 1 July Tenison Mss. 50 Colbert, A.L.S. to Cavalier Bernino, 1665—Perrault (the architect of the Louvre), A.D.S. with portrait.

1912 F. K. Walter Abbrev. & Techn. Terms Bk. Catal. 1 A.D.S., Autograph document signed.

1979 J. Y. Simon Papers U. S. Grant VIII. 382 McPherson enclosed a statement of Aug. 10 in which Col. Josiah W. Bissell described the organization of the Engineer Regt. of the West. ADS, ibid.

2000 A. F. Wertheim & B. Bair Papers Will Rogers II. 29 (table) Descriptive Symbols. AD. Autograph Document. ADS. Autograph Document Signed.

ADSL n. Computing and Telecomm. asymmetric (also asynchronous) digital subscriber line (or loop), a technology for the transmission of digital data over standard copper telephone lines which allows the high-speed transmission of signals from the telephone network to an individual subscriber, but a slower rate of transmission from the subscriber to the network; cf. DSL n. at D n. Additions.

ΚΠ

1991 Telephony 10 June 28/2 The ADSL concept grew out of Bellcore's developmental work for high-rate digital subscriber line.

2000 Internet Money No. 15. 65/2 Because ADSL uses existing copper cables, the high frequency signals sent down them get degraded as they get further away from their point of origin.

2005 Guardian 3 Mar. (Life section) 21/2 The real speeds of 400kbps to 800kbps are comfortably within the range delivered on phone lines by ADSL.

ADT n. Canadian Atlantic Daylight Time.

ΚΠ

1949 S. K. Farrington Fishing the Atlantic i. 46 Fishing will start at 7:00 AM ADT daily on a signal from the judge's boat.

1970 Winnipeg Free Press 23 Apr. 13/1 Quebec will be all EDT, while the Maritime provinces, in the Atlantic time zone, will be all ADT.

1994 Harrowsmith Mar. 25/3 Mideclipse will occur at these times across Canada:..1:25 p.m. EDT, 2:50 p.m. ADT.

AE n. Photography auto-exposure; automatic exposure.

ΚΠ

1976 Pop. Sci. Oct. 46/1 The Canon AE-1 is a dandy little handful... It has..a blinking ‘M’ in the viewfinder when the camera is in manual mode instead of automatic-exposure mode.]

1977 Film Making June 51 (advt.) Perfectly exposed cine pictures with Automatic Exposure Control (AE).

1991 Buying Cameras Mar. 13 The centre weighted multi-zone metering in conjunction with the Program AE exposure mode effectively makes this a very accurate ‘point and shoot’ camera.

2007 Stuff July 73/2 The camera detects faces, and adjusts both focus (AF) and exposure (AE) to make the most of them.

AEC n. U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, an organization set up in 1946 by the U.S. government to regulate and promote use of atomic energy.

ΚΠ

1946 Washington Post 29 Oct. 4/3 Mr. Truman said the Army would continue to operate its present atomic projects during the period of transition to the new AEC.

2003 Western Hist. Q. 34 517/2 The AEC justified the tests as necessary for national security.

A.E.F. n. American Expeditionary Forces (cf. BEF n. at B n. Initialisms 1).

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > branch of army > [noun] > other branches

language1703

langue1799

guides1802

army intelligence1902

yak corps1904

A.E.F.1914

anti-aircraft1915

RAOC1918

1914 Rep. Nat. Acad. Sci. 1913 66 Maj. Edward H. Bowle, headquarters A.E.F. Officers and enlisted men have been ordered abroad for meteorological work in connection with America expeditionary force.

1998 N.Y. Times Bk. Rev. 31 May 52/3 Right after the armistice, some political operatives had quietly canvassed among the doughboys of the A.E.F.

AER n. annual equivalent rate (of interest).

ΚΠ

1998 Independent 16 Sept. (Wednesday Review section)13 As the AER will be published every time a contractual rate of interest appears..it will be easier for savers to compare the returns that they can expect when they leave the interest they earn in their account.

2001 Financial Times 27 Jan. (Money section) 11/3 (advt.) I now pay no interest on my credit card, and £500 in my current account earns a very nice 5% AER/gross.

aet n. Sport (originally and chiefly Association Football) after extra time.

ΚΠ

1971 Times 13 Apr. 7/2 Hertfordshire Senior Cup: Final: St Albans 1, Bishop's Stortford 1 (a.e.t.).

1979 Guardian 12 Dec. 24 Swindon 4, Arsenal 3 (aet).

2003 Irish Independent (Nexis) 30 June Cahill Cup... Gortnahoe 1-13 Upperchurch 0-13 (aet).

AEU n. British (now historical) Amalgamated Engineering Union.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > working > association of employers or employees > [noun] > trade union > other specific trade unions

NUT1889

AWU1904

Nalgo1909

NUJ1909

Aslef1914

NUR1914

AEU1921

NUPE1931

U.A.W.1936

USDAW1946

NUM1948

T.G.W.U.1955

ACTT1957

C.B.I.1965

ASTMS1967

AUEW1971

Apex1972

UDM1985

1921 Times 4 Feb. 7/4 It was announced that the A.E.U. had submitted proposals which would be laid before the N.U.R. delegates at their resumed conference in the morning.

a1974 R. Crossman Diaries (1976) II. 497 I spent the morning with the old A.E.U. members who have A.E.U. pensions.

2006 Managem. Today Jan. 60/3 At Amicus, Simpson inherited a post-merger environment in which he was confronted by a legacy of an entire shelf-load of alphabetti spaghetti—AEU and EETPU, which became the AEEU [etc.].

AF n. air force; cf. R.A.F. n., U.S.A.F. n. at U n.¹ Initialisms 1a, etc.

ΚΠ

1919 Aircraft Jrnl. 27 Dec. 7/2 British AF Independence. The constitution of the British air force emphasizes its integrity and independence as a separate fighting unit of the Crown.

1998 Air Force Missileers (2000) 87/3 [He] grew up on a farm in Iowa, attended Iowa State College and joined the AF in March 1959.

AF n. audio frequency.

ΚΠ

1915 Proc. IRE 3 411 The following abbreviations are used:..a.f.—audio frequency.

1944 Pop. Sci. Monthly Aug. 206 The R.F. carrier wave..must be varied in exact accordance with the A.F. impulses that represent speech and music.

1997 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 352 651 Bring the RF signal down to an intermediate frequency (IF) or audio frequency (AF).

AF n. Photography autofocus; automatic focusing (also focus).

ΚΠ

1974 U.S. Patent 3,798,660 2 Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the automatic focusing control circuit (hereinafter referred to as AF circuit).

1994 Backpacker Oct. 71/1 If you have an autofocus (AF) camera, switch it to manual focusing to save battery drain from the AF motors.

2005 D. Harman Digital Photogr. Handbk. ii. 58/1 If your camera allows control over which auto focus (AF) points you can use, select the central AF point and use it to focus.

AFB n. air force base.

ΚΠ

1950 Pop. Mech. Dec. 262/2 This correspondent flew as an observer in a recent high-altitude combat demonstration over Andrews AFB.

2004 J. G. Dunne Nothing Lost i. iii. 127 If the toxins in the infection were militant enough, it could put him on a plane back to Travis AFB.

AFC n. Air Force Cross.

ΚΠ

1919 Whitaker's Almanack 144/1 The Air Force Cross. 1918—A.F.C.—Instituted..for acts of courage or devotion to duty when flying, although not in active operations against the enemy.

1995 E. Wilson Dangerous Sky iii. 26 In February 1970 the AFC was awarded for the first time to a naval officer.

AFC n. U.S. American Football Conference; cf. NFC n. at N n. Initialisms 1.

ΚΠ

1970 Atlanta Daily World 15 Mar. 6/2 Following Cleveland in the AFC are: Kansas City, Pittsburgh..and San Diego.

1995 Hongkong Standard 26 Aug. 20/2 Kansas City Chiefs... Over the past two seasons, RB Marcus Allen has scored more touchdowns than anyone else in the AFC.

2006 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 12 Nov. iii. 2/4 He led all AFC defenders with 25 passes defended last season.

AFC n. British Association Football club.

ΚΠ

1879 Cambr. Rev. 22 Oct. 26/1 For the R.U.F.C. the officers elected are—1st captain, Burnett; 2nd ditto, Payne; secretary Chapman (who is also secretary to the A.F.C.).

2000 M. Herman Purely Belter 98 (stage direct.) The enormous Stadium of Light. Home of Sunderland AFC.

AFC n. Electronics automatic frequency control.

ΚΠ

1934 Electronics Dec. 375/3 Mr. Travis stated that automatic frequency control, or AFC, was only a refinement, perhaps, for superheterodynes used in the broadcast band.

1973 Jrnl. Wildlife Managem. 37 416 EKG's may be received by an FM receiver with good automatic frequency control (afc).

2008 T. Petruzzellis Telephone Projects for Evil Genius xii. 94 The AFC or automatic frequency control of the local oscillator is accomplished using the Varicap diode at D10.

AFI n. American Film Institute.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > [noun] > film institute or organization

BBFC1930

BFI1934

AFI1967

1967 Washington Post 6 June a19/2 Establishment of the long-promised American Film Institute was announced... A private, non-profit corporation, the AFI will have its headquarters in Washington.

1992 Amer. Film Jan. 13/1 Says Gary McVey, festival producer for the AFI, ‘American culture has opened up to international cuisine and music so much in the last 20 years, but, ironically, in film they've gone the opposite direction.’

2007 S. Baumann Hollywood Highbrow iii. 75 There has been controversy since the beginning surrounding the degree to which the AFI should focus on scholarly research and publication.

AFIS n.

Brit.

/ˈeɪfɪs/

U.S.

/ˈeɪfᵻs/

(also Afis) U.S. = automated fingerprint identification system n. at automated adj. Compounds.

ΚΠ

1983 H. Togoh et al. Proc. Conf. on Crime Countermeasures & Security 84/2 The Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) has been developed to solve these problems. It has two main functions: automatic registration and filing; and, automatic matching of latent fingerprints.

1984 Computerworld 19 Mar. 25/1 The $2.6 million Automated Fingerprint Identification System (Afis)..has already resulted in an arrest for a previously unsolved six-year-old murder case.

2003 S. Paretsky Blacklist (2004) 40 They're running your John Doe's prints through AFIS.

AFK adv. colloquial (originally and chiefly in electronic communications) away from (the) keyboard.

ΚΠ

1989 FidoNews 8 May 10 AFK, Away From Keys.]

1990 Re: Smilies collection in rec.humour (Usenet newsgroup) 17 Jan. AFK = Away From Keyboard.

1990 LPMUD Sugg. Rent-a-Stuff Recap in alt.mud (Usenet newsgroup) 14 May As I have been AFK for about a week, I couldn't read alt.mud, would someone please mail me any postings concerning my suggestion?

1990 Toronto Star 15 Oct. c3/5 AFK, Away From Keyboard.

2008 T. Boellstorff Coming of Age in Second Life iv. 108 Often Second Life residents went afk for domestic reasons: to fix dinner for their families, dust the furniture, or spend time with an actual-world spouse.

AFL n. American Federation of Labor.

ΚΠ

1889 Boston Daily Globe 15 Dec. 4/6 We deem it necessary to briefly state the attitude of the A. F. of L. toward that order [sc. the Knights of Labor].]

1890 Conductor & Brakeman Oct. 786/1 From a brief acquaintance with President Gompers we believe the A.F.L. has an able and energetic leader.

1935 Ironwood (Mich.) Daily Globe 28 May 4/8 The effect on wages in private industry would be nil, a circumstance which..presumably does not mitigate against the political correctness of the AFL's position.

2003 C. C. Northrup & E. C. P. Turney Encycl. Tariffs & Trade in U.S. Hist. 14 The AFL merged with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in 1955 to form the present-day AFL-CIO.

AFL n. Australian Football League, the major professional league for Australian Rules football.

ΚΠ

1989 Sunday Mail (S. Austral.) 27 Aug. 153 It [sc. the Victoria Football League] already has announced that it will change its name to the AFL next year.

2005 TNT Mag. 7 Mar. 50/2 Pickett was given a six-match ban,..a penalty that was upheld by the AFL's appeals board last week.

AFM n. Air Force Medal.

ΚΠ

1919 Times 11 Dec. 15/7 Sergeant W. H. Shiers, A.F.M., is also an Adelaide man.

2001 P. Duckers Brit. Gallantry Awards 49 The AFM was rendered obsolete in 1993 when the Air Force Cross was made available to all ranks.

AFS n. now historical Auxiliary Fire Service.

ΚΠ

1938 Times 16 June 13/4 The training uniform for auxiliary firemen consists of blue dungaree overalls, rubber boots, black webbing belt..and an A.F.S. cap.

2003 N. Moss Nineteen Weeks x. 307 Four-fifths of the firemen were members of the AFS, the Auxilliary Fire Service, who joined up for the war, and they had had little experience of firefighting.

AFV n. chiefly U.S. = alternative fuel vehicle n. at alternative adj. and n. Compounds.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > [noun] > motor vehicle > with specific type of engine

one-lunger1908

straight eight1926

V-eight1930

hybrid1967

alternative fuel vehicle1979

AFV1982

1982 N.Y. Times 8 Jan. d2/6 The car, called AFV, for alternative-fuel vehicle, will be on display at the Detroit Auto Show later this month and, if built, would be ‘slightly more expensive’ to buy than conventional gasoline-powered cars.

2003 News & Observer (Raleigh, N. Carolina) (Nexis) 16 June a9 Auto manufacturers also produce a whole array of other AFVs that operate on natural gas, propane and electricity.

AFV n. armoured fighting vehicle.

ΚΠ

1927 Times 15 July 11/5 The expression ‘armoured fighting vehicles’ (A.F.V.) has been added to the Army vocabulary. Something of the sort was needed, in order to distinguish vehicles that are self-contained for actual fighting from those which are used to move the other arms of the Service about.

1942 Wardens' Bull. (City of Oxford Civil Defence) No. 53 18 June 3 Vehicles. Very dark dull grey with dark brown disruptive design. A.F.V.'s have black cross outlined in white.

1969 AFV Profiles xiii. 1 The first tracked AFV's to go into military service in Canada since 1918.

2001 G. McKay & G. Nicholas Jungle Tracks i. 5 To be part of the AFV crew requires a certain sense of being ‘at one’ with the machine.

AG n. Adjutant General.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > leader or commander > officer according to function > [noun] > aide-de-camp or adjutant

corporal of the field1591

general-adjutant1632

adjutant1641

adjutant general1644

agitant1644

aide-de-camp1670

aid-major1670

Adj.1708

aid1761

Adjt.1763

aide1776

D.A.A.G.1899

AG1913

D.A.G.-

1913 W. T. Rogers Dict. Abbrev. 7/1 A.G., Adjutant-General.

1998 I. M. Brown Brit. Logistics on Western Front ii. 48 Had Sir John French not had three consummate professionals as his QMG, AG, and IGC, he might have had a terrible problem on his hands.

AG n. Attorney General.

ΘΚΠ

society > law > legal profession > lawyer > [noun] > state or public law officers

the King's Attorney1414

attorneya1513

attorney-general1533

Solicitor-General1533

city attorney1664

state's attorney1779

AG1814

Official Solicitor1875

1814 J. Campbell Rep. Cases Nisi Prius 3 501 Garrow, A. G., for the defendant, contended that these facts afforded sufficient evidence.

1841 in F. A. Carrington & J. Payne Rep. Cases Nisi Prius IX. 139 Campbell, A.G., opened the case for the Crown, and in his opening said:—This indictment against John Frost consists of four counts.

1889 A. J. Balfour Let. 11 Apr. (Br. Libr. Add. MSS 49827 f. 845) My dear A.G.

1992 J. Batten Class of ‘75 ii. 63 Blacklock articled at the Ontario attorney general's office..and he was offered a job... So were four other students. The AG was seriously short of bodies.

2006 U. Smartt Media Law for Journalists ii. 63 The AG sought injunctions against the Guardian, the Observer and the Sunday Times newspapers.

AGC n. Electronics automatic gain control.

ΚΠ

1933 U.S. Patent 1,905,946 2/1 AGC is an automatic gain control unit.

1978 Pop. Sci. Nov. 107/2 JVC's models have an AGC switch for overly bright or dim scenes; it provides the equivalent of one f-stop compensation.

2005 J. D. Herrington Podcasting Hacks x. 364 AGC can be very useful for untrained recordists, especially nonprofessionals making audio diaries.

AGM n. annual general meeting.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > types of deliberative or legislative assembly > [noun] > of a company or corporation > annual general meeting

annual general meeting1725

AGM1886

1886 J. F. Wilkinson Friendly Soc. Movement ix. 126 The Central Body is known by different titles... In the Manchester Unity the governing body is known as the Annual Movable Committee (A.M.C.); in the Foresters as the High Court (H.C.); in the Rechabites the High Movable Conference (H.M.C.); in the Free Gardeners as the Annual General Meeting (A.G.M.).

1952 Secretaries Jrnl. 2 Aug. 99/2 It is surely not the intention to enable even private companies to hold their A.G.M.'s on paper with the members in various different places.

2006 St James' Parish Mag. (Blackburn) Apr. 3/1 We will meet together at Good Shepherd Church at 5pm for a Bring and Share tea and the AGM followed by our Monthly Service.

AGN n. Astronomy active galactic nucleus (or nuclei).

ΚΠ

1983 Adv. Space Res. 3 111 Somewhat more than 50% of the..viewing time will be devoted to galactic studies..and the remainder to extragalactic studies (AGN, extragalactic supernovae).

2003 New Scientist 25 Oct. 35/2 Because the density of gas on the edge of an AGN accretion disc is millions of times higher than in a typical interstellar cloud, once formation has begun the star matures rapidly.

AGR n. advanced gas-cooled reactor.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > nuclear fission > nuclear reactor > [noun] > cooled by gas

advanced gas-cooled reactor1958

AGR1958

1958 Atom No. 21 11/1 We are already carrying out experiments with a zero energy reactor, NERO, to study the nuclear properties of the A.G.R. reactor.

1983 Listener 14 July 6/1 The American reactor will produce five times as much intermediate waste as the AGR.

1996 Earth Matters Autumn (Suppl.) 2/3 When the expected operational costs and liabilities are taken into account, the company's seven Advanced Gas Cooled Reactors (AGRs) are actually worthless.

AH adv. [graphic abbreviation of post-classical Latin anno Hegirae (1556 or earlier) < classical Latin annō , ablative of annus year (see annals n.) + post-classical Latin Hegirae , genitive of Hegira Hijra n.¹] in the year of the Hijra.

ΚΠ

1621 P. Heylyn Microcosmus 321 (table) A:H.

1788 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall V. lii. 418 The foundations of Bagdad were laid a.h. 145, a.d. 762.

1861 W. Muir Life Mahomet III. xiii. 151 Mahomet marries Haphsa Shában, A.H. III. November A.D. 624.

1940 F. Stark Winter in Arabia iv. 25 It [sc. the wooden minbar] belonged to the year a.h. 693 (1293 a.d.).

2000 Mag. Antiques (Nexis) Mar. 464 These dates, in the Muslim calendar (AH), start with the Hegira, the prophet Muhammad's flight from Mecca to Medina in A.D. 622.

AHA n. Chemistry alpha-hydroxy acid.

ΚΠ

1955 U.S. Patent 2,721,188 39 (table) Percent of rosin based on the wt. of the AHA, estolides, and rosin, percent by weight.

1991 USA Weekend (Nexis) 5 Jan. 24 AHAs are natural—found in sour milk, old wine, fruit and sugar cane—and have none of Retin-A's negative side effects.

2008 Men's Health May 158/1 Used once a week with an exfoliator, an AHA can help you flatten out the topography of wrinkled areas.

AI n. Air Interception; (also) airborne interception.

ΚΠ

1945 Electronic Engin. 17 683 With the Battle of Britain by night must be associated the use of A.I. or Air Interception.

1992 A. Hodgkin Chance & Design (1994) ii. xii. 147 When the fighter was suitably placed the observer would be given the order ‘Flash Weapon’ which would tell him to switch on the AI and complete the interception.

AI n. artificial insemination.

ΚΠ

1945 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 13 Jan. 40/1 We ourselves have used, and in certain respects developed, the technique of artificial insemination (A.I.) during the past five years.

1972 Times 7 Dec. 30/2 The major advantage of AI is that a good bull can be used to sire thousands of daughters.

2006 San Francisco Chron. (Nexis) 29 July a 1 Last year..the club registered 2,828 AI-produced litters [of puppies].

AI n. artificial intelligence.

ΘΚΠ

society > computing and information technology > [noun] > artificial intelligence

artificial intelligence1955

AI1963

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > types of machine generally > [noun] > automatic > artificial or electronic intelligence

ELINT1954

artificial intelligence1955

machine learning1959

AI1963

machine intelligence1966

1963 M. L. Minsky Mathscope: Pt. I 2 A.I. Memo 61.

1991 Omni Mar. 51/1 Truly reactive creatures far more intelligent than any AI systems that have come before.

2009 Kotaku (Nexis) 28 May What about video game characters? They're governed by AI.

AID n. now historical Aeronautical Inspection Directorate (also Department).

ΚΠ

1916 Times 28 July 5/6 Whatever you find belongs to me. It was given to me by the late Colonel Fulton (chief of the Aeronautical Inspection Department) and Mr. Cockburn, one of the present A.I.D. inspectors, can vouch for it.

1998 P. Summerfield Reconstructing Women's Wartime Lives vi. 210 She moved from riveting in an aircraft factory to training and working as a member of the AID, and had plans to join the ATA.

AID n.

Brit.

/eɪd/

U.S.

/eɪd/

U.S. Agency for International Development, established in 1961 to give economic aid to underdeveloped countries.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social attitudes > philanthropy > [noun] > international aid agency

aid agency1856

aid worker1903

AID1961

1961 J. F. Kennedy in N.Y. Times 27 May 2/5 Responsibility..will be assigned to a single agency—the Agency for International Development... The new agency—A.I.D.—will be headed by an administrator of Under Secretary rank.

2003 N. Rush Mortals xiv. 157 He could imagine the AID people saying that this was not what they needed to have shoved down their throats at a memorial service.

AID n. artificial insemination by donor (or with donated semen).

ΚΠ

1945 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 13 Jan. 40/2 (heading) Male sterility and Other Indications for Artificial Insemination with Donated Semen (A.I.D.).

1979 Jrnl. Amer. Med. Assoc. 23 Mar. 1219/2 Although these cases would be rare,..AID prevents any real safeguard against inadvertent inbreeding.

2008 Guardian (Nexis) 20 May (G2 section) 8 I went on a waiting list to have AID (artificial insemination by donor).

AIF n. now historical Australian Imperial Force.

ΚΠ

1915 Sydney Morning Herald 6 Mar. 11/2 J. P. Abbot, B.A., Clerical Division, A.I.F.

1940 War Illustr. 16 Feb. 121 The Second A.I.F.—Australian Imperial Force—consisting of men who have volunteered for service either at home or abroad.

2000 Amer. Hist. Rev. 105 1722/2 There was a continuing problem with the discipline of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF).

AIH n. artificial insemination by husband.

ΚΠ

1945 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 13 Jan. 43/1 In a recent series of 30 successive cases A.I.H. was carried out because of low invasive power of the semen.

1968 New Eng. Jrnl. Med. 7 Mar. 552/2 The use of homologous artificial insemination (AIH).

2002 Fordham Urban Law Jrnl. (Nexis) 1 Nov. AIH accounts for a small proportion of artificial insemination cases.

AIM n. (also Aim) British Stock Market Alternative Investment Market.

ΚΠ

1994 Herald (Glasgow) 7 Sept. 15/4 The idea behind AIM is to make entry as easy and cheap as possible while preserving some basic safeguards for investors.

1995 Daily Tel. 2 May 22/1 Aim, the new small companies market.

2007 Independent 29 Nov. (Extra section) 10/5 We absolutely are a commercial, for profit organisation and we wouldn't be able to go into the AIM if we weren't.

AIM n.

Brit.

/eɪm/

U.S.

/eɪm/

U.S. American Indian Movement.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social attitudes > patriotism > nationalism > [noun] > other spec. > movement or ideal

cultural nationalism1914

American dream1916

pan-Indianism1945

AIM1971

1971 Minneapolis Tribune 16 Aug. 12/2 The occupation began..when 25 Indians, most of them members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) broke a window.

2009 Sunday Oregonian (Portland, Oregon) (Nexis) 19 Apr. Eyre was a beneficiary of the movement: ‘I got a lot of my education through programs that came out of AIM activism,’ he said.

AK n. [ < the initial letters of alte kacker n.] U.S. slang (originally Theatre) (now rare) = alte kacker n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > person > old person > old man > [noun]

old maneOE

bevara1275

beauperec1300

vieillard1475

Nestor?c1510

old gentleman1526

haga1529

velyarda1529

old fellow?1555

old sire1557

granfer1564

vecchioc1570

ageman1571

grave-porer1582

grandsire1595

huddle-duddle1599

elder1600

pantaloon1602

cuffc1616

crone1630

old boya1637

codger?1738

dry-beard1749

eld1796

patriarch1819

oubaas1824

old chap1840

pap1844

pop1844

tad1877

old baas1882

senex1898

finger1904

AK1911

alte kacker1911

poppa stoppa1944

madala1960

Ntate1975

1911 Variety 16 Sept. 8/2 The organization of vaudeville agents..would vote to discard the appellation of ‘agent’..and become known as ‘theatrical brokers’... Many agents familiarly known as the ‘A. K.'s’ (alter kokers)..would be classed by themselves.

1920 Variety 27 Aug. 7/1 (headline) Thorek cuts out goat gland optimism. Theatrical surgeon says, goat and monkey N.G. for A.K.

1931 I. Gershwin Entrance of Supreme Court Judges in Compl. Lyrics (1993) 180/2 They're..the A.K.s who give the O.K.s!

1943 A. Halper Only Inch from Glory vi. 73 Nah, I'm an A.K., I'm thirty-five.

1966 I. Faust Steagle 140 It's all the A.K.s lookin' for a handout like my brother Milton.

AK n. [ < Russian AK, initialism < avtomat Kalašnikova Kalashnikov's automatic (see kalashnikov n.)] an automatic kalashnikov rifle; esp. (more fully AK-47) a model of this rifle, first manufactured in 1947.

ΚΠ

1963 T. Nelson World's Submachine Guns I. 22 The end result was that the Avtomat Kalashnikov (AK), which is, in the opinion of many students of contemporary small arms design, the finest weapon in its class in the world.

1970 Bull. Concerned Asian Scholars 2 85 All of the 50 or so Cambodian soldiers present are carrying Chinese-made, Soviet designed AK-47 rifles.

1978 T. O'Brien Going after Cacciato xiv. 89 Stink said it didn't sound like an AK, anyway. ‘No crack,’ he said.

1996 E. Afr. Standard (Nairobi) 23 May 1/6 How do you expect a policeman, who is confronted by a criminal brandishing an AK47 rifle, to behave?

AKC n. American Kennel Club.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping dogs or cats > [noun] > keeping or affinity with dogs > Kennel Club

AKC1885

1885 Amer. Kennel Reg. 6 28 No awards will be recognized except those made by members of the A. K. C.

1939 N.Y. Times 23 July x. 3/4 Twenty-six of the country's best-known ring critics will award an array of trophies... A feature will be the A. K. C. obedience trial classes.

2004 Dog World Oct. 24/2 How to integrate these non-registered, non-pedigreed dogs into the AKC gene pool?

AL n. Baseball American League; cf. NL n. at N n. Initialisms 1.

ΚΠ

1908 Chicago Tribune 9 Feb. ii. 1/4 Jones is quite confident that the White Sox will win the A.L. pennant this year.

1991 M. Pappas in J. Eisenberg From 33rd Street to Camden Yards vii. 63 The AL hadn't caught up with the NL as far as blacks were concerned, and they finally made an effort in the early '60s to start signing more black players.

2009 San Francisco Chron. (Nexis) 30 June d2 On the national front, it's still silly that the All-Star Game and not interleague play determines World Series home-field advantage. The AL usually gets the nod either way.

AL n. autograph letter.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > writing > written text > [noun] > in person's own hand

chirograph1483

autograph1605

holograph1623

idiograph1623

autograph letter1769

AL1868

1868 Hist. Mag. Nov. 256/2 A. L. (third person) 1. p. 4to.

1967 J. Y. Simon Papers of Ulysses S. Grant I. p. xxxiii AL Autograph Letter.

2006 R. A. Hill Marcus Garvey & Universal Negro Improvem. Assoc. Papers X. 16 AL, draft copy.

ALA phr. (also A.L.A., a.l.a., ala) British (in personal advertisements) all letters answered.

ΚΠ

1974 Gay News 28 Mar. 18/1 Gay male, 26, wishes to make new friends... Please write. Photo appreciated. ALA.

1987 Time Out 21 Oct. 119/1 Colin ‘lookalike’ is looking for his Barry. Is it you?.. Photo/phone. a.l.a.

2008 A. Lister Swingers: Female Confidential 7 First Timers Seek Similar—she bi-curious and eager to find out more. ALA.

ALP n. Australian Labour Party.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > rule or government > politics > other national politics > [noun] > specific parties in Australia

Liberal Party1814

ALP1922

U.A.P.1936

1922 Round Table Mar. 409 The federal conference of the A.L.P., held at Perth in June, 1918.

1973 Nation Rev. (Melbourne) 31 Aug. 1434/1 Will the ALP grow a new set of wings?

2003 Austral. Financial Rev. (Sydney) 20 Oct. 3/1 The Victorian ALP faces months of infighting over renewed allegations of branch stacking in a string of federal seats.

ALS n. Associate of the Linnean Society.

ΚΠ

1793 Mem. Sci. & Arts 1 75 Mr. Thomas Hoy, of Gordon Castle. A. L. S.

1891 Gardeners' Chron. 17 Jan. 76/3 Mycologist, Dr. M. C. Cooke, M.A., A.L.S.

2002 Your Professional Qualification (Times) 43/1 The Linnean Society of London... Associate (ALS): Restricted to persons aged 18–29.

ALS n. (also ALs, Als) autograph letter signed.

ΚΠ

1851 Puttick & Simpson Catal. 29 July Autograph Letters 1, Letters autograph and signed are thus marked ‘A.L.s.’

1909 First Editions Amer. Authors: Libr. of F. Maier 191 Laid in is a 2 pp. A.L.S. regarding the forwarding of Stevenson's writings.

1981 V. Klinkenborg et al. Brit. Literary Manuscripts 264/1 Aird, Thomas, 1802–1876. Als (2) 1853, 1858 to Mr Ebsworth.

2006 J. Liberkowski US Presidents: Guide to Authenticating Autographs 10 Autograph Note Signed—basically the same as an ALS but shorter.

ALU n. Computing arithmetic and logic(al) unit.

ΘΚΠ

society > computing and information technology > hardware > [noun] > central processing unit > arithmetic and logic unit

arithmetic (and logic or logical) unit1946

ALU1956

1956 IRE Trans. Electronic Computers 5 220/2 Switching circuits which permit only the addressed character to be transmitted from the memory buffer register to the ALU.

1984 Byte Jan. 135/1 A basic operation of the ALU will be to accept two 16-bit inputs and to produce a 32-bit product.

2001 P. J. Bentley Digital Biol. ii. 38 The ALU follows the rules of addition embedded in its circuitry and calculates the correct answer.

AM n. Albert Medal.

ΚΠ

1918 Times 6 Sept. 3/2 It is notified in Army Orders that officers..who have been awarded the Albert Medal are now entitled to add the distinctive letters ‘A.M.’ after their names.

2005 C. McCreery Order of Canada p. xviii. (table) British Bravery Decorations. AM Albert Medal. GM George Medal [etc.].

AM n. Radio amplitude modulation; cf. F.M. n. at F n. Initialisms 3a.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > broadcasting > radio broadcasting > [noun] > radio transmission

AM1939

1939 Fortune Oct. 86/3 In a clumsy attempt to blank out static in its service area an AM station must increase the strength of its signal to thirty or forty times greater than the strength of the noise.

1962 E. Snow Other Side of River (1963) xlvi. 352 The hi-fi set and typewriter have already been stolen and only a worthless AM set remains.

2006 Church Times 17 Nov. 15/2 The transfer of the Daily Service at 9.45 a.m. from AM/FM to Long Wave disenfranchised many of us.

A.M. adv. [graphic abbreviation of post-classical Latin anno mundi in the year of the world (11th cent.)] used before (or occasionally after) a date to indicate that it comes the specified number of years after the creation of the world, according to biblical chronology.

ΚΠ

1596 T. Bell Suruey Popery iii. i. 94 (table) A.M. 3426.

1651 C. Hoole Latine Gram. i. 8 A.M. Anno mundi, In the year of the World.

1784 P. Oliver Script. Lexicon 2 The second son of Adam, who was slain by his brother Cain; supposed to be slain, A.M. 130.

1865 W. A. Baker Day & Hour x. 144 Archbishop Usher..places the nativity in the year A.M. 4000 and the nativity in the year A.M. 4004.

1987 J. T. Fraser Time, Familiar Stranger ii. 93 Putting it all together, today fills in the year 5747 a.m. (Anno Mundi, as calculated in the Jewish and traditional Christian chronology).

A.M. n. [graphic abbreviation of post-classical Latin artium magister (1440 in a British source)] now chiefly U.S. Master of Arts (cf. M.A. n. at M n. Initialisms 2a).

ΚΠ

1664 T. Lawrence Mercurius Centralis (title page) Sent in a Letter to Thomas Brown, M.D. By Tho. Lawrence, A.M.

1684 T. Creech tr. Theocritus Idylliums sig. A2 To His Honoured Friend Arthur Charlet A.M. Fellow of Trinity College in Oxon.

1726 W. Law Absolute Unlawfulness Stage-entertainment (title page) The absolute unlawfulness of the stage-entertainment fully demonstrated. By William Law, A.M.

1837 Confessions of French Catholic Priest (title page) Edited by Samuel F. B. Morse, A.M. Professor, &c. &c., in the University of the City of New-York.

1915 C. E. Hughes in Sesquicentennial Brown University 185 The repute of the University was being endangered by the low standard of scholarship required for the degrees of A.M. and A.B.

1995 B. Edmonston & C. Schultze Modernizing U.S. Census 459 She has an A.M. degree in Sociology from the University of Chicago.

AM n. British Assembly Member; (the official abbreviation in English for) a member of the Welsh Assembly; cf. MWA n. at M n. Initialisms 3.

ΚΠ

1999 EGi Web News Newswire (Nexis) 10 May [She]..has been elected to the New National Assembly for Wales as the Labour AM (Assembly Member) for Cardiff North.

2006 S. Wales Echo (Nexis) 29 Apr. 1 The Pontypridd AM was at an awards presentation at Tonyrefail Primary School.

AM n. Member of the Order of Australia.

ΚΠ

1976 Titles & Forms of Addr. (ed. 15) 2 A.M... Member of the Order of Australia.

2008 M. D. Prentis Conc. Compan. Aboriginal Hist. 79 He was awarded the AM in 1993.

AMA n. American Medical Association.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > medical services and administration > [noun] > American Medical Association

AMA1849

1849 N.Y. Jrnl. Med. 2 122 Alfred Stille, Henry J. Bowditch, Sec's of A.M.A.

1878 St. Louis Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 35 44 We propose..to present this plan to the next meeting of the A.M.A.

1911 Sunset Sept. 284/1 Now and then the ducks left their pond and waddled pompously across the lawn, as if to let the A.M.A. know that the ‘quacks’ had a right to membership, too.

1959 New Statesman 13 June 833/3 One cannot help wondering whether obstruction by the AMA has played any part in preventing Eckstein's book from being published earlier.

2004 Science 3 Dec. 1649 The AMA had urged the institutional review boards (IRBs) that review trial protocols to require such registration before approval of a drug.

AMD n. Medicine age-related (also adult) macular degeneration.

ΚΠ

1984 Arch. Ophthalmol. 102 1640/1 Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the four most common causes of severe visual loss in this country.

2006 J. C. Folk & M. E. Wilkinson Protect your Sight i. 1 The risk of AMD sky-rockets with advancing age.

AMDG n. [graphic abbreviation of post-classical Latin ad maiorem Dei gloriam (6th cent.)] to the greater glory of God (esp. as a motto of the Jesuits).

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > [adverb] > to the greater glory of God

ad majorem Dei gloriam1660

AMDG1814

society > faith > church government > monasticism > religious order > Society of Jesus > [adverb] > motto of

ad majorem Dei gloriam1660

AMDG1965

1814 Orthodox Jrnl. May 178/2 To the Editor of the Orthodox Journal. A. M. D. G.

1837 S. F. B. Morse Confessions French Catholic Priest 231 Such is the spirit of those histories; and the Jesuits entitle their works A.M.D.G., viz.—‘Ad majorem Dei gloriam’,—(to the greatest glory of God).

1877 E. S. Dallas Kettner's Bk. of Table 279 Another liqueur, Bénédictine..is consecrated with the letters A.M.D.G. (Ad majorem Dei gloriam).

1965 N. Freeling Criminal Conversat. ii. xiii. 148 We had to write at the top of the page..the Jesuit motto A.M.D.G.

1999 W. W. Meissner To Greater Glory xviii. 312 The motto..has become synonymous with..Jesuits the world over. Hardly a logo or banner..representing the Society does not carry the familiar AMDG.

AMG n. Allied Military Government (cf. AMGOT n.).

ΚΠ

1943 Amer. Notes & Queries 3 86/2 AMG. Not long after AMGOT (Allied Military Government of Occupied Territories) first appeared in print it was denounced as an unprintable Turkish word. Immediately the War Department shortened the form to AMG (Allied Military Governments).

2004 H. Mitgang Newsmen in Khaki vi. 82 Even before the AMG landed in Sicily, conflicts arose about how to run the defeated Axis nation.

AMP n. Biochemistry adenosine monophosphate (adenylic acid).

ΚΠ

1943 Jrnl. Biol. Chem. 148 136 2 ADP ⇌ ATP + AMP.

1968 J. H. Burn Lect. Notes Pharmacol. (ed. 9) 65 Cyclic AMP is broken down by phosphodiesterase to the inactive 5-AMP.

2005 C. de Duve Singularities xii. 156 The group has recently described the phosphorylation of AMP to ADP and ATP in a similar system.

AMPA n. Biochemistry alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid, an excitatory amino acid which acts as an agonist at a particular class of glutamate receptor; frequently attributive, designating receptors of this class.

ΚΠ

1972 Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 261 106 Phosphonoacetic acid was degraded by the Schmidt reaction to CO₂ and AMPA.

1998 Sci. Amer. Apr. 22/2 Without GluR2 sub-units, AMPA receptors become calcium permeable and so key players in excitotoxic cell death.

2008 N.Y. Times 24 Feb. (Washington Final ed.) 10/3 Because glutamate is so central to the brain's activity, directly blocking or triggering the NMDA and AMPA receptors can be very dangerous.

AMRAAM n.

Brit.

/ˈamram/

U.S.

/ˈæmˌræm/

(also Amraam) U.S. Military advanced medium range air-to-air missile.

ΚΠ

1979 Wall St. Jrnl. 5 Feb. 10 The Amraam will succeed the Raytheon Sparrow Aim 7 missile as the U.S. medium-range air-combat missile.

2009 Atlantic Monthly Mar. 67/1 A small country can buy a MiG-21 on the world weapons market..and outfit it with ‘launch and leave’ missiles comparable to the AMRAAM.

AMS n. Medicine acute mountain sickness.

ΚΠ

1969 Federation Proc. (Federation Amer. Soc. Exper. Biol.) 28 1085/1 As a working definition, we consider AMS to be a syndrome or symptom complex which occurs to some degree in all unacclimatized individuals who rapidly ascend to high terrestrial elevations.

2004 Global May 54/2 The secret to beating AMS (acute mountain sickness) is acclimatisation.

AMT n. U.S. alternative minimum tax.

ΚΠ

1979 Hutchinson (Kansas) News 15 July c3/3 The new AMT exempts the first $20,000 of income, but levies a tax of 10 percent or $2,000 on his total income of $40,000.

2007 Wall St. Jrnl. 16 Feb. a12/1 He wouldn't necessarily object if Democrats passed a ‘revenue neutral’ bill cutting taxes paid under AMT and raising them elsewhere to offset the money that would be lost to the Treasury.

amu n. Physics atomic mass unit.

ΚΠ

1954 Science 24 Dec. 1078/2 (table) Proposed symbols for units..Atomic mass unit..amu..1 amu=931 Mev.

1988 H. A. Klein Sci. Measurem. xx. 207 The amu (physical) is 0.03 percent less than the amu (international).

2008 J. E. House Inorg. Chem. xiii. 423 Naturally occurring boron consists of approximately 20% of ¹⁰B and 80% of ¹¹B, leading to an average atomic mass of 10·8 amu.

AN n. autograph note.

ΚΠ

1915 Catal. Literary Treasures Libr. Gen. Brayton Ives No. 788 Monroe (James). A. N. third person, 1p. 12mo, undated.

1963 J. F. Hopkins Papers of Henry Clay IV. 22 AN. MHi-Adams Papers. Addressed: ‘The Honble J. Q. Adams. Present’.

1990 J. J. Benson New Crit. Approaches to Short Stories of E. Hemingway 469 (note) Ms 716 is an autograph note (AN), JFK.

2006 S. K. Gragert & M. J. Johansson Papers Will Rogers IV. 59 (table) AN Autograph note.

ANC n. African National Congress.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > rule or government > politics > African politics > [noun] > South African politics > specific parties

remskoen party1898

S.A.P.1920

African National Congress1923

OB1940

Ossewa Brandwag1940

U.P.1943

ANC1952

1952 Rand Daily Mail (Johannesburg) 27 Nov. 12 The recommendations were adopted by the conference of the A.N.C. and S.A.I.C., and the course of action followed during the defiance campaign was mainly that prescribed in these recommendations.

1984 Daily Tel. 24 Mar. 16/1 For many years the ANC was a peaceful organisation dedicated to changing South Africa through non-violent means.

2009 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 12 Feb. 28/2 The ANC's spokesperson..told me that the government has built 2.8 million houses since 1994.

ANF n. Biochemistry atrial natriuretic factor.

ΚΠ

1983 FEBS Lett. 164 286 ANF is localized in the granules of the atrial cardiocytes.

2005 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A 102 18039/1 The ANF promoter serves as a target of cardiac-specific and stress-dependent gene regulation.

ANP n. Biochemistry atrial natriuretic peptide.

ΚΠ

1984 Biochem. & Biophysical Res. 124 816 Rat atrial peptide, α-rat ANP.

2008 Boston Globe (Nexis) 21 Apr. c1 As the heart works harder, the body produces more ANP, which helps control the brain's response to stress and anxiety.

ANS n. autograph note signed.

ΚΠ

1864 Priced Catal. of Autographs, Relics & Curiosities 5 A.N.S., Autograph note signed.

1912 F. K. Walter Abbrev. & Techn. Terms Bk. Catal. 1 A.N.S. Autograph note signed.

2001 P. Olleson Lett. Samuel Wesley 33 ANS, 1p. (Private collection of Cynthia Comyn).

ANS n. Physiology autonomic (or automatic) nervous system.

ΚΠ

1962 T. G. Hiebert Abbrev. Basic Med. Physiol. (ed. 4) i. i. 2 The Automatic Nervous System (ANS).

1978 Science 31 Mar. 1413/3 Other neurons of the parasympathetic portion of the ANS.

2003 P. Ekman Emotions Revealed iv. 63 Different patterns of ANS activity for each of the emotions we have examined.

ANSI n.

Brit.

/ˈansi/

U.S.

/ˈænsi/

American National Standards Institute.

ΚΠ

1969 Mag. of Standards Oct. 162 It will be appearing from now on as the identifying mark on all American National Standards published by the Institute...ansi.

1981 InfoWorld 19 Oct. 17/1 ANSI sets the standards for light bulbs and innumerable other items whose uniformity most of us take for granted.

2008 D. M. Etter & J. A. Ingber Engin. Probl. Solving with C++ (ed. 2) ii. 45 A total of 128 characters can be represented in the ANSI code.

AO n. Officer of the Order of Australia.

ΚΠ

1976 Titles & Forms of Addr. (ed. 15) 2 A.O... Officer of the Order of Australia.

2008 M. D. Prentis Conc. Compan. Aboriginal Hist. 97 She was awarded an MBE and an AO and was Australian of the Year in 1971.

AOB n. any other business (at the end of the agenda for a meeting).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > topic, subject-matter > materials of topic > [noun] > of meeting > unlisted item

any other business1910

AOB1946

1946 Chem. & Industry 25 May 205/2 Under A.O.B., Dr. Vickers moved a vote of thanks to Mr. E. M. Myers for his services as Hon. Secretary during the past ten years; this was seconded by Prof. H. L. Riley.

1963 W. H. Scott et al. Coal & Confl. iv. 169 The secretary..claimed that if ‘AOB’ was heard earlier, members would leave as soon as it was completed.

2007 Evening Herald (Plymouth) (Nexis) 4 Sept. 4 The board agreed to withdraw AOB from its agenda as the chair's items covers any necessary issues board members need to include.

AOC n. (with reference to wine, or some foods) appellation d'origine contrôlée.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > wine > class or grade of wine > [noun] > satisfying regulations

appellation d'origine1939

appellation contrôlée1950

AOC1957

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée1965

typicity1975

the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > wine > class or grade of wine > [adjective] > satisfying regulations

AOC1957

1957 L. W. Marrison Wines & Spirits v. 97 Cognac and armagnac are also covered by A.O.C.'s.

1984 Times 4 Oct. 1/5 It is still too early to predict..what the quality of the AOC wines will be like.

2000 S. Fallon & M. Rothschild World Food: France (Lonely Planet Guide) 54 Fourme d'Ambert (AOC) is a very mild cow's milk cheese from Rhône-Alpes.

AONB n. area of outstanding natural beauty (cf. S.S.S.I. n. at S n.¹ Initialisms 1).

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > land > landscape > [noun] > type of

beauty spot1846

picturesque1852

moonscape1907

mudscape1908

postcard land1918

cultural landscape1919

dunescape1928

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty1949

wirescape1951

AONB1957

Marlboro Country1961

roofscaping1962

1957 Ann. Rep. Council Preserv. Rural Eng. 1956–7 32/1 The Breckland area of Norfolk and Suffolk has also been considered..for designation as an A.O.N.B. but rejected as unsuitable.

2006 Build It May 125/1 Paul's house is outside a conservation area, AONB and a national park.

AOSIS n. (also Aosis) Alliance of Small Island States, a coalition of small island and coastal countries founded in 1990 to lobby for restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions and other (industrial) activities thought to contribute to climate change and consequent rises in sea level.

ΚΠ

1990 Nature 15 Nov. 188/1 AOSIS would ‘be extremely firm in the negotiations to come’, pushing for limits on carbon dioxide emissions from the industrialized countries.

1995 Guardian 25 Mar. 4/6 Some countries would disappear altogether. Thirty-six of them have joined in an alliance, AOSIS, and demanded a 20 per cent cut by 2005 in 1990 levels of carbon dioxide emissions.

2009 Cape Argus (Nexis) 19 Aug. 9 An analysis by Aosis of emissions reduction pledges made thus far had revealed that these would achieve just 10 to 16 percent of the required cuts to meet the 2°C target.

AP n. (also A/P) accounts payable.

ΚΠ

1893 L. L. Williams & F. E. Rogers New Theoret. & Pract. Bk.-keeping 201 Enter in A. P. B.]

1929 S. E. Howard ABC of Accounting viii. 109 Similarly the account A P (Accounts Payable) has been introduced in the general ledger (A) for the many individual accounts with trade creditors.

1994 C. R. Malburg Accounting for New Business ii. 36 The A/P subledger pays each payable when due.

2007 M. S. Schaeffer Controller & CFO's Guide Accts. Payable vii. 107 The customer believes that the time starts when the invoice hits the AP department, whereas the vendor starts counting on the date on the invoice.

AP n. North American Education advanced placement, a programme of college-level coursework offered to high school students; frequently attributive.

ΚΠ

1958 Friends Jrnl. 5 Apr. 215/2 The real advantage which an A.P. student gains by qualifying for one or more sophomore courses in his first year is the time for more advanced work in his chosen field or for courses in other fields which normally could not be fitted into his schedule.

2003 D. A. Cantu & W. J. Warren Teaching Hist. Digital Classroom xvii. 283 In 2001, over 820,000 students took thirty-five AP exams in nineteen subject areas.

AP n. Associated Press.

ΚΠ

1879 Chicago Tribune 4 Mar. 5/4 Now, the A.P. may be a very wicked institution, but a ‘Monopoly’ it is not.

1947 Mem. Evid. Submitted to Royal Comm. on Press i. 14 The full A.P. service is provided to Press Association and a selection of items is distributed to subscribers in this country.

2004 Wall St. Jrnl. 20 Aug. (Central ed.) a8/2 Depending on the service and phone, you'll receive four to six short text messages a day culled from the AP..and a 20- to 25-second audio clip.

AP n. attachment parenting (see attachment parenting n. at attachment n. Compounds 2b).

ΚΠ

1996 Re: New Mailing List about Attachm. Parenting in misc.kids (Usenet newsgroup) 30 July I no longer feel constrained to do anything recommended by AP advocates if it doesn't fit well with my instincts or my child.

2007 Corkman (Nexis) 11 Oct. The philosophy of AP encourages responsive contact between parent and child and encourages the practices of breastfeeding, co-sleeping and babywearing.

2016 www.mumsnet.com 19 Aug. (forum post, accessed 12 June 2017) Read the rules of any FB group you join and comply with them... If you're in an AP group you can't possibly be surprised that they don't support sleep training.

APB n. U.S. all-points bulletin (see all adj., pron., n., adv., and conj. Phrases 6a).

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > broadcasting > radio broadcasting > [noun] > radio service > radio alert broadcast

all-points bulletin1936

APB1953

1953 Athens Messenger (Ohio) 29 Sept. 4/6 Get me a copy of that picture just going out on an APB.

1979 A. Hailey Overload (new ed.) iv. xvii. 382 A man..drove away in a Volkswagen van half an hour before the place was raided. The police have issued an APB for the van.

2005 Independent 23 June 45/4 There is no documented evidence of McDonald's death, and an APB put out on her in America has yielded nothing.

APC n. Military armoured personnel carrier.

ΚΠ

1954 Newport (Rhode Island) Daily News 2 June 8/3 Immediately behind them waddled a line of APCs, carrying a full infantry platoon behind.

2006 D. J. Blasko Chinese Army 127 As an APC it can carry up to 20 troops; it can also mount or tow anti-tank guns or artillery.

APC n. Pharmacology a medicinal preparation containing aspirin, phenacetin (later replaced by paracetamol), and caffeine, used as an analgesic and antipyretic; a dose of this, typically in the form of a powder or tablet.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines for specific purpose > febrifuge or antipyretic > [noun] > others

dragon-water1607

Goa stone1681

spirit of Mindererus1772

kairine1883

acetophenetidin1888

phenacetin1888

pyrodin1888

thalline1888

phenocoll1891

iodopyrin1892

tolypyrin1893

triphenin1896

pyramidon1898

aspirin1899

phenazone1899

thermodin1899

APC1930

Panadol1955

paracetamol1957

1930 Chemist & Druggist 27 Dec. 793/1 A.P.C. mixture.—Acetylsalicylic acid... Phenacetin... Caffeine.

1970 G. Jackson Let. 30 Mar. in Soledad Brother (1971) 200 When I ask for medication the M.T.A. gives me an APC or two.

2003 Cairns (Queensland) Post (Nexis) 25 Oct. 37 The powerful APC (aspirin, phenacetin, caffeine) powders were so highly addictive that some women swallowed up to 50 a day.

API n. American Petroleum Institute (used esp. with reference to a scale, developed by the Institute, for expressing the relative density of oil).

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > drilling for oil or gas > [noun] > scale of oil density

API1922

1922 Circular U.S. Bureau of Standards 13 July 4 The American Petroleum Institute, the Bureau of Mines, and the Bureau of Standards have agreed that a scale based on the modulus 141.5 shall be used in the United States petroleum industry and shall be known as the A. P. I. scale.

1958 Times Rev. Industry June 59/1 Crude oil prices are usually quoted on a scale..the heavier oil commanding..say 2 cents a barrel for each degree A.P.I. more than the lighter.

2001 FHM Feb. 72/3 Make sure that the oil spec (its API or ACEA grade) is at least that recommended by your car's manufacturer.

API n. Computing application programming (or program) interface, a set of routines, protocols, and tools designed to allow the development of applications that can utilize or operate in conjunction with a given item of software, set of data, website, etc.ⓘSee also application programming interface n. at application n. Compounds 2a.

ΚΠ

1982 Computerworld 29 Nov. 87 It also includes the Application Program Interface (API), a host facility that allows user-written CICS applications to access Disoss document-related functions.

1996 Linux Jrnl. Dec. 38/1 New features include API apprentice, which reduces complicated API calls down to filling out a dialog box.

2009 Guardian (Nexis) 12 Mar. (Technol. section) 6 Third parties using Twitter's API have developed a huge range of services and applications.

APL n. [initialism < associative programming language, but now often explained as initialism < A Programming Language, the title of a 1962 book by K. E. Iverson (1920–2004), who devised the mathematical notation which was developed into the programming language] Computing a high-level programming language, typically used for mathematical computations.

ΘΚΠ

society > computing and information technology > programming language > [noun] > high-level language > language

Fortran1956

Algol1959

Lisp1959

Cobol1960

BASIC1964

SNOBOL1964

PL/I1965

APL1966

Pascal1971

C1973

LOGO1976

Prolog1977

Ada1979

C++1984

Perl1987

Java1995

JavaScript1995

1966 Proc. AFIPS Conf. 29 677/2 APL was conceived at the General Motors Research Laboratories to satisfy the need for convenient data handling techniques in a high-level language. Standing for associative programming language, it is designed to be embedded in PL/I as an aid to the user dealing with data structures in which associations are expressed.

1984 N.Y. Times 8 Jan. xii. 7/3 He taught himself how to program by sitting at a terminal with a book on APL.

2003 G. Perry Absolute Beginner's Guide to Programming (ed. 3) iii. 58 APL (which stands for A Programming Language) is a highly mathematical programming language developed by IBM.

APP n. Biochemistry amyloid precursor protein.

ΚΠ

1988 Internat. Jrnl. Developmental Neurosci. 6 387 The precursor of the beta-amyloid peptide (APP)..participates in the formation of neuritic plaques in human brains affected by Alzheimer's disease.

2007 A. de Grey & M. Rae Ending Aging viii. 138 Some people produce unusually large amounts of beta-amyloid because they have inherited mutations that..cause their bodies to produce too much of APP itself.

APR n. annual(ized) percentage rate (of interest on money lent on credit).

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > management of money > income, revenue, or profit > profit > [noun] > return from capital or investment > interest > rate of

coupon1822

APR1972

1972 Pop. Mech. Mar. 79/2 APR is a big help because it gives borrowers a uniform price base to work with while shopping.

2003 Which? July 37/5 Most companies charge you extra for paying by instalments—we show you the annual percentage rate (APR) that they charge.

APS n. Photography Advanced Photo or (Photographic) System, a film system in which film of 24 mm width is enclosed in a cartridge for easy loading into a compatible camera, the image produced on the negative being 30·2 × 16·7 mm in size.A distinctive feature of APS is the ability to record information such as shutter speed, aperture setting, or the date the photograph was taken, in addition to the image. A typical APS camera can also record which of the three formats (of differing aspect ratio) supported by the system an image should be printed in.APS is a proprietary name in the United States.

ΚΠ

1994 Science 3 Sept. 22/1 All five companies involved..have pledged not to disclose any details about the film, called the advanced photographic system (APS).

2007 Guardian (Nexis) 27 Oct. (Suppl.) 17 APS (Advanced Photo System) was perhaps film's last stand, with its choice of three formats including a 3:1 panoramic.

APT n. advanced passenger train.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > train > passenger train > high-speed

bullet train1966

advanced passenger train1967

APT1967

Shinkansen1968

Metroliner1969

TGV1980

sprinter1984

1967 Times 12 Sept. 9/5 If the hovertrain looks promising, the A.P.T. looks equally so, and poor old deficit-ridden B.R. should not be kept waiting for the funds.

2001 Mod. Railways Feb. 36/3 This is a live question for Railtrack in Britain, where we have negligible experience from the ill-fated APT, but a major construction programme for Virgin Trains presently under way.

APU n. auxiliary power unit.

ΚΠ

1944 Aero Digest 15 Aug. 92/2 (caption) The auxiliary power unit is installed in the hull and has an integral fuel tank, bilge pump and generator... A.P.U. engine.

2002 J. W. Hall Blackwater Sound ii. 29 She was thinking of the flare and touchdown, rotating ten degrees nose high, she was thinking of the APU and engine fire handles that she would have to override.

APY n. annual percentage yield (of interest on deposited funds).

ΚΠ

1973 R. L. D. Morse Let. 18 June in FTC Jurisdict. Financial Inst.: Hearings before U.S. Senate Banking Comm. (93rd U.S. Congr., 1st Sess.) 147 Under present conditions all three rates (APY, APR and PPR) are required.

2009 New Yorker 12 Oct. 47 (advt.) The Annual Percentage Yield (APY) and balance for a Premier Checking Account..is 0.01% APY on balances of $5.00 or more.

AR n. (also A/R) accounts receivable.

ΚΠ

1915 C. Rittenhouse Elem. Acct. 67 Three Ledger folio columns are provided,..headed respectively, A.R. Folio (Accounts Receivable), C.C.D. Folio (Clients' Cash Disbursements), and C.C.S. Folio (Clients' Cash Suspense).

1983 InfoWorld 19 Sept. 35/3 GL-Plus clears the monthly journal, the completely paid A/R and the completely paid A/P.

2007 S. Discenza in S. B. Buchbinder & N. H. Shanks Introd. Health Care Managem. viii. 219 Management of AR becomes exceedingly important in order to collect revenues generated to insure cash flow.

AR n. Autonomous Region; Autonomous Republic.

ΚΠ

1973 G. Moseley Consolidation South China Frontier vii. 157 The Tay Bac ar embraces an area equivalent to three provinces in the mountains between the Red River valley and the Laotian frontier.

1988 M. A. Jazayery & W. Winter Langs. & Culture 689 In the territory of the Georgian SSR are located the Abkhas and Adjar ARs and the South-Ossetian AD.

2005 A. Baschieri et al. Creating Poverty Map for Azerbaijan World Bank Working Paper 10 Poverty rates..are higher in urban areas compared to rural areas, the highest poverty incidence being found in Nakhchivan AR.

A.R.A. n. British Associate of the Royal Academy.

ΚΠ

1805 Eclectic Rev. June 477/1 Designs for cottages, &c.; by J. Gandy, A. R. A.

2002 W. Baker W. Collins's Libr. 170 The Peaceful Thames, after F. Walker, A. R. A. by C. Waltner.

ARC n. Medicine AIDS-related complex.

ΚΠ

1984 AIDS Res. 1 211 Homosexual patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related complex (ARC).

2005 Independent (Nexis) 10 Sept. 20 Her symptoms were those of pneumonia, but blood tests showed she had Aids related complex (ARC), a precursor to Aids.

ARM n. adjustable-rate mortgage.

ΚΠ

1980 Hartford (Connecticut) Courant 29 June 40 (advt.) To find out more about ARM or any of our other mortgage plans, visit a nearby Society office today.

2009 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 12 Feb. 16/2 Bankers and mortgage brokers promoted..the adjustable rate mortgage, or ARM, in order to lower mortgage payments temporarily to levels that might seem well within the means of lower-income buyers.

ARP n. Finance adjustable-rate preferred; cf. preferred n.

ΚΠ

1985 Amer. Dental Assoc. News 4 Nov. 7/1 While market conditions will affect the price of the ARP, the interest rate swing has less impact on its value because the security's dividend will be adjusted upward to reflect the change in interest rates.

2002 R. Conrad Power Hungry xi. 241 The best time to buy an ARP is after interest rates have dropped for a time, and the yield is near the bottom of its designated collar.

ARP n. air raid precautions (see air raid precautions n. at air raid n. Compounds 2).

ΚΠ

1935 Times 27 Aug. 11/3 The accumulation of stocks of respirators and protective clothing for the A.R.P. services.

1977 E. R. Dodds Missing Persons xiv. 134 Shortly afterwards I joined the A.R.P. service myself and spent long nights in the Oxford control room.

2003 S. Mawer Fall (2004) xxii. 366 Nothing. Bombed out... So I asked around, in the local pub, the corner shop, the ARP post, that kind of thing.

ARPS n. Finance adjustable-rate preferred stock (or share).

ΚΠ

1982 Amer. Banker 22 Nov. 11/2 The investment bankers say the adjustable-rate preferred, called ARPS, is the cheapest form of permanant [sic] capital for banks.

1986 Atlantic Reporter 2nd Ser. 501 1237/1 The minority holders of common stock were to receive .50 share of a new adjustable rate preferred share (‘ARPS’) in place of each share of Crocker common stock held.

2001 M. Constas & J. K. Shim Investm. Sourcebk. vi. 178 Adjustable-rate Preferred Stock (ARPS)..is preferred stock with a floating dividend rate that resets each quarter.

ARV n. and adj. Medicine and Virol. (a) adj. antiretroviral; (b) n. an antiretroviral drug; antiretroviral therapy.

ΚΠ

1994 Jrnl. Infectious Dis. 170 1286/1 (caption) Relative risk (RR) with antiretroviral therapy (ARV) alone.

2006 S. Afr. Times 15 Nov. 11/2 Our members have seen first hand what a difference ARV drugs makes to these children who prior to receiving ARV would have had a very short life span.

2007 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) July 158 First introduced in 1987, anti-retroviral drugs—ARVs for short—block H.I.V'.s assault on the body's immune system.

AS n. British Education (originally) Advanced Supplementary, a former General Certificate of Education qualification regarded as a complement to the A level; (now chiefly) Advanced Subsidiary, the first half of an A level which is divided into two components, also constituting an independent qualification (see A2 n.); frequently attributive, esp. in AS level.

ΘΚΠ

society > education > educational administration > examination > [noun] > school examinations

entrance examination1819

entrance exam1857

standard1862

skew1866

leaving examination1868

Oxford1871

entry exam1886

Abitur1918

higher1923

scholarship1950

A level1951

C.S.E.1963

international baccalaureate1966

A1979

Certificate of Secondary Education1981

AS1984

STEP1985

SAT1988

A21999

1984 Times 2 May 3/1 The advanced supplementary, or AS level, will require two years of study, cover at least half the ground of an A level, and be worth half an A level to employers and..admission tutors.

1988 Guardian 19 Jan. 13/7 There are interviews with students who are taking CPVE, BTEC, ‘A’ and AS courses.

1997 Daily Tel. 12 Feb. 11/1 The introduction of a new AS qualification to bring flexibility to sixth-form studies.

2001 Independent 26 July (‘Go Higher’ Suppl.) II/4 All new exams take time to bed, but the new AS has had more than its fair share of problems.

2002 P. Hodkinson & M. Bloomer in K. Evans et al. Working to Learn ii. 37 Can I change one of my As to an AS?

2005 Daily Tel. 14 Sept. 25/4 I..have a choice between continuing with general studies, in which I gained an A at AS-level, or taking an AS-level in critical thinking.

A.S. n. and adj. Anglo-Saxon.

ΚΠ

1799 Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. 4 481 AS. Anglo Saxon.

1881 C. P. Mason Eng. Gram. (ed. 25) 36 The genitive in A.S. was monan.

1901 Northern Counties Mag. May 122 These are survivals of the A.S. neuter plurals.

1992 A. L. Klinck Old Eng. Elegies (2001) 116 There is no evidence that the verbs could be used in these senses in the A-S period.

A.S. n. North American Education Associate in (also of) Science.

ΚΠ

1942 W. C. Eells Associate’s Degree & Graduation Pract. in Junior Colleges iii. 35 Associate in Science... A.S.

2006 S. H. Stafford Community College iii. 36 An AS degree in computer science could help you gain an entry-level job in the field, or go on to a four-year institution and become a software programmer.

ASA n. British = Advertising Standards Authority n. at advertising n. Compounds 2.

ΚΠ

1962 New Society 13 Dec. 5/2 If the ASA rules that advertisements should not resemble editorial matter it may well be discouraging the more informative kind of advertising which many people welcome.

2008 B. Goldacre Bad Sci. viii. 142 An advertising campaign which was ultimately terminated by the ASA since it breached their codes on truthfulness and substantiation.

ASA n. (also with pronunciation

Brit.

/ˈeɪsə/

U.S.

/ˈeɪzə/

/ˈeɪsə/

) American Standards Association (used esp. with reference to a standard scale for rating photographic film speed).

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > photography > plates and films > [noun] > film > scale for rating film speed

ASA1928

1928 AERA 19 450/2 The change in name to 'American Standards Association' is a noteworthy improvement... It gives a balanced, pronounceable combination of initials, A.S.A., which has a decided advantage in practical use.

1976 Early Music 4 451/1 All films have a speed number on the carton—an ASA number—which indicates how sensitive the film is to light.

2003 Nat. New Eng. Summer 17 Expose Velvia (ASA 50 pushed one stop to ASA 100) with sufficient depth of field.

ASB n. Alternative Service Book.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > artefacts > book (general) > service book (general) > [noun] > containing directions for worship > Anglican > Alternative Service Book

ASB1978

Alternative Service Book1980

1978 Church Times 14 July 4/4 To exclude the psalms from the ASB would be to hasten their [sc. hymns'] decline.

1997 Cathedral Music Winter 14/1 One commentator said, when the ASB was introduced, that the Church of England was stumbling into a ‘great act of forgetting’.

A.S.C. n. Army Service Corps; (also) a member of this organization.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > branch of army > [noun] > administration and supply branches

baggage1603

field train1692

Corps of Wagoners1802

wagon-corps1810

subsistence department1820

baggage-train1841

rear echelon1852

Control Department1867

Army Service Corps1869

A.S.C.1871

pay corps1876

Q1916

echelon1922

1871 G. J. Wolseley Soldier's Pocket-bk. (ed. 2) (p. xi. List of abbrevs.) A.S.C.—Army Service Corps.

1893 W. J. Clarke N.M.P. 14 The N.C.O.'s of the A.S.C. erected a store close to the camp and a fort was afterwards constructed round these stores.

1916 Somme-Times 31 July in Wipers Times: Compl. Series (2006) 119/2 I climbed up the rope of a sausage and joined two A.S.C.'s who were also watching the proceedings.

1941 W. Fortescue Trampled Lilies xxviii. 267 She continued to cope throughout the day, marshalling her men like a General of the A.S.C.

2006 Wipers Times: Compl. Series Gloss. 358 A.S.C., Army Service Corps. Also known at ‘Ally Sloper's Cavalry,’ after a children's comic character, and as the Army Safety Corps.

ASD n. autism (or autistic) spectrum disorder.

ΚΠ

1987 Proc. First Internat. Symp. Specific Speech & Lang. Disorders Children 28 ASD children were likely to have oromotor deficits.

2000 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 97 8734/1 This difference is less detectable among high-functioning adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

2012 N.Y. Mag. 5 Nov. 89/1 Many with ASD, and the families who care for them, suffer terribly.

ASH n.

Brit.

/aʃ/

U.S.

/æʃ/

Action on Smoking and Health.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > [noun] > good health > state of being conducive to > organization

Sokol1910

World Health Organization1945

W.H.O.1946

ASH1968

the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > tobacco > smoking > [noun] > anti-smoking society

ASH1968

1968 Christian Sci. Monitor 30 Jan. 5/1 Most recently there is the formation of the brand new Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) to act as a legal arm of the antismoking forces.

1983 Listener 30 June 36/1 After talking to ASH..I use the word ‘lethal’ advisedly.

2008 Evening Standard (Nexis) 28 Nov. 6 Until yesterday, Ash campaigners were convinced they had strong support for the proposals being in an NHS Bill in next week's Queen's Speech.

ASIC n. (also Asic) Computing (also with pronunciation

Brit.

/ˈasɪk/

/ˈeɪsɪk/

U.S.

/ˈæsɪk/

/ˈeɪsɪk/

) application-specific integrated circuit, an integrated circuit designed for one or more specific functions, rather than for general use.

ΚΠ

1983 Computerworld 15 Aug. 97/1 Shipments of application-specific integrated circuits (Asic) will grow at a compounded annual rate of 25% through 1990.

1990 Computer Buyer's Guide & Handbk. vii. 37/2 Arche is currently designing five custom ASIC chips, each a half-inch square.

2006 Computer Weekly 31 Jan. 36/4 The faster transmission rates make dedicated Asics necessary.

asl adv. above sea level.

ΚΠ

1954 Geogr. Jrnl. 120 469 Block of carboniferous limestone country (1000 to 1300 feet a.s.l.) immediately west-northwest of the village of Ystradfellte.

2005 Quaternary Res. 63 56/2 Silt beds below about 18 m asl are nearly barren.

ASL n. American Sign Language.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > a language > [noun] > sign language

hand language1625

arthrology1641

chirology1656

dactylology1656

finger-talk1656

finger language1669

hand alphabet1680

semiology1694

finger alphabet1751

finger talking1823

sign language1824

finger speech1826

indigitation1826

manual alphabet1876

dactylography1884

signing1891

American Sign Language1900

sign1930

British Sign Language1961

ASL1965

Ameslan1972

Yerkish1973

1965 W. C. Stokoe et al. Dict. Amer. Sign Lang. 293 Some ‘signs’ for numbers in ASL are simply configurations shown as letters are.

2002 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 7 Nov. 37 (advt.) Kristin Mulrooney studies the reason in ASL behind the difference in how men and women fingerspell.

ASM n. air-to-surface missile.

ΚΠ

1950 J. C. Fahey Ships & Aircraft U.S. Fleet (ed. 6) 24 Guided Missiles (M)..Air-to-Surface Missile..[Class] ASM.

2004 Aviation Week & Space Technol. (Nexis) 8 Nov. 57 As with other areas of its guided-weapons inventory, China is bound to be building up its own capability to produce tactical ASMs.

ASM n. Theatre assistant stage manager.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > the staging of a theatrical production > people concerned with theatrical productions > [noun] > assistant stage manager

assistant stage-manager1898

ASM1918

1918 R. Pertwee Old Card 1919 iii. 54 A frantic assistant stage-manager deserted the prompt corner and grasped Freddie Manning by the arm... ‘Shall I ring down?’ queried the A.S.M.

1949 K. S. Allen A.B.C. of Stagecraft for Amateurs iv. 30 The A.S.M. often combines the duties of a stage-hand with that of ‘props’ or stage-carpenter, or for any useful purpose around the stage.

2005 D. Nicholls Understudy 24 He received consolatory nods and never-minds from Debs from Wardrobe, Chrissy the ASM, Sam the lightning guy.

ASW n. Military anti-submarine warfare.

ΚΠ

1944 N.Y. Times 13 Feb. (Mag.) 11/4 The ASW officer is the sound wizard who works the detection devices.

1959 P. Frank Alas, Babylon vi. 118 ‘ASW?’ ‘Anti-submarine warfare. I'll interpret.’

2004 Flight Deck Spring 8 The aircraft were stripped of their ASW equipment.

ASP n. Computing application service provider.

ΚΠ

1998 PR Newswire (Nexis) 1 July New report defines role of application service providers (ASPs).

2007 Dominion Post (Wellington, N.Z.) (Nexis) 14 May (Business section) 10 After failing to take off five or six years ago, ASPs are starting to come back into favour with investors.

A.S.R.S. n. (also A/S.R.S.) rare Air-Sea Rescue Service.

ΚΠ

1942 J. A. Hammerton ABC of RAF (new ed.) 74 Abbreviations of Titles and Terms employed by the R.A.F... A/SRS. Air Sea Rescue Service.

1945 Times 8 Aug. 2/2 One of A.S.R.S.'s busiest periods for United States rescues was in July, 1943.

ASSR n. now historical Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

ΚΠ

1926 Russ. Rev. 4 41/2 The Bashkir A.S.S.R. with Ufa as its capital city.

1998 A. Dalby Dict. Langs. 425/2 First is Khalkha, the national language of modern Mongolia, which is very close to Menggu,..and also close to Buryat, of the Buryat ASSR to the north.

AST n. Canadian Atlantic Standard Time.

ΚΠ

1933 Radio News Sept. 184/2 The hours of transmission are from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Atlantic Standard Time, daily, and from 6 to 11 p.m., AST.

2010 Telegraph-Jrnl. (New Brunswick) (Nexis) 12 Feb. d1 One of the men's quarter-final games is slated to begin at 11 p.m. (AST).

ASTM n. American Society for Testing and Materials.

ΚΠ

1906 Cement Age Dec. 479 The aging of Portland cement... By H. Spencer Conover, A.S.T.M.

1954 Chem. & Engin. News 5 Apr. 1386/3 ‘Kerosene’ is commoner than ‘kerosine’. The ASTM and ASA have preferred ‘kerosine’, probably in order to make it consistent with ‘gasoline’.

2006 Lexington (Kentucky) Herald Leader (Nexis) 26 Sept. (Sports section) c7 I think instead of a waiver it would be better to look at these other tests and see if it would be easier to adopt those standards in addition to the ASTM.

ASTMS n. now historical (also with pronunciation

Brit.

/ˈastəmz/

U.S.

/ˈæstəmz/

) Association of Scientific, Technical, and Managerial Staffs.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > working > association of employers or employees > [noun] > trade union > other specific trade unions

NUT1889

AWU1904

Nalgo1909

NUJ1909

Aslef1914

NUR1914

AEU1921

NUPE1931

U.A.W.1936

USDAW1946

NUM1948

T.G.W.U.1955

ACTT1957

C.B.I.1965

ASTMS1967

AUEW1971

Apex1972

UDM1985

1967 in J. Hughes & H. Pollins Trade Unions in Great Brit. (1973) xliii. 200 A new body—the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs—would be established. The Executive Council of the ASTMS would consist of six members each from the Executives of the present unions.

1979 C. Jenkins & B. Sherman White-collar Unionism ii. 31 ASTMS..has over 440,000 members and is a general union.

2006 Managem. Today Jan. 60/3 ASTMS and Tass, which became MSF, and now Unifi (formerly Bifu).

ASV n. air(craft) to surface vessel.

ΚΠ

1944 Radar System Fundamentals (U.S. War Dept. Techn. Man. 11–467) 364 A.S.V.

1966 D. Taylor Introd. Radar iii. 40 The actual performance obtained with this form of A.S.V. equipment depended on aircraft height, state of sea (because of sea returns), operator's experience, etc.

2002 T. G. Mahnken Uncovering Ways of War v. 154 They also developed Air-to-Surface-Vessel (ASV) radar sets to allow aircraft to detect ships at sea.

ASV n. American Standard Version.

ΚΠ

1905 Christian Observer 12 July 7/3 Scholars who know the many excellencies of this ‘A.S.V.’ can advocate its conservative use in the study, the family, the Bible class.

2001 Jrnl. Biblical Lit. 120 525 The NASB and NRSV translate as ‘when the wine had gone out of Nabal’, closely following the AV and ASV.

AT n. Medicine ataxia telangiectasia.

ΚΠ

1966 Lancet 26 Nov. 1193 The association between A.T. and malignancy, particularly lymphoreticular malignancy, appears firmly established.

2009 Daily Record (Glasgow) (Nexis) 6 Apr. AT, which is also known as Boder-Sedgwick syndrome, is so rare that it only affects three in one million people worldwide.

ATA n. Air Transport Auxiliary.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > [phrase] > in an emergency

at (also to) needc1175

in a needc1225

at (also in, on, upon) a pinch1489

for a need1547

ATA1939

1939 Flight 36 373/2 Air Transport Auxiliary. A.T.A. was originally formed by British Airways for..assisting the regular airline people to maintain communications during..bombing attacks on this country.

1984 Times 17 July 29/3 This first of two programmes covers the period when the ATA was formed.

2008 Daily Tel. 5 May 23/1 One of a handful of ‘Atagirls’, women who served during the war as ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary) pilots.

AT&T n. (also AT & T, AT and T) U.S. American Telephone and Telegraph Company.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > telecommunication > telegraphy or telephony > [noun] > company

AT&T1898

Baby Bell1980

1898 Rep. Joint Sel. Comm. Charities Columbia ii. 363 A. T. & T. pay stations, metallic.

1908 G. R. Johnston Some Comments on 1907 Ann. Rep. Amer. Telephone & Telegr. Company 5 The A.T. & T. general statements in the first paragraph quoted may be met by general denial.

1965 J. A. Michener Source (1966) 884 Until the day when A.T. and T. drops to forty and you have an economic crisis.

2009 Economist (Nexis) 6 June Joel Engel..whom Mr Cooper called at AT&T's Bell Laboratories that day, says he does not remember taking the call.

ATB n. Cycling (originally U.S.) all-terrain bike.

ΚΠ

1983 Sports Illustr. 27 June 12/2 The new bikes have their own name, ATB, for All-Terrain-Bike.

2008 D. Stokes & W. Lomax Marketing vi. 173/1 By 2000, ATBs accounted for over two-thirds of all bicycle sales in the UK.

ATC n. air traffic control (also controller).

ΚΠ

1946 Fortune Aug. 192/2 A pilot, bringing a ship into a major airport recently, checked with traffic control... Control told him: ‘Cleared to descend to 1,500 feet.’ He rogered, descended, checked in again at 1,500 feet. This time ATC ordered: ‘Descend to 5,000 feet.’

1952 Aeronautics June 71/3 From the ATC point of view, a landing by a Comet with one engine out of action would receive the same priority as one for any other aeroplane.

2004 M. Ruppert Crossing Rubicon xx. 377 [He] was the ATC handling both Flight 93, departing from Newark, and Flight 175 from Boston.

ATC n. Air Training Corps.

ΚΠ

1941 Flight 39 57/2 The birth of the A.T.C.

2007 K. Barnes Rough Passage I. i. xi. 105 I was poorly co-ordinated on the drill square and thought that the ATC, and..the RAF for my national service, would suit me better.

ATC n. Automatic Train Control.

ΚΠ

1928 Pop. Sci. Monthly Oct. 34/2 He'd potter around an engine that was being equipped with about twelve hundred dollars worth of ATC accessories.

1958 Engineering 14 Mar. 336/1 Before the Second World War..in general, the Great Western Railway had A.T.C. and the other British railways did not.

2003 E. Albrechtsen & P. Hokstad in T. Bedford & P. H. A. J. M. van Gelder Safety & Reliability 26 If train A passes the exit signal, the ATC should stop the train from leaving the station.

ATE n. automated test equipment.

ΚΠ

1976 N.Y. Times 4 Apr. f17/4 (advt.) Digital computer maintenance experience including airborne digital processors, and/or minicomputers associated with automated test equipment (ATE).

2003 M. Levin & T. T. Kalal Improving Product Reliability Foreword p. xix As our business grew, the technology necessary to design ATE became increasingly complex.

ATF n. U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (Bureau), a law enforcement agency within the United States Justice Department responsible (since 1968) for enforcing laws and regulations relating to firearms, alcohol, tobacco, explosives, and arson (made an independent bureau within the Treasury Department in 1972, and moved to the Justice Department in 2003).

ΚΠ

1969 Los Angeles Times 1 Dec. i. 21/1 ATF and U.S. customs agents are working with the Air Force's office of special investigations in the probe.

1981 Cook's Mag. Sept. 16/3 The ATF decided to identify California wines ‘distinguished by unique characteristics such as climate, soil, and elevation’.

2002 Washington Post 10 Oct. (Home ed.) a33/2 New federal enforcement tools..would beef up the ability of ATF to crack down on gun trafficking.

ATM n. Computing asynchronous transfer mode.

ΚΠ

1987 Computer Networks & ISDN Syst. 14 340/1 Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is a promising new multiplexing and switching concept based on asynchronous ‘on demand’ use of short fixed size time slots, called cells.

1997 Byte Oct. 58/1 Once the unsinkable Titanic of high-speed networking, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) looks like it might have a hole in its hull.

2005 Financial Mail (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 4 Nov. 82 The cost of ATM, sometimes referred to as cell relay technology, was prohibitive next to technologies such as IP over Ethernet.

ATM n. originally U.S. automatic (also automated) teller machine (see automatic teller n. at automatic adj. and n. Compounds).

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > financial dealings > banking > [noun] > cash dispenser

money teller1594

cash machine1890

bank machine1920

teller machine1921

automatic teller1924

automatic teller machine1967

cash dispenser1967

automated teller machine1973

cashpoint1973

money machine1973

ATM1975

hole-in-the-wall1985

society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > [noun] > keeper of accounts > specific mechanical or automated

accounting machine1801

automated teller machine1973

ATM1975

Pinpoint1984

1975 Changing Times Oct. 6/2 An ATM requires a much smaller investment than construction of a full-fledged branch office.

1989 Life Autumn 49 (advt.) Need cash at midnight? Hit the ATM.

2009 Wall St. Jrnl. 20 Apr. r4/4 Some mobile-banking services offer lists of ATM locations and maps on their Web sites.

ATM adv. colloquial (chiefly in electronic communications) at the moment.

ΚΠ

1992 Backup PC to Server Tape Device in vsmnet.networks.desktop.pathworks (Usenet newsgroup) 9 Jan. The app works on most pc's but buzz's [sic] (bugs minor ATM) out on some!.. Only works ATM (at the moment) on DECNet-ULTRIX machines.

2001 Sun 24 Apr. (Sun BT Offer Suppl.) 3/1 ATM: At The Moment.

2012 G. Szekely & J. A. Bucknam Art Teaching iv. 214/2 Calling all parents: FYI IDK how, but we r in need of black yarn again! Ud think the kids are eating it :) LOL! That's all Atm Gtg Ttyl!

ATOL n.

Brit.

/ˈatɒl/

U.S.

/ˈæˌtɔl/

/ˈæˌtɑl/

British Air Travel Organizer's Licence (also Licensing).

ΚΠ

1973 Observer 13 May (Review section) 38/4 (advt.) Cooks faraway holidays C.A.A. ATOL 265ABC.

1981 S. J. Burkart & S. Medlik Tourism (ed. 2) xviii. 188 The four air travel organizers' licenses (ATOL).

2007 Eve July 67/1 The house was my main investment, though I also had to find money for an ATOL bond, the travel industry's customer compensation scheme.

ATP n. Tennis Association of Tennis Professionals, the governing body organizing the main men's professional tour.A proprietary name.

ΚΠ

1973 N.Y. Times 8 June 36/4 The A.T.P. represents all of the leading tennis players.

2013 Radio Times 2 Nov. (South/West ed.) 89/3 Tennis... The season-ending ATP World Tour finals begin..with the first of five days in this round-robin stage.

A.T.S. n. animal tub-sized (see animal n. Compounds 2).

ΚΠ

?1912 Printing Papers (Spalding & Hodge) ii. 1 Animal Tub-sized, or A.T.S., is a term employed to denote the more costly method of passing the manufactured sheet through a bath or ‘tub’ of animal size.

2005 R. J. Prytherch Harrod's Librarians' Gloss. & Ref. Bk. (ed. 10) 703 Tub-sized paper (abbreviated ‘T.S.’) is strong and has a high resistance to moisture. Also called ‘Animal Tub-Sized’ (abbreviated ‘A.T.S.’).

ATV n. all-terrain vehicle.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > [noun] > motor vehicle > for all types of terrain

all-terrain vehicle1956

overlander1957

ATV1969

Humvee1982

Hummer1983

1969 Pop. Sci. Jan. 78/2 Latest all-terrain vehicle (ATV) is the sippy Attex, a six-wheeled amphibian for wilderness penetrators.

2005 High Country News 30 May 4/1 Each year more Jeeps, ATVs, giant-tired rock crawlers and dirt bikes traverse once-remote desert trails around Moab.

ATV n. British (now historical) Associated Television, a British television company broadcasting between 1955 and 1981.

ΚΠ

1955 Billboard 29 Oct. 7/5 ATV, which until three weeks ago was called Associated Broadcasting, now has a co-production arrangements with the Birmingham contractor.

1981 Ann. Reg. 1980 428 By far the greatest impact made by a single television programme in 1980 resulted from the screening..of ATV's Death of a Princess.

2009 Guardian (Nexis) 24 Mar. 37 Essex was made a Fellow of the Royal Television Society in 1975. When ATV was restructured as Central Television seven years later..he retired.

AU n. (also ÅU) Physics Ångström (or Ångström's) unit; cf. sense 17.

ΚΠ

1894 Astron. & Astrophysics 13 373 The table and drawing show with a slit-width of 10 Angström's units all five maxima, but each is displaced 5 A. U. towards the violet.

1929 Jrnl. Sci. Instruments 6 2 An actinometer which was sensitive in the region 2950–3900 å.u.

2006 D. Jubb Jubbs Cell Rejuvenation i. 32 The color red is 8000 AU.

au n. Astronomy astronomical unit.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > cosmology > science of observation > astronomical calculation > [noun] > unit

hour1777

astronomical unit1848

gravitational system1888

au1910

parsec1913

1910 Outlook 16 July 568 We find Mercury about .4 of an astronomical unit (A. U.) from the sun.

1984 Aviation Week & Space Technol. 2 Jan. 48/3 Halley will be..0·97 AU from Earth at the time of the Giotto encounter.

2009 Lewiston (Idaho) Morning Tribune (Nexis) 15 Jan. Uranus orbits the sun at an average distance of 19.2 AU.

A.U.C. adv. [graphic abbreviation of classical Latin annō urbis conditae in the year of the foundation of the city (of Rome) ( < annō , ablative of annus year (see annals n.) + urbis genitive of urbs city, city of Rome (see urban adj.) + conditae , feminine genitive singular of past participle of condere to found, establish: see condite adj.²) or in some cases perhaps of classical Latin ab urbe conditā ab urbe condita adv.] in the year of the city (of Rome) having been founded.

ΚΠ

1728 J. Morgan Compl. Hist. Algiers I. 14 This Epocha is express'd by these three Capitals, A.U.C. signifying Anno Urbis Conditæ and begins 752 years before the Christian Æra.

1785 J. Robertson Ess. Punctuation 163 A.U.C. Anno Urbis Conditæ, in the year after the building of Rome.

1824 J. L. Blake Hist. Reader (ed. 2) 74 Fifteen thousand were slain, and 24,000 surrendered themselves prisoner to the victor, A.U.C. 705, B.C. 49.

1874 H. R. Reynolds John the Baptist App. 531 There was a genuine Co-principate of Tiberius and Augustus before the middle of 765 a.u.c.

1906 A. Sloman Gram. Classical Lat. 309 To turn a date b.c. to a date a.u.c. subtract the date b.c. from 754.

1992 A. Zameenzad in M. Bradbury & J. Cooke New Writing 102 June 650∗ AUC it was, the month of Sassia's first wedding; the second year, I think, of the consulship of Marius.

AUEW n. British (now historical) Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > working > association of employers or employees > [noun] > trade union > other specific trade unions

NUT1889

AWU1904

Nalgo1909

NUJ1909

Aslef1914

NUR1914

AEU1921

NUPE1931

U.A.W.1936

USDAW1946

NUM1948

T.G.W.U.1955

ACTT1957

C.B.I.1965

ASTMS1967

AUEW1971

Apex1972

UDM1985

1971 Times 9 Nov. 19/7 The 1.4 m member AUEW—the most important craft union in the country.

2000 B. Bousquet in C. Newland & K. Sesay IC3 114 When I asked Terry Duffy of the AUEW, he also gave us 100 per cent support, whereas the leader of the miners' union, Arthur Scargill, refused.

AV n. alternative vote (see alternative vote n. at alternative adj. and n. Compounds).

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > office > appointment to office > choosing or fact of being chosen for office > election of representative body by vote > right to vote at elections > [noun] > systems of voting

scrutin de liste1851

cumulative vote1853

Australian ballot1888

preference1900

alternative vote1908

list system1908

preference voting1908

scrutin d'arrondissement1921

list voting1954

AV1965

1965 New Statesman 6 Aug. 174/1 His colleagues would happily settle for the single-member-constituency AV system.

2005 Independent 1 July 32/6 This proposes using the alternative vote (AV), which under many analyses is less proportional than first-past-the-post.

AV n. (also A/V) audio/video; frequently attributive.Sometimes difficult to distinguish from uses with the sense ‘audio-visual’ (cf. audio-visual adj. and n.).

ΚΠ

1951 Billboard 23 June 14/1 The A-V firm is affiliated with Audio-Video Recording and Audio-Video Products companies here.]

1978 Billboard 18 Feb. 50/4 The Beta or VHS systems also widely used in the A/V market.

2006 Esquire Feb. 97/2 You will need to connect the red and white audio cables through the AV sockets to add sound.

AV adj. (also A-V) audio-visual.Sometimes difficult to distinguish from uses with the sense ‘audio/video’.

ΚΠ

1970 Billboard 1 Aug. 14/2 BASF offers reel-to-reel and cassette tapes in the A-V educational market.

2010 Straits Times (Singapore) (Nexis) 13 Jan. The much-talked about convergence between PCs and audio-visual (AV) equipment is a task that is becoming fuss-free.

A.V. n. (also AV) Authorized Version (of the Bible) (frequently with the).

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > aspects of faith > Bible, Scripture > text > edition > [noun] > Authorized Version

King James Bible1631

Authorized Version1755

law-bible1833

A.V.1845

He Bible1877

She Bible1877

King James1886

1845 J. Kitto Cycl. Biblical Lit. I. 117/2 The oak is, in fact, less frequently mentioned in the original than in the A.V., where it occurs so often as to suggest that the oak is as conspicuous and as common in Palestine as in this country.

1868 B. F. Westcott Gen. View Hist. Eng. Bible iii. 334 In the later (Irish) editions of the ‘Rhemes and Doway’ Bible and New Testament there are considerable alterations, and the text is far nearer to that in the A.V.

1982 G. Hammond Making of Eng. Bible 237 The same phrase occurs twice in Genesis... Tyndale renders both as ‘speak kindly’. The AV follows his rendering.

2006 L. Branch Rituals of Spontaneity 256 (note) Campbell has asserted that in his early works Bunyan used..the Geneva Bible..and even the AV.

AVC n. automatic volume control.

ΚΠ

1931 Brit. Patent 357,134 1/2 The devices AVC and VL are used throughout to indicate automatic volume control device and volume limiter respectively.

1980 H. S. Bennett On Becoming Rock Musician iv. 195 The AVC, or automatic volume control, circuit found in car radios.

2006 Rotarian Apr. 22/1 (advt.) Automatic Volume Control. (AVC) Selectively compresses loud bursts of volume that are annoying when watching a program.

AVH n. now historical the Hungarian secret police, from 1949 to 1956; cf. AVO n. [ < Hungarian ÁVH, initialism < the initial letters of either Államvédelmi Hatóság (short for Belügyminisztérium Államvédelmi Hatósága, lit. ‘state security authority of the Ministry of the Interior’ (1949)) or Államvédelmi Hivatal, lit. ‘state security office’, an alternative name of the same organization.]

ΚΠ

1953 N.Y. Times 29 Mar. §vi. 9/3 The structure of terror in Hungary consists of..a pyramid with the Allam Vedelmi Hasotag (State Security Authority, or secret police), at the apex. A.V.H., which has 50,000 men and women in its force, is..the party's harsh punitive arm.

1973 R. Hayes Hungarian Game xxiii. 145 Neither AVH nor KGB had a watch on Mityas' house. He'd become such a non-person that not even they worried about whom he saw.

2006 P. Kenez Hungary from Nazis to Soviets iv. 94 Five years later Ries was tortured to death in an AVH prison.

AVI n. Computing Audio Video Interleave (or Interleaved), a file format for the storage of digital video and audio sequences.

ΚΠ

1991 InfoWorld 21 Oct. s100/3 Microsoft is developing an interim software-only solution for motion video with sound called Audio Visual Interleave (AVI).

2006 Maximum PC May 47/1 If you're having difficulty playing a particular AVI file, it could be because the file itself is damaged or incomplete.

AVM n. Air Vice-Marshal.

ΚΠ

1922 G. Bell Let. 8 Oct. (1927) II. xxii. 652 The King went straight to the heart of things, asking the A.V.M. what he could do to protect us from attack.

1981 P. White Let. 14 Nov. (1994) xiv. 551 I twisted Boycott's tail a bit by asking what had become of his friend Parselle (a Wing-Co, later AVM when I was in the ME).

2009 A. Brookes Vulcan Units of Cold War vi. 53 AVM Nigel Baldwin..flew four tours as a Vulcan pilot.

AVO n. now historical the Hungarian secret police, before 1949cf. AVH n. [ < Hungarian ÁVO, initialism < the initial letters of Államvédelmi Osztály (short for Magyar Államrendőrség Államvédelmi Osztálya, lit. ‘state security department of the Hungarian state police’ (1946)).]

ΚΠ

1951 White Bk. Aggressive Activities towards Yugoslavia (Yugoslav Min. Foreign Affairs) v. 132 Hostile elements are sent to Yugoslavia to carry out acts of espionage, terrorist activities and sabotage... This has been proved by public trials against the spies of the Hungarian A.V.O.

2002 A. Phillips Prague ii. xi. 161 Two unpleasant members of the AVO secret police came to the press and the Party man..called Imre up..and explained the accusations against him as the two AVO men took turns kicking him.

AWB n. [ < Afrikaans AWB, initialism < the initial letters of Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging] South African the Afrikaner Resistance Movement, a far-right paramilitary Afrikaner organization, established in 1973.

ΚΠ

1974 Eastern Province Herald (Port Elizabeth) 17 Oct. 18 The leader of the AWB is Mr Eugene Terreblanche, an ex-policeman.

2005 S. Frankental & O. B. Sichone S. Afr.'s Diverse Peoples vii. 212 As..apartheid withered away..the AWB swore that they would fight to preserve the Afrikaner nation.

AWD n. (also awd) Motoring all-wheel drive; cf. 4WD n.

ΚΠ

1959 Roads & Streets Apr. 60/2 All-wheel-drive helped rigs keep going in slippery clay during very rainy summer... For example, one Dodge power wagon (a.w.d.) served as a welding truck.

1984 Motor Trend July 129/1 Is all-wheel drive (awd) yet another marketing gimmick, or is it a valuable feature every consumer needs in personal transportation?

2004 Car & Driver July 36/3 Working in concert with the stability-control system (VSA), the AWD makes handling foolproof.

AWM n. (also A.W.M.) Politics (originally and chiefly U.S.) = angry white male n., angry white man n. at angry adj. Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > rule or government > politics > American politics > [noun] > principles or policies > adherents or supporters of

well-born1629

liberty boy1766

federalist1787

anti1788

Fed1788

monocrat1792

anti-federal1805

blue light1814

dough face1820

colonizationist1823

slavite1831

hunker1849

states' righter1861

slavist1889

Little American1899

New Frontiersman1923

America Firster1927

new federalist1969

angry white male1991

angry white man1993

AWM1994

1994 Pittsburgh (Pa.) Post-Gaz. 14 Nov. (Lifestyle section) d1/6 I have brought the official poster boy of the Angry White Male with me today... He'll be accepting other AWM applications as soon as he finishes passing out cyanide capsules to all the cowering liberals who haven't bought his books.

2001 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Aug. 72/2 The public turned against A.W.M.'s after Republican freshmen on the Hill overplayed their hand with the government shutdown of 1995.

2006 N. Sagan Everfree (2008) 162 Do you think I'm an AWM?.. And if I am, does that make me racist?

AWS n. British Railways automatic warning system, a system which provides audible indications of upcoming signals.

ΚΠ

1961 Electr. Jrnl. July 48/2 A third of the total route mileage of the main trunk routes has now had A.W.S. installed.

1992 S. Hall BR Signalling Handbk. 63/2 AWS equipment is often not provided at large stations where speeds are low, even though the approach lines are equipped. The start of the AWS gap is indicated by a circular white sign showing ‘AWS’ with a red cross.

AWU n. Australian Workers' Union.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > working > association of employers or employees > [noun] > trade union > other specific trade unions

NUT1889

AWU1904

Nalgo1909

NUJ1909

Aslef1914

NUR1914

AEU1921

NUPE1931

U.A.W.1936

USDAW1946

NUM1948

T.G.W.U.1955

ACTT1957

C.B.I.1965

ASTMS1967

AUEW1971

Apex1972

UDM1985

1904 Shearer (Sydney) 15 Oct. 8/5 The A.W.U. organisers are having rough rows to hoe at nearly all sheds in Victoria.

1983 Financial Times 25 Nov. 6/1 Mr. Frank Mitchell, federal secretary of the..Australian Workers' Union (AWU), issued an immediate rebuff to Mr. Dolan, saying work would proceed.

2009 Weekend Austral. (Nexis) 6 June 27 The AWU wants to see successful resource companies in this country, not poorly led corporations.

AYM n. (plural unchanged or with -s) = angry young man n. at angry adj. Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > suffering > displeasure > discontent or dissatisfaction > [noun] > discontent with prevailing state of affairs > person

angry young man1951

angry1957

AYM1958

high blood1987

1958 Life 26 May 149/1 While the AYM are literary conservatives, they are attracted in their political thinking toward radical solutions.

1958 Spectator 11 July 67/2 A vigorous but implausible book about an AYM, strictly lower-class.

2000 A. Calcutt Brit Cult 29/2 Although neither of them liked being tagged as AYMs..their early work seems to merit the label.

AZT n. Pharmacology azidothymidine.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines for specific purpose > preparations treating or preventing specific ailments > [noun] > for HIV infection

dideoxycytidine1965

azidothymidine1974

dideoxyinosine1975

AZT1985

ddC1987

Retrovir1987

zidovudine1987

ddI1989

didanosine1990

nevirapine1991

zalcitabine1991

non-nucleoside1993

1985 United Press Internat. (Nexis) 2 Oct. Reports on experiments with the drug azidothymidine, or AZT, were given at a four-day conference sponsored by the American Society of Microbiology.

2008 Cape Argus (Nexis) 1 Feb. 6 HIV-positive pregnant women are to be given AZT from 28 weeks until they go into labour.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2011; most recently modified version published online December 2022).

aadj.

Brit.

/ə/,

/eɪ/, U.S.

/ə/,

/eɪ/

Inflections: Before a vowel sound an Brit.

/ən/,

/an/, U.S.

/ən/,

/æn/.

Forms:

α. early Middle English– a; English regional 1800s a' (before a vowel); U.S. regional (southern, chiefly in African-American usage) 1800s a' (before a vowel), 1800s er, 1800s ur; Scottish pre-1700 o, pre-1700 1700s– a. ?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1137 Wel þu myhtes faren al a dæis fare, sculdest thu neure finden man in tune sittende.a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 47 Gif hie was riche wimman, a lomb.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 20 Boc he nom..þa makede a Frenchis clerc, Wace wes ihoten.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 130 Þa luuede he a maide. þeo was Lauine mawe.a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 498 In so nobul a place.c1480 (a1400) St. Bartholomew l. 136 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 184 A vnwemmyt virgine.1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de la Tour-Landry Bk. Knight of Tower (1971) liv. 78 A baronnesse ryght a hyghe and noble lady of lygnage.1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. cclviii With perles many a one.1559 W. Cuningham Cosmogr. Glasse 175 Cambridge, a Universitie florishing with al kind of good letters.a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1955) II. 264 A historical and a moral faith.1669–70 in J. S. Dobie Munim. Irvine (1891) II. 267 Half a onc[e] of tobacco.1728 A. Ramsay Fables xxiii. 2 A paughty Bee Observ'd a humble midding flie.1838 C. Dickens Oliver Twist III. xlix. 279 ‘If the law supposes that,’ said Mr. Bumble,..‘the law is a ass—a idiot.’1843 Penny Cycl. XXVI. 25/2 In November [1835] the great seal was put to a charter creating a University of London.1844 C. J. Lever Tom Burke I. xxxix. 284 A eulogium on their honourable conduct.1892 F. H. Smith Day at Laguerre's 181 She want ur steel one. An' she sez ef yer ain't got no steel one she want ur squart o' molasses.1893 G. E. Dartnell & E. H. Goddard Gloss. Words Wilts. p. xix Gie I a apple, veyther.1901 R. De B. Trotter Galloway Gossip Eighty Years Ago 3 This wus a Insurance Company wantin' him tae gang tae Palnure tae examine aul' Doctor Agnew.1973 Advocate-News (Barbados) 19 May 10 (advt.) If you are in Business you need a Adding machine you can depend on.1975 T. Callender It so Happen 123 They looking at me like I is a idiot.1987 J. B. Weaver Sat. Night (song) in L. A. Stanley Rap: the Lyrics (1992) 281 Smokin' a J 'n' scratchin' a itch.2002 Daily Tel. 13 June 15/1 By a historical accident..the capital of Alaska is stranded in Juneau, in the state's far south-eastern ‘panhandle’.

β. early Middle English– an, Middle English ann. ?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1137 & diden an scærp iren abuton þa mannes throte & his hals.c1175 ( Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 167 Þa com þær færinge swiðe beorht ȝenip, and heom ealle ofersceadewæde; and an stæfne wæs iworden on þam miste [OE West Saxon Gospels: Corpus Cambr. com stefn of þam wolcne].c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 1025 Te bisscopp sellf..Þær shollde cumenn o þe ȝer Ann siþe, & all himm ane.a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 25 He..bið al swa is an eppel iheoweð.a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 51 Crabbe is an manere of fissce in þere sea.c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 7590 Þere as þe bataile was, an abbeye he let rere.c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 9212 An rop me dude aboute is nekke.1340 Ayenbite (1866) 135 Mo þanne an hondred misdedes. ▸ a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. cv. 996 'Mile' is an herbe wiþ a longe stalk.a1400 Siege Jerusalem (Laud) (1932) l. 1224 An ewe-lombe.a1450 Generides (Pierpont Morgan) (1865) l. 5941 Ann hundreth nailes..Of his hauberk he rent thoo.1578 J. Banister Hist. Man i. f. 5 ^v An union of the bones made by a Cartilage.1611 Bible (King James) Acts vii. 47 But Solomon built him an house [1881 Revised a house].1611 Bible (King James) Acts vii. 27 An eunuch of great authority [1881 Revised a eunuch].1744 A. Pope Epist. to Several Persons iv. 84 Nor in an Hermitage set Dr. Clarke.1761 S. Johnson Life Ascham in R. Ascham Eng. Wks. p. ix An yearly pension.1823 J. Lingard Hist. Eng. VI. 219 An eulogium on his talents.1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess i. 19 All wild to found an University For maidens.1887 Daily News (Frederick, Maryland) 19 July An humble off shoot of the Anglomania now so prevalent throughout the United States.1900 H. L. Keeler Our Native Trees 126 Such an one would never think of the Choke Cherry as a tree.1937 R. Byron Road to Oxiana v. 281 Catching a ram of one and an ewe of the other, he showed us how to distinguish them by the tails.1947 M. E. Boylan This Tremendous Lover (new ed.) iv. 35 They could be understood in an heretical or in a pantheistic sense.2006 Lancs. Life Feb. 75/2 An historic family estate in Little Crosby.

Origin: A variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymon: one adj.

Etymology: Originally a variant of one adj., reflecting an unstressed pronunciation of the word (see note). In sense 4 after a prep.¹ 3b (see discussion at that sense).The word shows shortening of the long vowel of Old English ān one adj. when unstressed in proclitic use as indefinite article (see one adj. 14). This probably occurred before 1150, and hence before the rounding of ā in southern and midland Middle English dialects in the 12th and 13th cent. took effect (see the discussion at one adj., n., and pron. and compare the northern forms at α. forms at one adj., n., and pron., β. forms at one adj., n., and pron.). The earliest β. forms are ambiguous as they may show ān without rounding rather than shortened an and so belong at one adj. 14. In the form ann in the Ormulum (see β. forms) the shortness of the vowel is indicated by the spelling (this form occurs in the Ormulum only in the phrase ann siþe ; elsewhere the Ormulum shows both a and an before consonants). Occasional stressed forms of the word, which are attested since the early modern period, show lengthened versions of the reduced form (current English /eɪ/). The following isolated earlier examples of an apparent reduced form (from manuscripts of the West Saxon Gospels of the first half of the 11th cent.) are perhaps the result of scribal carelessness (the repetition of the forms in MSS Bodley 441 and Otho C.i should be seen in the context of a number of shared errors in these manuscripts):OE West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) xxi. 18 Ne forwyrð a locc [so also Bodl. 441, Otho C.i; OE Cambr. Univ. Libr. an locc, c1200 Hatton a locc] of eowrum heafde.OE West Saxon Gospels: John (Corpus Cambr.) xvi. 16 Nu ymbe a lytel [OE Cambr. Univ. Libr. an lytel, c1200 Hatton an lytel] ge me ne geseoð, & eft embe lytel ge me geseoþ forþam þe ic fare to fæder. Loss of the final consonant -n from the 12th cent. onwards took place chiefly, but not exclusively, before a following word with initial consonant (compare discussion at N n., and also the comparable development of my adj., thy adj.); by the 15th cent. it had been lost in all positions (i.e. including before vowels) in some areas and this is widely reflected in regional varieties (e.g. in many English and U.S. regional varieties, in colloquial Scottish English, and in most varieties of Caribbean English; compare quots. at α. forms). In the standard, however, retention of final -n before vowels had established itself as a rule by early modern English; compare the following:1532 in T. More Confut. Tyndales Answere iii. p.clxxx We haue two articles in englysh, a & the: a or an (for both is one artycle, the tone byfore a consonaunt the tother byfore a vowell) is commen to euery thynge almost. The phonetic tendency to lose initial h- in inherited words, especially in unstressed syllables, and uncertainty about the pronunciation of initial h- in borrowed words led to a widespread, originally hypercorrect, practice of writing an before initial h- even when it was not silent. Final -n was also often retained before words which no longer began with a vowel, i.e. after the development of a glide at the beginning of words such as eunuch n., unity n. (originally with initial diphthong), and also one adj. (see discussion at that entry). In current standard English, an is used before a vowel (including words spelt with silent h , as an hour ) and a before a consonant (including h and eu- , u- with the sound of /ju(ː)/, as a host , a one , a eunuch , a unit ). But in unaccented syllables, many (perhaps most) writers down to the 19th cent. retained an before sounded h and some even before eu , u , as an historian , an euphonic vowel , an united appeal , though this was all but obsolete in speech, and in writing a became increasingly common in this position (a tendency endorsed by most 20th-cent usage guides, although the use of an before h in an unaccented syllable is still preferred by some writers; compare quots. at β. forms). In the Middle English and early modern periods sometimes written without a space before the following word. In Older Scots the form o is occasionally found, as an irregular anglicized form (by analogy with variation between a and o in other words); see further Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at o indefin. art. From the beginning of the Middle English period to the early 17th cent. (and later in nonstandard varieties) the form a often resulted also from the transference of the -n of an to the following noun or adjective by metanalysis (see discussion at N n.), as e.g.:a1450 St. Edith (Faust.) (1883) l. 2064 And ryȝt w^t þat worde he made a nende. On early Middle English inflected forms such as anne , anre (some of which perhaps also contained a short a ) see forms at one adj., n., and pron. 1b and compare discussion at that entry. On Older Scots ane see discussion at one adj. 14.

Indefinite article (determiner). Used only to modify a singular countable noun head (or in some cases, a plural phrase treated as such).

I. Indicating indefiniteness.

1. Used in an indefinite noun phrase referring to something not specifically identified (and, frequently, mentioned for the first time) but treated as one of a class: one, some, any (the oneness, or indefiniteness, being implied rather than asserted).

a. Before a noun denoting an individual object or notion, or denoting an individualized substance, quality, or state, and before a collective noun. Also: before a person's words treated as an individual instance of a general statement, and with a non-restrictive premodifier before the name of a person.from a boy, from a child, etc.: see from prep. 3a. of an evening, of a Sunday, etc.: see of prep. 51a.

ΚΠ

?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1140 He spedde litel & be gode rihte, for he was an yuel man [cf. anno 1137 He..wæs god munec & god man].

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 17408 Inn till an wilde wesste.

a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 121 (MED) Vre drihten wes iled to sleȝe al swa me dede a scep.

a1250 Wohunge ure Lauerd in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 279 (MED) Was tat barabas a þeof.

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 1743 Of is porchas so large he was to men..Þat he adde a gret ost in a lutel stounde.

c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) ii. §12. 23 The xiij. day of March fil vp-on a saterday, per auenture.

c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 857 He bigan with right a murye cheere His tale anoon.

c1425 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Harl.) 119 (MED) He was Cristene, and heo a paynen [c1325 Calig. ȝo payene] was.

a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 25 Wythin a litill whyle.

1549 Epitaph in G. Griffiths Hist. Tong (1894) 84 An eie to blind a lyme to lame she was.

1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. 174 Yet there is a wine of Myrtles..which wil neuer ouerturn the brain.

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Esclaffer, to buff, or burst, out into a laughter.

1663 S. Butler Hudibras: First Pt. i. i. 2 And Pulpit, Drum Ecclesiastick, Was beat with fist, instead of a stick.

1674 R. Strange Life S. Thomas Cantilupe x. 105 He would onely haue..confirmd it with an I doubt not.

1675 H. More Let. 27 Jan. in Conway Lett. (1992) vii. 400 She would have been in an Apoplexy.

a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1655 (1955) III. 163 He told me of an Inke that would give a dozen Copies, moist Sheetes of Paper being pressed on it.

1700–1 R. Gough Hist. Myddle (1875) 96 This Andrew Chambre was a sleepy drone of a man.

1738 Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 653/2 My door is quiet on a Sunday.

1795 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) II. 763 A prince can mak a belted knight.

1830 I. D'Israeli Comm. Life Charles I III. v. 64 The Star Chamber..was invested with a vigour beyond the laws.

1842 R. Browning Pied Piper of Hamelin in Bells & Pomegranates No. III: Dramatic Lyrics viii Up the face Of the Piper perked..with a ‘First, if you please, my thousand guilders!’

1847 H. W. Longfellow Evangeline i. i. 59 A celestial brightness—a more ethereal beauty.

1880 A. C. Swinburne Study of Shakespeare ii. 161 Hamlet himself is almost more of a satirist than a philosopher.

a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. xiii. 281 Physogastry, an ugly word for an ugly thing.

1978 C. Tomlinson Shaft 20 It was pure display—all a sky could put on In a single day, and yet remain sky.

1978 N.Y. Times 30 Mar. d18/2 The TV camera zoomed in on a triumphant Holmes.

2006 L. Smolin Trouble with Physics ix. 132 How, then, do we describe what makes a metal a metal and a bacterium a bacterium?

b. Following a determiner or adjective and preceding the noun head.

(a) Following a determiner in †all a, †each a, †every a, many a, nary a, such a, what a, †whatkin a, †which a, etc. (see all adj. 1e(c), each adj. 1a(b), every adj. 1b, many adj. 1b, nary adj. 2, such adj. and pron. 1a(c), what adj.¹ 7a, which adj. 4; see also ilka adj., manner n. 1).

ΚΠ

?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1137 Wel þu myhtes faren al a dæis fare, sculdest thu neure finden man in tune sittende.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 525 Illc an hird wel wisste inoh.

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 89 Lo, hwich an ensample.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 9422 Of Vðere Pendragune scal arisen swilc a sune.

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 3882 (MED) Þat ech a witesonetyd to carleon wende.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 12041 (MED) Quatkin a child es þis?

?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 42 (MED) Þis fflood is so gret on every asyde.

1477 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Hist. Jason (1913) 167 Thise thinges considerid & seen that he had no cause to purchase to you such a daunger for ye neuer deseruid it.

1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. lxxv. 96 Ther abode alyue no maner a person.

1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie vi. 33. 17 a We know what maner a one that is.

1611 Bible (King James) Ruth iv. 1 Ho, such a one!

a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 (1623) v. iv. 12 Ah what a shame, ah what a fault were this.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) v. iii. 142 And haue (in vaine) said many A prayer vpon her graue.

1672 N. Grew Let. 12 Mar. in H. Oldenburg Corr. (1971) VIII. 589 Every a drop of Raine aforesaid.

1755 J. Wesley Let. 29 Apr. (1931) III. 127 What a blessing it is to have these little crosses.

1792 E. Pendleton Let. 17 Nov. in Lett. & Papers (1967) II. 590 I took it for granted that such an Account was to be found amongst his Book or papers.

1892 J. K. Lawson Vain Sacrifice 175 Nary a daughter nor a son has poor ould Dan.

1967 Brit. Jrnl. Psychiatry 113 926/1 The definition of psychopathic behaviour..has laid many a psychiatrist low in the witness box.

2006 A. McCall Smith Right Attitude to Rain xv. 161 Sic a smile, she thought in Scots, would melt ilka heirt—such a smile would melt any heart.

(b) Following a positive adjective, now chiefly when modified by as, enough, how, however, so, sufficiently, that, this, or too; (also) following a comparative adjective (usually modified by an intensifying adverb such as far, much, or no).

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a1250 Wohunge ure Lauerd in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 281 (MED) Þu was i swa strang a swing, þat te swat.

c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 67 (MED) Glad aman was he.

c1400 (?c1380) Pearl 492 (MED) Hit is to dere a date.

c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) 1070 (MED) How comly a kest.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 603/1 Wyll you laye thefte to his charge, and have no better a grounde?

1534 tr. Erasmus Bellum Erasmi f. 31^v Wyll ye se howe small a matter it is that we make all this rufflynge fore.

1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique vii. xxix. 855 There is no greater a cut-throte to dogs then the wild bore.

1611 Bible (King James) James iii. 5 Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth [1881 Revised Behold, how much wood is kindled by how small a fire] .

1704 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 24 1569 Considering how large a Specie of Animals may be reduced under this Quadrumanous kind.

1790 E. Gibbon Misc. Wks. (1814) III. 414 The naked heir might often complain, that his father's sins had been redeemed at too high a price.

1815 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1959) IV. 571 I should still be disquieted as knowing how poor a substitute must Letters be for a vivâ voce examination of a Work with it's Author, Line by Line.

1833 C. Darwin Let. 11 Apr. in Corr. (1985) I. 307 This is so remote a locality from Europe.

1857 G. H. Lewes Biogr. Hist. Philos. (rev. ed.) i. iv. i. 124 Are you not a piper, and far more wonderful a one than he?

1869 F. Montgomery Misunderstood v. 110 He held his seat on less frail a tenure.

1872 C. D. Warner Saunterings 15 A throng of noble persons backed by the gay and glittering Guard of the Emperor, as brave a show as chivalry ever made.

1882 M. E. Braddon Mt. Royal I. v. 134 Christabel, noteful of every change,..saw how much more healthy a tinge cheek and brow had taken.

1921 G. Chittenden in B. Williams O. Henry Prize Stories of 1921 (1922) 93 Control relaxed for however brief a moment sends their slow blood whirling.

1936 R. Riskin Mr. Deeds goes to Town in Six Screenplays (1997) 381 Mac. Is he really that big a sap?

1957 J. Cheever Jrnls. (1991) 89 If lust makes me run and caper it is no stronger a force than that which brings me to my knees to say thanksgivings and litanies.

1974 R. Hawkey & R. Bingham Wild Card v. 51 McElroy was sufficiently promising a subject to be questioned under narco-hypnosis.

1984 N. Guild Berlin Warning (1985) xvi. 184 It was just ambiguous enough a movement that the other man didn't know quite how to react.

1999 BBC Gardeners' World Apr. 47/3 Whatever your opinion, it makes as fine a pot edge as you could wish for.

2001 Washington Post (Home ed.) 18 Oct. d1/1 Any time you have this big a mess in professional sports.

c. Chiefly preceding a noun of multitude forming a numeral, as a dozen, a hundred, a thousand, a million, a myriad; see also certain n. 5b. Cf. one adj., n., and pron. Compounds 2a.In Old English the plural noun complementing hundred and thousand was in the genitive. Dozen and certain were originally complemented by of and the noun.

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c1175 ( Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 202 Þeah he libbe her on life a þusend wintræ.

c1225 (?c1200) Sawles Warde (Bodl.) (1938) 14 (MED) Þah ich hefde a þusent tungen of stele.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 3545 An hundrad punda.

c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 341 (MED) Tristrem wan..Of him an hundred pounde.

c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. iv. l. 38 For a dozeine chickenes, Or as many capones.

1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. xiv. 13 A certayne noble knightis..she kept.

1559 P. Morwyng tr. C. Gesner Treasure of Euonymus 352 Whiche muste be a certain tymes strained.

a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) i. i. 2 It was vpon this fashion bequeathed me by will, but poore a thousand Crownes.

1653 H. Holcroft tr. Procopius Gothick Warre i. 32 in tr. Procopius Hist. Warres Justinian Belisarius commanded Bessas with a 1000. selected men to charge them.

1718 M. Prior Solomon on Vanity iii, in Poems Several Occasions (new ed.) 497 Select from vulgar Herds, with Garlands gay, A hundred Bulls ascend the Sacred Way.

1777 R. Watson Hist. Reign Philip II II. xv. 57 A thousand regular troops, together with two thousand of the country people.

1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps ii. §11. 290 He had to retreat more than a dozen times.

1952 M. Laski Village i. 11 They had passed and repassed each other a dozen times.

2005 Trav. Afr. Autumn 48/2 The dry..deciduous woodlands that run south for a thousand miles.

d. After a negative adverb, in an emphatic expression. See ne'er a adj., never a at never adv. 6a, not adv. 11a. Cf. one adj. 3a.

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a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 79 He..þe ne þoleð and forbereð noht a misbode.

c1300 (c1250) Floris & Blauncheflur (Cambr.) (1966) l. 104 Ne herde we neure a word.

a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iii. l. 1087 From his eighen fil þere not a tere.

1591 J. Harington Briefe Apol. Poetrie in tr. L. Ariosto Orlando Furioso sig. ¶vij In all Ariosto..there is not a word of ribaldry or obscenousnes.

1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 i. ii. 161 There is not a white haire in your face, but should haue his effect of grauity.

1663 S. Butler Hudibras: First Pt. i. i. 2 Not a man of them knew wherefore.

1799 Ld. Nelson in Dispatches & Lett. (1845) IV. 66 There is not a thing that the Admiral could propose that I would not meet him half-way.

a1879 W. Howitt in M. Howitt Autobiogr. (1889) I. iv. 137 I do not believe that my father ever read a line of Rousseau's.

1964 G. A. Williamson World of Josephus xii. 194 Not a man survived.

1999 J. M. Coetzee Disgrace (2000) xxi. 193 He has uttered not a sound.

e. Followed by an adjective used elliptically, either in a coordinate construction following the noun head (now archaic) or anaphorically. Now rare.

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c1225 (?c1200) St. Margaret (Royal) 13 Ich habbe a leouere, þe ich nule for nan leuen ne leosen.

a1250 Wohunge ure Lauerd in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 285 (MED) A wrecche bodi and a wac bere ich ouer eorðe.

a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 951 A michel fier he sag, and an brigt, Sliden ðor.

c1400 Brut (Rawl. B. 171) 27 And after þis Belyn, regnede his sone Corinbatrus, a gode man and a worþi.

a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 26 That was a passynge good man and a yonge.

1557 R. Copland tr. P. Garcie Rutter of See (new ed.) sig. Eii^v An olde shyp wyllyngly lyeth not in the waye of a better.

1608 T. Middleton Trick to catch Old-one ii. sig. D A proper person and a louely.

1710 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 5 Oct. in Wks. I. 144/2 This has been but an insipid sort of day, and I have nothing to remark upon it worth threepence: I hope MD had a better with the Dean, the Bishop, or Mrs. Walls.

1813 W. Scott Let. 6 Nov. in J. G. Lockhart Mem. Life Sir W. Scott (1837) II. ii. 99 I heartily wish your Lordship had come down to Scotland this season, for I have never seen a finer.

1850 J. H. Newman Christ upon Waters 7 It is an old story and a familiar, and I need not go through it.

1895 A. Dendy in Rep. 6th Meeting Austral. Assoc. Adv. Sci. 99 The Cryptozoic Fauna of Australasia... I use the word ‘Cryptozoic’ for want of a better.

1978 S. King Stand i. xxv. 181 Supper. Now there was a word, had there ever been a finer? Ham steaks and potatoes with red-eye gravy.

f. Preceding a proper name, used connotatively with reference to the qualities of the individual, or figuratively as the type of a class: someone or something like; a person or thing of the same kind as.

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c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Canon's Yeoman's Tale (Ellesmere) (1875) G. §3. l. 961 Euery man semeth a Salomon.

?1552 T. Churchyard Replicacion to Camels Obiection (single sheet) I can do no lesse, but shew what you are, Synce you ar a Daniell, dark dreames to declare.

1572 T. Wilson Disc. Vsurye sig. .vi^v Woulde god Englande had a Cromwell, I will saye no more.

1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iv. i. 220 A Daniell come to iudgement: yea a Daniell.

1665 R. Boyle Occas. Refl. iv. xii. sig. Ff3 Our own History affords us a Henry the Fifth.

1683 D. A. Whole Art Converse 53 Cannot ye praise a philosopher unless ye say he is an Aristotle.

1700 J. Dryden Fables Pref. sig. *Bij^v Even after Chaucer there was a Spencer, a Harrington, a Fairfax, before Waller and Denham were in being.

1763 ‘A. B. C.’ Woman 6 Long as the Annals of bright fame admit A Portia's virtue, or a Sappho's wit.

1780 W. Cowper Table Talk 322 And blazing London seem'd a second Troy.

c1830 Fable in 4th Irish Schbk. 50 He whom his party deems a hero, His foes a Judas or a Nero.

1855 Ld. Tennyson Maud iv. viii, in Maud & Other Poems 19 Shall I weep if a Poland fall? shall I shriek if a Hungary fail?

1942 Times 30 Apr. 5/5 Men will love and die for a Nelson or a Wolfe.

2005 Herald Sun (Melbourne) (Nexis) 4 Jan. 71 He may not get the accolades of a Lara or a Tendulkar, but he's right up there with them.

g. Preceding the name of an artist, writer, etc., used to designate a work by that person.

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1635–6 in Publ. Catholic Rec. Soc. (1933) 33 180 By occasional meane of an old printed Turrecremata upon our Rule, which one whom I well know happened to buy amonge the booke-sellers of Duck-lane.

1736 A. Pope Wks. III. 197 A Chrysostom to smooth thy band in.

1784 W. Cowper Task vi, in Poems (1785) II. 245 He discerns The difference of a Guido from a daub.

1842 E. FitzGerald Lett. (1889) I. 84 I mean to take down a Thucydides, to feed on: like a whole Parmesan.

1886 J. Ruskin Præterita II. iv. 144 The pleasure of one's own first painting everybody can understand. The pleasure of a new Turner to me, nobody ever will.

1927 L. D. Braye Fewness of my Days 292 A fine Murillo adorns the private chapel.

1956 A. Lunn Zermatt & Valais xiii. 132 Who would borrow from these shelves a Rider Haggard or a Mrs. Humphrey Ward.

2004 P. Gilmour Sexy Football viii. 38 You can't compare one goal with another any more than you can compare a Monet with a Warhol.

a. In a more definite sense: one, a certain, a particular; the same, one and the same. Now chiefly in at a time (see time n. 18a) and in phrases after at, of, to, etc. Cf. one adj. 8, 12.birds of a feather: see bird n. Phrases 2c. of an age: see age n. Phrases 3a. of a piece: see piece n. Phrases 8a. to a degree: see degree n. 6b. to a hair, to a man, etc.: see to prep. 13a.

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c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 1025 Te bisscopp sellf..Þær shollde cumenn o þe ȝer Ann siþe, & all himm ane.

c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (Bodl.) (1981) 2 Constentin ant Maxence were on a time..hehest i Rome.

c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 1807 (MED) At a dint he slow hem þre.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5870 Do tua dais werkes on a dai.

c1405 (c1375) G. Chaucer Monk's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 611 To Rome agayn repaireth Iulius With his triumphe lauriat ful hye..But on a tyme Brutus Cassius..Ful pryuely hath maad conspiracie Agayns this Iulius.

1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. cx. 132 In his dayes, ther was at a tyme, a great tournayeng before Cambray.

1551 R. Robinson tr. T. More Vtopia sig. Diii^v The kyllynge of a man, or the takynge of hys money..were bothe a matter.

1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) I. 898/1 Whether y^e Christians yelde to them, or yelde not, all is a matter.

1603 W. Shakespeare Hamlet v. ii. 212 These foyles, Haue all a laught.

a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) i. iii. 236 He and his Phisitions Are of a minde.

1645 J. Milton L'Allegro in Poems 31 Euphrosyne..Whom lovely Venus at a birth With two sister Graces more To Ivy-crowned Bacchus bore.

1694 Bp. Tenison in J. Evelyn Mem. (1857) III. 344 Six little pieces of coin (all of a sort) found in an urn by a ploughman.

1701 J. Swift Disc. Contests Nobles & Commons iii. 25 The Power of these Princes..was much of a size with that of the Kings in Sparta.

1825 J. Neal Brother Jonathan III. 382 The windows carefully mismated, no two of a size.

1828 D. M. Moir Life Mansie Wauch xxii. 333 ‘Keep to a side,’ cried Tommy Staytape, ‘for..Moosey'll maybe hae a pistol.’

1917 G. K. Chesterton Short Hist. England ii. 6 The islanders are of a kind with their islands.

1932 W. Faulkner Light in August xi. 220 Now and then she would be absent from home three and four days at a time.

1942 E. Ferber Saratoga Trunk (new ed.) vi. 100 In a way, chéri , we're two of a kind.

1996 Sunday Times of Zambia (Lusaka) 16 June 9/7 It has now become common for landlords to..demand payments for several months at a go.

2005 C. Stross Accelerando i. 26 Before they were uploaded one neuron at a time and injected into cyberspace.

b. With infinitive clause as complement: such as (to do, undergo, etc., what is expressed by the complement). Now usually in negative contexts. †Also with for and verbal noun (obsolete).

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1445 tr. Claudian's De Consulatu Stilichonis in Anglia (1905) 28 277 By thi comforte gode stilico; may soon be yolden ageyn A plastir to cure þe wounde of Rome.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) ii. i. 319 O, 'twas a din to fright a Monsters eare; To make an earthquake.

1780 Mirror 81 324 He died, alas! before I could receive the full benefit of his instructions..; and left me rather in a condition to feel the weakness of my mind than to recover its strength.

1795 E. Burke Corr. (1844) IV. 312 I am not a man for construing with too much rigour the expressions of men.

1854 J. Ruskin Lect. Archit. & Painting i. 4 That is a city to be proud of, indeed.

1936 S. Dark Manning iv. 115 Although Newman forgave easily, he was not a man to forget.

2002 N. Nicolson Fanny Burney i. 11 Johnson was not a man to be taken in by an ambitious scamp.

c. Preceding a proper name (usually one including a title) to indicate (sometimes dismissively) that the name is the only thing known about the person: ‘a certain’; ‘someone called’. Cf. one pron. 16b.

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1625 N. Carpenter Geogr. Delineated ii. xv. 258 This conceit of a Monsieur Bodin, I admit without any great contradiction.

1658 E. Burrough Something of Truth made Manifest 2 Under the hand of a Mr. Philip..to publish thy work under a seeming authority.

1767 S. Bunbury in J. H. Jesse G. Selwyn & his Contemp. (1843) II. 191 A Mr Brereton (a sad vulgar).

1801 J. Austen Let. 8 Jan. (1995) 70 Mrs Laurel is going to be married to a Mr. Hinchman, a rich East Indian.

1835 Knickerbocker 5 304 A John Smith lives next door.

1946 F. Sargeson That Summer 55 I found a joint that was kept by a Mrs. Clegg.

1991 A. Wroe Lives, Lies & Iran-Contra Affair (BNC) 16 The best idea of all..came from another film producer, a Mr Spivey.

2003 F. Shaw Sweetest Thing 8 She..ended up laundress to a Mrs Hutton with a laugh like a screech owl.

a. Preceding a quantifier or (now English regional) a numeral, removing its definiteness or expressing an approximate estimate: some, a matter of, about. Now chiefly in a few, a good few, a good many, a great many, and (English regional) a many: see few adj., pron., and n. Phrases 1c, many pron. and n. 6.Very common in the 14th–16th centuries.

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OE tr. Gospel of Nicodemus (Cambr.) v. §1. 165 Ic bydde þe for þynre myltse þæt ðu læte me sprecan ane feawa worda.]

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 1692 Do we awai þane twenti, a tene beoð inohȝe.

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 407 (MED) Þe king mid a vewe men him self fleiȝ atte laste.

c1330 Seven Sages (Auch.) (1933) l. 2229 (MED) Þai asked respit a fourten niȝt.

c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Squire's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 375 And vp they rysen, a .x. or a xij^e.

?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 38 Þat see is wel a .vj. myle of largeness in lengthe.

a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 280 By hym there stonde a thirty grete knyghtes.

1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. xxxvii. 50 A ii hundred speres.

1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. xxxviii. 51 A xx. M. Almaynes.

1562 W. Turner 2nd Pt. Herball f. 7^v Stepe them a fiue or sixe dayes in vineger.

c1595 T. Maynarde Sir Francis Drake his Voy. (1849) 5 He had a three hundred men more in his squadron.

1611 Bible (King James) Luke ix. 28 An eight days after these sayings.

a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) i. i. 111 And a many merry men with him.

1639 R. Baillie Lett. & Jrnls. (1841) I. 237 Onc[e] a thre or four year.

1684 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 2nd Pt. Authors Way sig. A2^v Have also overcome a many evils.

1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 244 He came running to me..making a many antick Gestures.

1778 F. Burney Let. 21 Aug. in Early Jrnls. & Lett. (1994) III. 87 She would like an Egg or two, & a few slices of Ham,—or a Rasher.

1832 Ld. Tennyson Miller's Daughter xxiii, in Poems (new ed.) 46 They have not shed a many tears.

1859 H. Bonar Songs for Wilderness (ed. 3) 28 A few more struggles here, A few more partings o'er, A few more toils, a few more tears, And we shall weep no more.

1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. (at cited word) We shall have a plenty o' gooseberries. There was about of a forty I should think 'twas purty near a fifty.

1916 M. Gyte Diary 4 Apr. (1999) 83 There have been three Zeppelin raids since last Saturday. A many people killed in England and Scotland and a many injured.

1928 Aberdeen Weekly Jrnl. 20 Sept. 6/3 There wid be a hantle mair sheep in the kwintry noo nor there wis a twenty year seen.

1979 N. Rogers Wessex Dial. iv. 32 About a fifty of them.

1998 N. Lawson How to Eat (1999) 469 Stir in a good few tablespoons of crème fraîche.

b. Followed by an adjective modifying (as a collective unit) an expression containing a numeral, either in the plural or introduced by one.In earlier use the interposed adjective is one that indicates the completeness of the amount, but in later use other kinds of commenting adjective can occur.

ΚΠ

1811 C. Lamb in Reflector 2 396 That freak..jested me out of a good three hundred pounds a year.

1865 G. A. Sala My Diary in Amer. I. 129 An additional forty cents.

1877 Spirit of Times 24 Nov. 453/3 An extra twenty dollars.

1899 West-End 23 Aug. 14/1 A further three months as probationer.

1937 Nebraska State Jrnl. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 13 May 1/8 An estimated two million waited along the procession road back to Buckingham [Palace].

1939 Fortune Oct. 125 (advt.) It exceeds 400,000,000 pounds, of which a good one-third normally is exported.

1976 Farnborough Internat. Exhibition (Official Programme) 11/2 At an incredible 20 tons an hour.

2005 San Francisco Chron. 7 May a4 A scant 200 million years after Earth was formed.

II. Indicating proportion.

4. Used to express a rate or ratio: in, to, or for each, per: (a) originally (with adverbs of repetition) of occurrences within a period of time; (b) subsequently, relating an amount of money to a period of time; (c) hence expressing rate or proportion in general, i.e. of money value, volume, weight, etc., to a unit of another kind, an individual, etc. (cf. apiece adv.). Cf. aday adv. 1.In sense 4(a) originally the preposition a defining time (see a prep.¹ 3), but probably already in Middle English identified with the indefinite article; influence of the Old English construction seen in on anum monðe (see quot. OE²) is also possible.five-, seven-, etc. a-side: see side n.¹ Phrases 7.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > [adjective] > each

eachOE

aa1200

the1426

OE West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) xvii. 4 Seofan siþun..on dæg [OE Lindisf. seofa siða on dæge, c1200 Hatton seofen syðan..on daig].

OE Byrhtferð Enchiridion (Ashm.) (1995) iii. ii. 144 Þonne getimað hyt þæt hig wrixliað twia on anum monðe.]

a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 109 (MED) The sunne..arist anes a dai.

a1250 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Nero) (1952) 155 Of alle swuche þin-ges. schriue hire enes a wike [?c1225 Cleo. euche wike eanes] ette leste.

c1275 (?a1216) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) 1133 (MED) Þar tron shulle a ȝere [a1300 Jesus Oxf. a yer] blowe An ȝunge sedes springe & growe.

c1300 St. Edmund Rich (Laud) l. 48 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 432 (MED) Twie a wike oþur þrei at þe leste.

c1300 St. Edmund Rich (Harl.) l. 47 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 494 Werede here here þrie a wyke, oþer tueye atte leste.

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1874) V. 415 He usede twyes a wooke to sitte al day to fore þe chirche dore.

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. lxi. 949 The fige tree..bereþ fruyte þries or foure siþes a ȝeere.

c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 498 Ful ofte a day he swelte and seyde allas.

a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) i. l. 441 Sixty tyme a day he loste his hewe.

a1425 (a1382) Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Corpus Oxf.) (1850) Exod. xxiii. 17 Thries aȝeer [a1425 L.V. in the ȝeer; L. in anno] shal apere al thi maal child before the Lord thi God.

?c1450 tr. Bk. Knight of La Tour Landry (1906) 12 A good woman..that fasted .iij. tymes a woke.

1451 Memorandum of Prosecutions in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 527 A fee of xl s a yere.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. xx. f. xxvij^v A peny a daye.

1580 T. Tusser Fiue Hundred Pointes Good Husbandrie (new ed.) f. 13 Christmas comes, but once a yeere.

1584 W. Elderton New Yorks. Song sig. A1/1 And they shot for twentie poundes a Bowe.

1611 Bible (King James) Psalms cxix. 164 Seuen times a day doe I praise thee.

1617 F. Moryson Itinerary iii. ii. i. 61 Som six pence a meale.

1666 S. Pepys Diary 13 Oct. (1972) VII. 320 His hunting three times a week.

1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant i. 118 We reckoned our running to be ten miles an hour.

1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World i. 54 His Men, to whom I gave four Pieces of Eight a Man.

1755 Connoisseur No. 53. ⁋4 Every night-cellar [will] furnish you with Holland Tape, three yards a penny.

1797 R. Southey Botany Bay Eclogues in Poems 93 To be popt at like pidgeons for sixpence a day!

1861 Ld. Brougham Brit. Constit. (ed. 2) ix. 118 It is repeated seven times a-week.

1878 T. H. Huxley Physiography (ed. 2) 174 It moves at the rate of between four and five miles an hour.

1896 G. Ade Artie xii. 106 Jimmy can afford to buy wine at four bucks a throw when he's only getting three a week out o' the job.

1937 Amer. Home Apr. 134/4 (advt.) Now I smoke a Pack a Day. Smokers Acidity Goes in Jiffy with Bell-ans.

1962 ‘C. S. Forester’ Hornblower & Hotspur ix. 126 Fifteen pounds a man... That's what my Jacks were paid on account of prize money.

1964 K. Kennedy in D. How 8th Hussars i. 101 C Squadron turned out a couple of evenings a week and a couple of Sundays a month.

1985 Princeton Alumni Weekly 13 Mar. 35/3 If he works 30 weeks a year, he's driven 15,000-plus mercy miles.

2005 Independent 3 Nov. 41/2 A man or woman..who can..charge several thousand pounds a day without laughing.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	a
释义	An. Brit. /eɪ/, U.S. /eɪ/ Forms: A (capital), a (lower case). Etymology: Letter form. The first letter of the English alphabet, as it was of the ancient Roman Alphabet (and as were its prototypes Alpha of the Greek alphabet, and Aleph of the Phoenician and ancient Semitic alphabets). The English letter form capital A reflects Latin A , itself reflecting Greek Α (capital alpha). Letter name. a is usual as the name of the letter in classical Latin, and hence in English. (In ancient Greek the name of the letter was ἄλϕα alpha n.) The plural has been written aes , A's , As . Sound. In both Greek and Latin this symbol represented the vowel formed with the tongue in the lowest position in the mouth, distinguished by vowel height from the next closest (front and back) vowel sounds represented by e and o . Long and short /a/ phonemes existed in each language. In Old English there was additionally a phonemic contrast between low front and back vowels; the back sound /ɑ/ (and its long equivalent) was represented by a , and the front sound /æ/ (and its long equivalent) by the digraph æ (called ash : see ash n.⁴). This phonemic contrast is not found in the sound system of later stages in the history of English, a subsequently being typically the representation of the lowest sound in the English sound system (as in Greek and Latin) rather than of a distinctively low back sound (as in Old English). In modern English the symbol a typically represents: (i) British English /a/, U.S. English /æ/, in e.g. man , rat (by some phoneticians the British English vowel is transcribed as /æ/ rather than /a/); (ii) British and U.S. English /eɪ/, in e.g. name , rate ; (iii) British English /ɑː/, U.S. English /ɑ/, in e.g. father , palm ; in British English typically also in e.g. calf , half , and (in some, typically southern or RP, varieties) also in e.g. bath , fast , dance , sample (standard lexical sets palm and bath : see J. C. Wells Accents of English (1982) I. p. xviii–xix, 142–4, 133–5); (iv) British and U.S. English /ɪ/, in e.g. village or (sometimes) climate ; (v) British and U.S. English /ə/, in e.g. comma , amoeba , or (sometimes) climate ; (vi) (after w ) British English /ɒ/, U.S. English /ɑ/, in e.g. wan , watch , want ; (vii) (after w ) British English /ɔː/, U.S. English /ɔ/, /ɑ/, in e.g. war , warm , water . On the spelling for British and U.S. English /ɛ/ in many and any see discussion at many adj., pron., n., and adv. A is the first letter of several digraphs, as follows: ai , ay , representing: (i) British and U.S. English /eɪ/, in e.g. pain , pay ; (ii) (before r ) British English /ɛː/, U.S. English /ɛ(ə)/, in e.g. pair ; (iii) (rarely) British English /ʌɪ/, U.S. English /aɪ/, in e.g. aye ‘yes’ or (in British English) Isaiah ; (in Scots and sometimes in English regional (northern) use this digraph also occurs for /e/ in e.g. ain ‘own’, ait ‘oat’, etc.); au , aw , representing: (i) British English /ɔː/, U.S. English /ɔ/ or /ɑ/, in e.g. laud , law , taut , taught , caught ; (ii) British English /ɑː/ or /a/, U.S. English /æ/, in e.g. laugh , draught , aunt ; (iii) British English /ɒ/, U.S. English /ɔ/, in e.g. laurel , Laurence (compare also Lawrence ); (iv) British English and U.S. English /eɪ/, in e.g. gauge ; (v) British English /əʊ/, U.S. English /ɔ/, /oʊ/, or (in some cases) /ɑ/, in e.g. mauve , sauté ; (vi) (rarely, in unnaturalized borrowings) British and U.S. English /aʊ/, in e.g. Rathaus , luau ; ae , representing (chiefly in words ultimately of Latin and Greek origin, the pronunciation of many of which varies considerably): (i) British English /iː/, U.S. English /i/, in e.g. aeon , aetiology , or (sometimes) abscissae ; (ii) British English /ɪ/, /ə/, U.S. English /ə/, in e.g. Aeneas , Aegean ; (iii) in U.S. English sometimes also /eɪ/ in e.g. aegis , Aegean ; (iv) in U.S. English /aɪ/ and in British English sometimes /ʌɪ/, in e.g. abscissae (as also regularly in words of Italian origin, as maestro ); (v) British English /ɛː/, U.S. English /ɛ/ in aerial and related words; (vi) British and U.S. English /ɛ/ in e.g. haemorrhage . ao , representing British and U.S. English /aʊ/ in e.g. tao , Maoism , maori ; also, in gaol , British and U.S. English /eɪ/; aa , representing (with varying distributions in different words) British English /ɑː/, /a/, /eɪ/, or /ɛː/, U.S. English /æ/, /ɑ/, /eɪ/, or /ɛ/, in e.g. ma'am , maas , Baal , Aaron . Main developments within English. The following gives a very brief outline of the origins and development of the main sounds represented by a in English. (i) The short vowel. In Germanic, short a corresponds both to a in other branches of Indo-European (compare e.g. Latin ager with the early forms and Germanic cognates at acre n.) and (as a result of an early merger in Germanic) to o (compare e.g. Latin hostis with the early forms and Germanic cognates at guest n.). As a result of a very early sound change in English short a (of whatever origin) in accented syllables was fronted to æ except when followed by a nasal consonant (compare dæg ‘day’ with mann ‘man’, and on the latter see further discussion at O n.¹), although a was later restored in open syllables before a following back vowel (compare within the paradigm of dæg ‘day’ the nominative and accusative singular forms dæg alongside the nominative and accusative plural forms dagas ). In Old English a and æ were distinct phonemes, and were affected by neighbouring sounds in different ways which have profound effects on the subsequent histories of many words; in some dialects of Old English (Kentish and some Mercian varieties) æ was also fronted further to e . In Middle English the phonemic distinction between a and æ was lost, surviving instances of æ (which had been neither affected by further sound changes nor fronted to e ) generally being merged with a . Sound changes have affected the reflex of Middle English a in a number of words: (i) after w , a was rounded in e.g. wan , watch , want ; this probably happened in the early 17th cent. or earlier, although even in standard English there was a good deal of variation in the 17th and 18th centuries, and later in some cases (compare swam , past tense of swim v., and also pronunciation history at quaff v., waft v.¹); in some cases the resultant sound occurred in a lengthening environment, as in war , warm (and anomalously in water ); (ii) father , palm , calf , half , bath , fast , dance , sample show various different processes of lengthening of historically short a in modern English; these changes have not all occurred in all varieties, and today provide significant distinctions between different national varieties of English (and in the case of the classes illustrated by bath , fast , dance , sample , considerable variation within standard British English). A further source of /a/ in modern English is lowering of e before r in late Middle English (as also in Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French), as in carve or tar , although the application of this sound change is very variable (compare person n. and parson n.), and in some cases the e spelling is retained even when the change in pronunciation to /a/ is found (compare clerk n.). (ii) The long vowel. The history of ā and ǣ is much less straightforward than that of the short sounds. Owing to an early merger of ā and ō in Germanic, ā in most other Indo-European languages corresponds to ō in Germanic (see O n.¹). The main source of Old English ā is Germanic ai : compare e.g. Old English stān ‘stone’ with the Germanic cognates listed at stone n.; in the Middle English period this sound became rounded in southern and midland dialects, giving Middle English open ō (see O n.¹); in the north and Scots this rounding did not occur, and Old English ā is generally continued in Scots as /e/ (often spelt ai , as in ain , ait , stain , more commonly stane ), and in northern English varieties frequently as a falling diphthong with high first element, /iə/. Old English ǣ as a spelling form represents sounds of two different origins with different distributions in the various Old English dialects. Firstly, it shows the reflex of Germanic ē , corresponding to ā in most other West Germanic (and North Germanic) languages; see e.g. the cognates listed at deed n. In the dialects of Old English other than West Saxon this sound (often called ǣ ¹) was ē rather than ǣ , hence West Saxon dǣd beside Anglian and Kentish dēd . Secondly, ǣ resulted from the i-mutation of ā (although in Kentish this was further fronted to ē ), as in heal v.¹, which is hǣlan in both West Saxon and Anglian; this sound is often called ǣ ². The reflexes of both ǣ ¹ and ǣ ² in modern English are mid or high vowels, generally spelt e , ea , or ee , and their later history is therefore dealt with at E n.¹ Middle English ā therefore does not continue Old English ā (or ǣ ). Its main origins are instead: (i) early Middle English lengthening of a in open syllables in disyllabic words; (ii) borrowing of words containing Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French ā ; also Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French au in certain phonological contexts, as in save , chamber . As a result of the Great Vowel Shift this sound became raised to a mid height vowel and subsequently diphthongized; however, a spellings were preserved as a result of the degree of standardization and conservatism by this stage found in the spelling system. (The new long low height vowel created by various lengthening processes after the Great Vowel Shift has already been described above.) Brief notes on digraph spellings in modern English. ai , ay generally reflects: (i) Old English or early Middle English diphthongs formed from a low vowel before palatal g , as in day n.; (ii) Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French ai , as in pay v.¹ or bailiff n. Since ai and ei merged in Middle English (see E n.¹), words historically showing ei sometimes show ai or ay spellings in modern English, as e.g. sail n.¹, way n.¹ au , aw generally reflects: (i) a low vowel before w in Old English, as in claw n. or raw adj.; (ii) Old English or early Middle English diphthongs formed from a low vowel before velar g or the fricative /x/, as in law n.¹ or slaughter n.; (iii) Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French au , as in jaundice n., laundry n., aunt n. Modern spellings with ae or æ show no continuity with æ spellings in Old English or early Middle English, but instead mostly show learned borrowings of Latin words showing (in classical Latin) the diphthong ae . In some instances ae in such words ultimately reflects substitution in Latin of ae for Greek αι in words borrowed into Latin from Greek; hence aether and æther as spellings of ether n. Many words which historically showed either ae or e spellings now always or predominantly show e (as e.g. ether n., phenomenon n.); ae is retained in many proper names relating to the ancient world, such as Caesar or Aeneas , and in some technical terms, such as (in British English) aetiology n., as well as a few slightly commoner words, such as aegis n. I. The letter A (a). 1. The letter, and the sound it represents. ΘΚΠ society > communication > writing > written character > [noun] > letter staffc888 bookstaffOE Kc1000 Yc1000 Zc1000 AOE EOE GOE MOE ROE letterc1225 print1340 tawc1400 Wc1465 J1591 stave1866 alphabet1972 X- OE Ælfric Gram. (St. John's Oxf.) 5 Of ðam [stafum] syndon fif vocales, þæt synd clypiendlice: a, e, i, o, u. c1175 Names of Letters in N. R. Ker Catal. MSS containing Anglo-Saxon (1957) 337 A a, B be uel bei, C ce uel cei, D de uel dei, [etc.]. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 16434 Þe firrste staff iss nemmnedd .a. Onn ure latin spæche. a1398 J. Trevisa in tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. 40 I lerned a and be And oþir lettres by here names. c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 161 On which was first writen a crowned .A. And after, amor vincit omnia. a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) l. 481 When it [sc. the child] es born it cryes swa: If it be man it says ‘a, a,’ Þat þe first letter es of þe nam Of our forme-fader Adam. c1450 in D. Thomson Middle Eng. Grammatical Texts (1984) 26 Þe furst coniugacyon..hath A long beforn þe -re in þe infenityf. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement Introd. 17 These thre letters M, N or E fynall..be the very and onely causes why these thre vowelles A, E, O, be formed in the brest and sounded by the nose. 1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost v. i. 54 Peda. I will repeate them: a e I. Pag. The Sheepe, the other two concludes it o u. View more context for this quotation 1678 S. Butler Hudibras: Third Pt. iii. i. 58 And love your Loves with A's, and B's. 1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 168. ⁋5 Whipped..for writing an O for an A, or an A for an O. a1774 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued (1777) III. i. 233 Tully tells us, a hog has been known to make a perfect letter A with his snout upon the ground, but..no man ever saw a single A written by a hog, without a multitude of other irregular scratches round about it. 1842 Ld. Tennyson Epic in Poems (new ed.) II. 3 Mouthing out his hollow oes and aes, Deep-chested music. 1878 Pop. Sci. Monthly Aug. 445 We will..suppose that there are only twenty [muscles] involved in the pronunciation of A. 1919 J. E. Sandys Lat. Epigraphy (1927) iii. 36 In Latin this doubling is confined to the vowels A, E, U. 1976 M. K. Langdon Sanctuary of Zeus on Mount Hymettos 39 The single letter: -A-; broken away at either side. 2003 i-D Dec. 97/2 If you say to a lot of people, ‘PopArt is meant to be one word with a capital A in the middle,’ they look at you like you're really up your own arse. 2. a. As a distinguishing letter, usually as part of an alphabetical sequence, denoting one of a series of things, a point in a diagram, a sheet of a book, etc. ΚΠ 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 1 (MED) A betocneþ þe uerste half of þe leave, b þe oþerhalf. ?c1400 in J. O. Halliwell Rara Mathematica (1839) 65 (MED) Make a quadrat..in þe manner of ABCD..and wite you that A es þe right cornel vpward. 1480 W. Caxton Chron. Eng. (printer's signature mark) a6. 1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. i. f. 16^v From the pointes..A and B, let there be drawn two right lines AC and CB to the point C. 1585 J. Blagrave Math. Iewel 4 A rule with a centrehole towards the one end to ride uppon the point A. 1675 J. Collins Let. 10 Apr. in H. Oldenburg Corr. (1977) XI. 260 Let the Points be ABCD and E , any three of which as A , B and C ioyne to make a Rectilinear Triangle ABC. 1724 H. Pemberton Let. ?Jan. in I. Newton Corr. (1977) VII. 257 Whence if a right line were drawn from A to T the triangle AZT would be given in species..for the angle under the lines AT and TZ will be given. 1842 Penny Mag. Sept. 379 Supposing a group of signature A to be thus folded, another of signature B, and others..these will have to be ‘gathered’ into volumes at the next process. 1949 A. C. Walshaw Heat Engines (ed. 3) xi. 241 The admission of steam from A to C shows, during the first part, AB, how the pressure of the steam in the cylinder rises. 1970 Pop. Mech. Feb. 193 Pier A is glued to the back of the 6-in. portal. 2005 S. Bright Maths Connect 54 Place a ruler from A to B and join A to the straight line. b. Music. The sixth note of the diatonic scale of C major, or the first note of the relative minor scale of C. Also: (a) a key based on a scale which has A as its keynote; (b) the pitch of a musical instrument which is a minor third lower than written pitch.The A above middle C is usually used as the basis for tuning and in modern music has a standard frequency of 440 Hz. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > system of sounds or intervals > [noun] > diatonic scale series > notes in diatonic scale > notes of specific scales bemola1327 bequarrea1350 rec1550 G1562 E1596 B1597 A1609 Ca1616 middle C1660 A (also C, D etc.) sharp1783 high C1837 H1880 1609 J. Dowland tr. A. Ornithoparchus Micrologus 22 In the first part set A Base, in the third D sol re, in the fifth A lamire. 1676 T. Mace Musick's Monument xlii. 219 This next Line shall show you A-re, with all Its 3d's, 5th's, and 8th's, Natural. 1724 W. Turner Sound Anatomiz'd 71 Of the natural Capacity of each of the seven Degrees of Sound, that there are but five of them, to wit, A, B, D, E and G, that will admit of a Flat; and five also, to wit, A, C, D, F, and G, that will admit of a Sharp. 1785 European Mag. 7 355/1 We have the minor third in the natural key of A. 1806 J. W. Callcott Musical Gram. ii. 4 The Notes of Music are named from the first seven letters of the alphabet, A, B, C, D, E, F, G. When the Melody, or Tune, exceeds these seven, the same series of letters must be repeated. 1847 R. Platt New, Easy, & Correct Syst. Vocal Music iv. 71 The key of A minor (or rather its relative, C major) has no sharp in its signature. 1880 G. Grove Dict. Music I. 192 The beautiful and passionate Sonata in A which was inspired by and dedicated to his [sc. Beethoven's] friend Madame Ertmann. 1929 Musical Times 70 633/2 Leave F and A till the last. They involve the use of two toes followed by two heels... Work out a similar exercise in the key of A flat. 1953 Rotarian Dec. 56/2 Gus..sounded an ‘A’ to give the fiddler his pitch for tuning. 1983 D. Etheridge Mozart's Clarinet Concerto i. 20 There are many places where the note c can be used on a basset clarinet in A to sound a. 2003 New Yorker 8 Sept. 22/3 She performs the Impromptus in G-flat Major and B-Flat Major and the Sonata in A Major..along with a selection of waltzes and ländler. c. Reduplicated as AA, AAA, etc., as an extension of an alphabetical sequence (preceding A), esp. denoting one of a series of sizes or classes. ΚΠ 1877 J. T. Fanning Pract. Treat. Water Supply Engin. 608 Lead pipes of weights as in class A are used ordinarily when the head of water on them does not exceed 75 feet; class AA when the head is from 75 to 150 feet ; and class AAA when the head..is great. 1893 J. M. Crawford tr. Industries of Russia I. iii. 45 The manufactory produced..twist, weft and doubled yarns, class AAA, class AA and classes A, B and C. 1915 Spalding's Official Base Ball Rec. 8 7 Both National and American Leagues agreed that players drafted from Class AA clubs should finish the season. 1952 Good Housek. (U.S. ed.) Dec. 245/2 (advt.) QualiCraft opera highlighted by holiday sparkle Sizes 3 to 10, AAAA through C. 1973 Pop. Mech. Dec. 133 Batteries are penlight size (AA) in some cameras and size AAA in others. 1997 Financial Post (Canada) 13 Feb. 35/4 Dominion Bond Rating Service said it is assigning a rating of AA to British Columbia's 70-billion-yen issue of..Samurai bonds. 2002 Independent 20 June (Review section) 11/4 A company that caters to everyone from the most modestly sized (AA cup) to the stonkingly well-endowed (H cup). d. Sociology. Denoting the highest (or formerly lowest) of a series of social classes. In later use spec. denoting the highest-earning socio-economic class for marketing purposes, including managerial and professional personnel. See also AB n. at Compounds. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social class > [noun] > distinction of class > level or grade > specific highest or lowest higher class1737 A1887 society > society and the community > social class > the common people > specific classes of common people > [noun] > professional class > specific managerial or administrative > member of A1936 1887 Jrnl. Royal Statist. Soc. 50 329 A. The Lowest Class—Consists of some (so-called) labourers... The total counted in Class A are 6,882. 1889 C. Booth Labour & Life People I. i. ii. 33 The 8 classes into which I have divided these people are: A. The lowest class of occasional labourers, and semi-criminals. B. Casual earnings—‘very poor’ [etc.]. 1910 F. G. D'aeth in Sociol. Rev. 3 270 The present class structure is based upon different standards of life... These varying standards tend to fall into seven groups..A. The Loafer..B. Low-skilled labour..C. Artizan..D. Smaller Shopkeeper and clerk..E. Smaller Business Class..F. Professional and Administrative Class..G. The Rich. 1936 G. Harrison & F. C. Mitchell Home Market xii. 59 Blue Symbols represent A grade—where chief income earner receives £10 per week or more. 1950 D. C. Jones in Brit. Jrnl. Sociol. 1 51 It will simplify both our analysis and your classification if you begin by thinking in terms of five main social classes, which we have lettered in descending order A, B, C, D, E. 1984 Social Trends (Central Statistical Office) No. 14. x. 142 Almost every household in social classes A and B possessed a dictionary in May 1982. 2004 J. D. Healey Housing, Fuel Poverty, & Health ix. 178 One anomaly relates to the finding that 15.9% of those in social class A express some intermittent problems with fuel poverty. e. Education. Denoting the highest class of academic mark. Cf. straight A n. at straight adj., n., and adv. Compounds 1c. ΘΚΠ society > education > educational administration > examination > [noun] > marks > specific marks accessit1753 honour1774 credit1802 second class1810 firsta1830 first class1830 third class1844 Hons.1850 max1851 second1852 special mention1886 distinction?1890 A1892 E1892 pass mark1894 two-two1895 alpha1898 alpha plus1898 gamma1898 beta1902 delta1911 alpha minus1914 fourth1914 straight A1926 two-one1937 lower second1960 honourable mention2011 1892 Harvard Advocate 14 Apr. 63/1 Not a whit deterred by the fact of three E's and two D's at the mid years, she set out to make Harris take five A's at the finals. 1931 Titusville (Pa.) Herald 30 Dec. 6/5 An honour student must receive all A's and B's. 1978 Times 21 Mar. 3/1 The university is inviting applications for entry next September only from those who expect to get A or B grades at A level. 1988 B. Orser Orser: Skater's Life iii. 106 She studied her brains out every night and got As in everything. 2009 S. Faulks Week in December 22 Although the pupils regularly came near the top of the national league of exam results, most taking home a full house of A-stars and A's, they had little idea of spelling or grammar. f. Chiefly British. Denoting the highest category of road below a motorway. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > road > [noun] > road of specific class second-class road1906 A1921 B1921 tertiary road1960 1921 Autocar 29 Oct. 829/2 Those roads, however, which have already received numbers are all of the first, or A, category... Six boundary roads radiating from London are taken as the basis. Road A1 is that from London to Edinburgh; A2 runs from London to Dover; A3 London to Portsmouth. 1953 Times 17 Sept. 11/2 It is virtually impossible for a stranger to decipher the geography of many industrial towns once the A-road has been left. 1988 Which? Dec. 574/3 Some atlases show..motorways in blue with white road numbers, and primary A-roads in green with yellow road numbers. 2006 Bristol Evening Post (Nexis) 20 June 16 Villages will be brought to a virtual standstill by rat-runners..when the busy A4 is closed to traffic..next month. g. Denoting a series of international standard paper sizes, each with a fixed rectangular shape (the length being 41.4 per cent greater than the width) and with twice the surface area of the next size in the series, as A0, A1, A2, etc. Cf. B n. 4 (v), C n. 5. ΘΚΠ society > communication > writing > writing materials > material to write on > paper > [adjective] > designating international standard paper size A1930 1930 Standards Yearbk. (National Bureau Statistics) 16 The discussions resulted in the setting up of a so-called A series of paper sizes... Size A4 of this series is the standard letter size. 1932 Industr. Standardization 3 203/2 The European main or A-series of paper sizes... The basic sheet with an area of one square meter is designated A0 (A zero); the next smaller sheet by A1; half of this by A2, etc. 1937 E. J. Labarre Dict. Paper 277/1 The basic sizes are therefore: A-series = A0 = 841 × 1189 mm; B-series = B0 = 1000 × 1414 mm; C-series = C0 = 917 × 1297 mm. 1962 F. T. Day Introd. to Paper vii. 71 At present there is much discussion of the advantages of what are termed A and B paper sizes. 1982 Financial Times 25 Oct. i. 12/7 The new chassis..is about the size of an A4 sheet of paper. 2006 New Yorker 5 June 32/2 The flat..was stocked with two sizes of stationery: U.S. Letter and the thinner, taller A4 that is standard in Europe. 3. from A to (also until) Z: from beginning to end, all through, in every particular. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > completely [phrase] > thoroughly > from beginning to end or through and through to the boneOE through and throughc1225 out and outc1300 from top to tail1303 out and inc1390 (from) head to heel (also heels)c1400 (from) head to foot (also feet)c1425 from top to (into, unto) toec1425 to the skin1526 to one's (also the) finger (also fingers') ends1530 from first to last1536 up and down1542 whole out1562 to the pith1587 to the back1594 from A to (also until) Z1612 from clew to earing1627 from top to bottom1666 back and edge1673 all hollow1762 (all) to pieces1788 from A to Za1821 to one's (also the) fingertips1825 to one's fingernails1851 from tip to toe1853 down to the ground1859 to the backbone1864 right the way1867 pur sang1893 from the ground up1895 in and out1895 from soda (card) to hock1902 1612 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don-Quixote: Pt. 1 Pref. sig. A2 Thou needest doe nought else but seeke out a Booke that doth quote them all from the letter A. vntill Z. 1788 T. Holcroft tr. Life Baron Trenck III. 309 Noble Zetto, Kronsdorf, Krugel, and ye other nobles, from A to Z, I deserve your mighty wrath.] 1807 R. Estlack Ethick Diversions 48 Fight as folly may from A to Z. a1821 J. Keats Otho v. v, in R. M. Milnes Life, Lett. & Lit. Remains Keats (1848) II. 193 We must obey The prince from A to Z. 1876 R. Browning Fears & Scruples v Ask the experts! How they shake the head O'er these characters,..Call them forgery from A to Z! 1912 L. Tracy Mirabel's Island (1915) v. 77 I know Ealing from A to Z, but have never visited Regent Street. 1961 Pop. Sci. Dec. 7/1 You see on this page a panel of experts who know Accounting from A to Z. 2008 N. Daniloff Of Spies & Spokesmen xxii. 267 UPI asked me to produce a ‘stem-winder’... (That journalistic term means a complete report from A to Z.) 4. The letter with reference to its shape; something having the shape of the letter. Frequently attributive. ΚΠ 1816 W. Y. Ottley Inq. Early Hist. Engraving I. viii. 621 This piece somewhat resembles an a. 1873 J. Fogerty Lauterdale I. xix. 248 Two strong spars were secured as shear legs in an A-shape over the stern. 1878 Eng. Mech. 2 Aug. 526/2 Upon the goods lines the tail lamp should be placed high up, or upon the top of the van, to form an A. 1915 Pop. Mech. July 146/1 If desired, two half ranger tents with tapes may be purchased and fastened together to form an A, or wedge, tent. 1945 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 10 Nov. 639/1 After 3 days, as shown, there was lysis of the staphylococci round the streptothrix (planted in the shape of an A). 2008 J. Plummer Islands & Lifelines x. 197 A terrific gust of wind spun through the site, simultaneously snapping one of the A poles in both of the staff tents. 5. from A to B: from one designated place or point to another, esp. from one's starting point to one's destination; also in extended use, with reference to any finite process of development, progress, or transfer. ΚΠ ?c1400 in J. O. Halliwell Rara Mathematica (1839) 65 Þe quadrat bitwene A and B mote be persede reulefully, in whilk persyng put a chippe..bot it sale be moveable fro A to B. 1797 T. J. Mathias Pursuits of Lit. iv. 33 Be regular: from science A to science B proceed, I hate your zig-zag verse and wanton heed.] 1851 Jurist 14 1048/2 This is not a right of way between two termini, a right to go from A. to B., but a right to go to and from any place I please. 1876 R. V. Rogers Law of Road 114 He remarked that the words usually printed on them..created a contract on the part of the company to convey the holder in one continuous journey from A to B. 1942 H. R. Desilva Why we have Automobile Accidents i. 5 People like automobiles because ‘everybody wants to go from A to B sitting down’. 1957 ‘H. MacDiarmid’ Battle Continues 57 All the bourgeoisie are alike in this, Running the whole gamut of life from A to B... They have all the same pettifogging spirit, So narrow it shows little but its limits. 1971 New Scientist 1 July 5/1 In traffic-choked cities the slender bike is the fastest means of getting from A to B. 2001 New Yorker 20 Jan. 71/2 I thought..if you give the people a chance to vote they'll solve the problem. But I didn't realize that from A to B was so far. II. Symbolic uses (now usually written without a following point). 6. Logic. Esp. in syllogistic logic: (used to denote) a universal affirmative, i.e. a proposition of the form ‘All X are Y’.The universal affirmative is one of four propositions, the others being denoted by E, I, and O (see those entries). ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical proposition > [noun] > affirmation or predication > signs and symbols A1551 I1552 assertion-sign1906 1551 T. Wilson Rule of Reason sig. Gvij^v In these wordes there be foure vowels to be considered and marked. That is to saye, A, E, I, & O. And where we see A in Barbara thrise, we must considre that these thre AAA in this one worde, declare vnto vs thre vniuersall propositions affirmatiue. 1620 T. Granger Syntagma Logicum 262 The Vowels..signifie the qualities, and quantities of the premisses. A. An universall affirmative. E. An universall negative. I. A particular affirmative. O. A particular negative. 1685 tr. P. Nicole & A. Arnauld Logic ii. i. 166 A. An Universal Affirmative, as, All vicious Men are slaves. 1707 J. Oldfield Ess. Improvem. Reason iii. vi. 252 A (importing an universal Affirmative Proposition) might be follow'd [by]A, E, I, or O. 1773 E. Bentham Introd. Logick iii. iii. 55 The letters A, E, I, O, have been usually substituted, as technical marks; A, for an universal affirmative proposition. 1832 C. Wesley Guide Syllogism 9 There are four kinds of pure categorical propositions, distinguished by the symbols, A, E, I, O. Universal affirmative, A. Universal negative, E. [etc.] 1866 Mansel in F. C. Bowen Logic 201 A is declared by Aristotle to be the most difficult proposition to establish, and the easiest to overthrow. 1901 G. H. Smith Logic iii. 53 (note) There are four forms of the proposition, designated respectively by the letters, A, E, I, and O. 1980 A. S. McGrade in B. Tierney & P. Linehan Authority & Power 154 We may use ‘All crows are black’ as an example of the universal affirmative, or A, proposition. 2007 J. Barnes Truth ii. 141 In style A, X is true of what Y is true of if and only if there is nothing of which Y is true and X is not true. 7. Chiefly Logic and Law. A hypothetical person, thing, or example, usually the first of two or more. ΚΠ 1569 J. Leslie Def. Honour Marie Quene of Scotl. ii. f. 61 Nowe the lande shall not descende either to A, or B. But shall goe to the lorde of the fee by waye of eschete. 1658 E. Wingate Maximes of Reason clvii. 613 B. is remitted, for that he was not party to the Covin, and shall hold in common with A. but A. was not remitted. 1752 H. Fielding Amelia IV. xii. v. 252 The Public..had no Manner of Interest in the Alternative, whether A. in whom the Right was, or B. to whom Mr. Murphy by the Means aforesaid, had transferr'd it. 1800 Monthly Mag. 1 238 A is partners with B. 1870 F. C. Bowen Logic iii. 49 Every conceivable thing is either A or not-A. Of course A and not-A, taken together, include the universe. 1933 Econometrica 1 424 The cost of commodity A is the cost of might-have-been commodity B is the cost of might-have-been commodity C. 1971 J. Rawls Theory of Justice viii. 487 If A cares for B, then failing a special explanation A is afraid for B when B is in danger. 2000 Econ. & Philos. 16 27 For a collection of egoists, a demonstration that each of them would be better off if they all performed some action A is not a reason for any one of them to do A. 8. Mathematics. Chiefly italicized. Representing the known or invariable quantity, or the first in a series of such quantities, the others being represented by b, c, etc. Cf. X n. 3a. ΚΠ 1656 tr. T. Hobbes Elements Philos. ii. xiii. 127 Let B be added to, and substracted from the quantity A; so that A-B be the Remainder, and A+B the Aggregate. 1670 I. Newton Let. Jan. (1959) I. 19 If AC AH are its rectangled Asymptotes and ye area BDGE is desired: bisect BD in C, make AC = a, CF = b, & CD or CB = x. soe yet ^ab/ _{a + x} = DG & ^ab/ _{a - x} = BE. 1707 J. Ward Young Mathematician's Guide ii. 157 To Raise the Binomial Root a+ b to the Seventh Power. 1762 A. Fletcher Universal Measurer & Mechanic i. 187 If we divide..by A+B+C, and put the quote = v × SG, the velocity of the center of gravity, we'll have SG = [etc.]. 1859 G. Boole Treat. Differential Equations 373 The index law, expressed by the equation m^am^b = m^a+b. 1935 A. H. G. Palmer & K. S. Snell Mechanics vii. 128 The particle of mass m whose position x at time t is given by x = a cos (nt + ε), a , n , and ε being constants. 1977 G. Caughley Anal. Vertebr. Populations viii. 96 The log-polynomial takes the form log f_x = a + bx + cx² + dx³ +..etc. 2006 A. Ash & R. Gross Fearless Symmetry xxi. 244 The equation a⁴ + b⁴ = C⁴ was shown to have no solutions by Fermat. 9. Physics. [Initial letter of acceleration.] Chiefly in form a. Acceleration; acceleration vector. ΚΠ 1810 Encycl. Brit. VII. 469/1 The acceleration a is proportional to ^v/ _i, as in the case where the motion is uniformly accelerated. 1882 G. M. Minchin Uniplanar Kinematics ii. 54 At any instant a is the acceleration of the velocity of a moving point in any direction. 1919 J. Mills Realities Mod. Sci. xi. 134 Let a represent the acceleration, then if the initial velocity is zero the velocity at the end of t seconds is expressed as v=at. 1946 L. Toft & A. T. J. Kersey Theory of Machines (ed. 5) i. 4 Find the velocity V and the acceleration A if the units of length and time are the mile and the hour respectively. 2007 S. Holzner Physics Workbk. for Dummies iv. 64 Calculate the net force first and then use that in F = m · a. 10. Astronomy. In form A. In the classification system of stellar spectra: the division comprising spectra characterized by prominent Balmer hydrogen absorption lines. Also (esp. in A-star, A-type star): designating a white star with a surface temperature of approx. 7500–11,000 K which emits such a spectrum. ΚΠ 1890 E. C. Pickering Draper Catal. Stellar Spectra in Ann. Astron. Observatory Harvard Coll. 27 2 When no other lines but those named above are visible the spectrum is indicated by the letter A. 1942 W. M. Smart Found. Astron. xii. 211 Stars belonging to a particular type or class, say A, are sub-divided as A0, A1, A2..A9. 1984 Chinese Astron. & Astrophysics 63 We found the main component to have spectral type A5V. 1994 Observatory 114 77 The Φ values of young neutron stars and magnetic white dwarfs are comparable to those of magnetic A-stars. 2006 Nature 13 Apr. 873/1 In the standard Morgan–Keenan system, which classifies stars into types O, B, A, F, G, K and M in order of decreasing temperature, Vega is the archetypal A-type star. 11. Chemistry. In form A. The element argon. disused.Superseded by Ar. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > chemistry > elements and compounds > metals > noble gases > argon > [noun] argon1894 A1896 Ar1908 1896 Ld. Rayleigh & W. Ramsay in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 186 237 We would suggest for this element, assuming provisionally that it is not a mixture, the symbol A. 1908 A. Findlay tr. W. Ostwald Princ. Inorg. Chem. (ed. 3) xix. 441 The formula of gaseous argon is given by the simple symbol A₁ and not A₂. 1936 S. Glasstone Recent Adv. Gen. Chem. i. 45 The ³⁸A, radio-argon. 12. Medicine. Chiefly in form A. Denoting one of the principal erythrocyte antigens (agglutinogens) of the ABO blood group system, and the blood type characterized by the presence of this antigen. Frequently attributive. Cf. AB n. at Compounds, B n. 4b(a), O n.¹ 7. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > vascular system > blood > [noun] > blood group > specific B1921 A1923 O1926 Rh1940 rhesus factor1941 1923 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 5 May 750/2 There are present in human blood two agglutinable substances, A and B, which react with specific agglutinins a and b. 1926 K. Landsteiner & D. H. Witt in Jrnl. Immunol. 11 242 The iso-agglutinin reactions of human blood can possibly be explained by the simple assumption of only two different agglutinogens and agglutinins. Designating these by α and β, and the agglutinogens by A and B, the following symbols are obtained for the blood groups: I–α, β; II A, β; III B, α; IV A, B–; if we include the factors A¹ and α¹ in the scheme, and if O and o signify the absence of agglutinogens or agglutinins, then the signs are: I O α, β, α¹; II A, β, and A, A¹, β; III B, α, α¹; IV A, B, o. 1948 New Biol. 5 69 Human beings are classified into the four categories A, B, AB or O according as to whether certain A and B substances can be detected in their red blood cells. 1976 Man 11 241 The frequency of the B gene in Iraq tends to increase from north to south, while the A gene is more frequent in the north. 2004 Healthy Sept. 46/2 People belonging to the most common blood group, A (over 40 per cent of us), have only the A substance. 13. Biochemistry. Denoting a form of double stranded nucleic acid comprising a right-handed double helix in which the base pairs form an angle of approximately seventy degrees with the helix axis; (also) designating DNA or RNA forming this structure; esp. in A-DNA. Cf. B n. Additions.This structure occurs commonly in double stranded RNA and DNA-RNA hybrids, but in DNA it is found only under conditions of low relative humidity or high salt concentration. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > biological processes > genetic activity > genetic components > [noun] > nucleic acid nucleoproteid1886 nucleic acid1892 nucleoprotein1906 A1953 genophore1961 1953 R. E. Franklin & R. G. Gosling in Nature 25 Apr. 740/1 Sodium Thymonucleate fibres give two distinct types of X-ray diagram. The first corresponds to a crystalline form, structure A, obtained at about 75 per cent relative humidity... At higher humidities a different structure, structure B, showing a lower degree of order, appears and persists over a wide range of ambient humidity. The change from A to B is reversible. 1974 Jrnl. Molecular Biol. 88 524 We prepared specimens of D-DNA under the minimum retained salt conditions that would normally yield an A-DNA. 1988 P. W. Kuchel et al. Schaum's Outl. Theory & Probl. Biochem. vii. 185 This is a result of a change to the A form, in which the base pairs are not perpendicular to the helix axis. 2005 D. P. Clark Molecular Biol. iv. 92 Double-stranded RNA or hybrids with one RNA and one DNA strand usually form an A-helix. III. Simple abbreviations. 14. In form A. A substitution in speech and text for various names (forename or surname). ΚΠ 1377 Winchester Chamberlain's Roll in Middle Eng. Dict. at Bagge-man Et de xi s. vi d. receptis de R. Bosyngton et A. Baroun, Bagemanis, de arreragiis ultimi compoti. 1594 W. West Symbolæogr.: 2nd Pt. ii. Chancerie §85 Your said orator then referring especiall trust and confidence to the said J. T. and A. L. 1601 Let. 7 Nov. in F. Moryson Itinerary (1617) i. 152 I the President doe acknowledge the receit of such an intelligence, concerning Captaine A. 1655 E. Elys Dia Poemata 42 (title) To Mrs A. S. on the death of her two first children. 1709 W. Nicolson London Diaries 26 Apr. (1985) 503 A Letter..from Mr A. Grub of Stockholm. 1852 E. E. Stuart Let. 13 Jan. in R. Stuart et al. Stuart Lett. (1961) I. 253 Young A. has had quite a severe attack of Scarlet Fever—& has altered very much. 1941 N. Coward Diary 11 July (2000) 8 Lady A. delivered a tirade against Winston. 2002 M. Greenhough in Writing Wrongs 79 Guy, posing as Mr. P., then introduced Mr A. to a particularly dogged distributor of encyclopaedias. 15. Of various English words. a. Answer. Cf. Q and A n. at Q n. Initialisms 2. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > [noun] > act or instance of askOE askingOE questionc1350 demandc1386 inquestc1400 interrogationc1405 inquisitionc1440 questioninga1450 inquirea1500 manda1500 terogatores1511 interrogatory1533 inquiry1548 interrogator1561 interrogativea1586 quaere1589 intergatory1590 A1591 Q1591 query1610 interrogate1633 starter1673 querical1699 speer1788 qy.1819 Q1902 1591 W. Burton Certaine Questions & Answeres f. 2 Q. How is God to be considered? A. Two waies. Either as he is in himself, or as he is vnto vs. 1791 J. Wesley Wks. (1872) VIII. 309 Q. 25. What is the office of a Helper? A. In the absence of a Minister, to feed and guide the flock. 1883 Man. Seamanship for Boys' Training Ships Royal Navy 195 Q. What is ground chain? A. A piece of small chain shackled to the anchor shackle. 1936 I. Gershwin Fancy! Fancy! in Compl. Lyrics (1993) 248/2 Q: Why did Mother Eve have no fear of the measles? A: Because she'd Adam. 1981 N.Y. Times 7 Feb. i. 21/6 Q: Were you able to quiet her? A: You bet your sweet patootie I quieted her. 2008 J. Quinn Goodnight Ballivor xiii. 65 The annual catechetical test by the diocesan examiner—Q. What is Purgatory? A. It's a place in England, Father. b. In form A (without point). As a brand or mark indicating that a person has been convicted of adultery: adulteress, adulterer, adultery. Cf. scarlet letter n. at scarlet n. and adj. Compounds 2a. Now historical. ΘΚΠ society > communication > representation > physical representation of abstraction > symbolizing > [noun] > a symbol > specific symbols > others Samian letter1616 A1651 Tetragrammaton1656 arrow1744 arrowhead1832 wind1847 scarlet letter1850 sun wheel1865 sacred axe1866 rising sun1868 crow's foot1871 Easter rabbit1881 hexagram1882 sun sign1882 Easter bunny1900 Staffordshire knot1908 sinsigna1914 tectiform1921 padma1954 smiley face1957 happy face1971 lexigram1973 emoticon1988 smiley1989 1641 Plymouth Coll. Rec. (1861) II. 28 The Court doth censure them as followeth: That..they shall weare..two letters, viz., AD, for adulteres, daly, Vpon the outeside of the vppermost garment.] 1651 in Province & Court Rec. Maine (1928) I. 164 Its ordered that mis Batcheller for her adultery shall..be branded with the letter A. 1779 in Vermont State Papers (1823) 290 An Act against, and for the punishment of Adultery... Both of them shall be..stigmatized, or burnt on the forehead with the letter A, on a hot iron; and each of them shall wear the capital letter A, on the back of their outside garment. 1850 N. Hawthorne Scarlet Let. ii. 66 Hester Prynne,..who stood on the scaffold of the pillory, an infant on her arm, and the letter A, in scarlet, fantastically embroidered with gold thread. 1906 J. Schouler Americans of 1776 iii. 26 That same year [sc. 1771], in New Haven, a mulatto was branded with an ‘A’ in the forehead for adultery with a white woman. 2000 L. J. Kreitzer Ciphers in Sand 181 We are given several close-up shots of both his branded ‘A’ and the embroidered letter on her bodice. c. Grammar. In form a or (occasionally) A. (a) adjective; (b) active (of a verb). Now rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > a part of speech > adjective > [noun] noun adjectivea1398 adjectivec1400 adject1584 nounc1620 adj.1656 adnoun1657 adname1710 A1735 attributive1860 adjectival1866 commonization1973 1735 W. Pardon Dyche's New Gen. Eng. Dict. sig. B2/2 Abject (a.), mean, base, vile, wretched, miserable. 1782 J. Entick New Lat. & Eng. Dict. p. viii An explanation of the several contractions used in this work. a. and act. a verb active. 1838 J. Bosworth Dict. Anglo-Saxon Lang. p. ccvii v. a. or act. verb active. 1884 C. R. Lanman Sanskrit Reader 293 List of Abbreviations..a. adjective. 1904 C. B. Waite Homophonic Vocab. 42 a stands for adjective, n for noun. Other abbreviations will be easily understood. 1945 G. S. Earlie Current Abbrevs. 7 a. or adj. adjective. 2009 G. Wilcock Introd. Ling. Annot. ii. 27 Label every token with a part-of-speech label... Adjective (A or Adj), Adverb (Adv) [etc.] d. Accepted (of a bill). ΚΠ 1828 N. Webster Dict. Eng. Lang. (at cited word) In commerce, A. stands for accepted, as in case of a bill of exchange. 1884 N.E.D. at A. A., a.,..stands for..accepted (of bills). 1945 G. S. Earlie Current Abbrevs. 7 a. or acc...accepted. e. Cards. In form A (without point). Ace. ΚΠ 1885 Boston Daily Globe 27 Apr. 2/3 (table) Whist Problem—..K, 4 C.; K, 7, 4 S.; A, 9 D. 1937 J. Crane Crane Syst. Contract Bidding 65 Suppose your partner opens with 2-C, and holds this hand:S.—A K J 8 6. 2000 J. D. Andrews Win at Hearts (rev. ed.) 80 Certainly an A of hearts can be useful, but not a K or Q of hearts (without the Ace). f. In form A (also a) (without point). Ampere. ΚΠ 1889 S. R. Bottone Electr. Instrument Making (ed. 3) ii. 56 Or if we like to use the initials of volts, ampères, and ohms..we may write ^V/ _R = A, or ^Volts/ _Ohms = Ampères. 1937 Rep. Joint Comm. Chem. Soc., Faraday Soc., & Physical Soc. Symbols Thermodynamical Quantities 11 Ampère (in sub-units) = a. 1978 Gramophone Apr. 1796/3 There is also a mains voltage adjuster and twin 2.5A protective mains fuses. 2000 K. Johnson et al. Adv. Physics for You xvi. 201/1 Only certain fuse values are available: e.g. 3 A, 10 A and 13 A. g. British. In form A (without point). Adult, denoting a film, or a classification given to a film, considered to be suitable only for adults or children accompanied by an adult. Now historical.The A rating for films was abolished in 1982. ΚΠ 1914 Times 16 Feb. 6/2 Since the inception of the board [sc. British Board of Film Censors]..627 have been passed for ‘public’ exhibition with the ‘A’ certificate. 1936 Sunday Express 13 Dec. 14/1 Cinema Theatres. Academy, Ox.-st. Finnish Epic ‘Fredlos’ (A). 1962 H. C. Bentwich Our Councils iv. 31 A notice flashed on the screen saying that the film he was going to see had been passed as an ‘A’ film. 2001 L. K. Greiff D. H. Lawrence 235 Quite suggestive.., the segment had to be deleted in order for the film to receive Great Britain's A rating (Adult; no unaccompanied child admitted). h. In form A (without point). Australian, in A$, $A, and †£A. ΚΠ 1936 Whitaker's Almanack 810/2 Total imports, 1935–36..£A104,687,000. 1941 Times 27 Sept. 3/4 In Queensland, no post-war credit remains from an income of £A.5,0; in Victoria, the credit is £655. 1963 A. Ross Australia 63 iv. 99 The four Test stars..whose appearance cost the Tasmanian authorities £A300, again individually and in bulk failed to earn their keep. 1996 Southern Cross 28 Feb. 3/1 Mr Connell..once earnt a record A$ 100 million broking fee. 2002 Austral. Financial Rev. (Sydney) 15 Apr. 24/1 A fund manager..can gain vicarious exposure to the US dollar market by buying $US bonds that have been repackaged as $A notes. i. Science. In form a (without point). As prefix, in symbols of units of measurement: = atto- comb. form . ΚΠ 1961 Symbols, Units & Nomencl. Physics (IUPAP) 5 The following prefixes should be used to indicate decimal fractions of multiples of a unit..femto..f..atto..a. 1992 Jrnl. Symbolic Logic 57 348 1·3707884 attometers as the central radius of electronic ether curvature; H_∗(½r_e)−H(0) = 49·335745 + 0·53678593 = 118·4111 am. 2008 S. Grimes & Ø. G. Martinsen Bioimpedance & Bioelectr. Basics (ed. 2) v. 143 A monovalent ion corresponds to an electric charge of 0·16aC (1 attocoulomb = 10⁻¹⁸C). j. British colloquial. In form A (without point). A level. Usually in plural. ΘΚΠ society > education > educational administration > examination > [noun] > school examinations entrance examination1819 entrance exam1857 standard1862 skew1866 leaving examination1868 Oxford1871 entry exam1886 Abitur1918 higher1923 scholarship1950 A level1951 C.S.E.1963 international baccalaureate1966 A1979 Certificate of Secondary Education1981 AS1984 STEP1985 SAT1988 A21999 1979 Country Life May 1594/2 (advt.) Lorraine went to the RNIB's Chorleywood College (with six ‘O’ levels and studying for her ‘A’s). 1998 L. R. Banks Fair Exchange 64 Things had not been so bad till she'd failed her A's at the comp. 2002 P. Hodkinson & M. Bloomer in K. Evans et al. Working to Learn ii. 37 Can I change one of my As to an AS? 16. Of Latin and Italian words. a. Music. Alto. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > singer > singer by type of voice > [noun] > alto or counter-tenor counter-tenor?a1527 contratenor1552 A1740 alto1784 1740 J. Grassineau tr. S. De Brossard Musical Dict. 1 A Majuscule in thorough Basses, marks the Alto. 1834 W. S. Porter Musical Cycl. 12 The more common abbreviations in music are A. Alto. [etc.] 1950 G. Santayana Let. 31 Jan. (2008) 232 B stands for bass, A for alto, and S for soprano. 2000 H. E. Smither Hist. Oratorio IV. p. xxiii Other Abbreviations A Alto. b. ante (= before), esp. when preceding a date. See also a.m. adv. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the past > antecedence or being earlier > antecedence [preposition] > before aforeeOE toOE toforea1000 atforea1250 forouthc1375 fornea1400 forrow1474 tilla1616 in advance1680 A1807 pre1960 1807 New Encycl. I. 2/1 A single stands for..ante [etc.]. 1889 F. M. Warren Primer of French Lit. viii. 86 Georges Chastellain, a. 1415–1475. 1995 C. L. Allen Case Marking & Reanalysis App. C. 480 The MED gives the date of composition as a1250. 17. Physics. In form Å or A. Ångström. ΚΠ 1921 Physical Rev. 17 574 The side of the cube being 2·895 Å., and the distance between nearest atoms 2·508 Å. 1944 Lancet 23 Dec. 818/2 The rays which constitute visible light vary from about 4000 A to 7000 A. 2005 Nature 7 July p. ix/1 The crystal structure of a tetranucleosome has now been determined at 9Å resolution. Compounds AB n. Medicine denoting the blood type of the ABO blood group system characterized by the presence of both the A and B erythrocyte antigens (agglutinogens); frequently attributive. ΚΠ 1927 Jrnl. Amer. Med. Assoc. 88 1422/1 Dr. Karl Landsteiner has suggested the substitution of the well known letters O, A, B and AB for the Jansky numbers I, II, III and IV and the Moss numbers IV, II, III and I. The letters will..express the actual constitution of the blood corpuscles with respect to iso-agglutination, as far as it concerns the separation of the groups. 1962 T. G. Hiebert Abbrev. Basic Med. Physiol. (ed. 4) ii. ix. 169 Type AB persons may receive moderate amounts of any type of blood. 2009 Daily Record (Glasgow) (Nexis) 4 Apr. Obama travels with a six-strong medical team who have supplies of his AB blood. AB n. [ < A n. + B n., the sigla used to identify two different manuscripts of the early 13th cent., MS Cambridge, Corpus Christi 402 and MS Oxford, Bodley 34, which have a high degree of similarity both orthographically and linguistically, though they were produced by different scribes] the early Middle English dialect of the west midlands used in two manuscripts of the early 13th cent., MS Cambridge, Corpus Christi 402 and MS Oxford, Bodley 34; frequently attributive in AB language. ΚΠ 1929 J. R. R. Tolkien in Ess. & Stud. by Members of Eng. Assoc. XIV. vi. 108 I will even suggest here that the unity of (A) and (B) will bear minute analysis, and leave a residuum of discrepancy which, in view of the quite different textual history and value of B, is negligible. The two manuscripts are in fact in one language and spelling (AB). 1967 Speculum 42 415 In the discussions attached to each section of the book and in tables which dramatize the results of the discussions, the phonological history of AB is traced. 1977 Rev. Eng. Stud. 28 316 He remarks on the dialectal location of the AB language made by Tolkien..and argues..for an even closer association with the NW. Herefordshire-SW. Shropshire area. 1996 J. Smith Hist. Stud. Eng. vii. 147 A form such as wrecche ‘wretch’..is assigned to the strong declension in AB-language. 2003 R. Dance in Y. Wada Compan. Ancrene Wisse iv. 78 We should not allow the understandable, comfortable impression of authorial voice that permeates the AB texts to divert us from the plain fact that they are written documents. AB n. (chiefly in plural) a member of either of the two highest social-economic classes A and B (also as adj.) (see sense 2d). ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social class > [noun] > distinction of class > level or grade > specific two highest AB1966 1966 Punch 10 Aug. 212/1 We have shown..that the ABs watch the same kind of programmes as everybody else. 1969 Listener 31 July 164 Such trusts appeal primarily to AB readers. 1976 New Society 1 Jan. 5/1 Upper middle class ABs living in the prosperous southern counties. 1986 Age (Melbourne) 18 Jan. 8/4 The social niceties..are very A, B. When I say ‘dick’, Liz pounces. 2001 Australian 30 Aug. (Brisbane ed.) (Media section) 12/1 But a few media groups are frustrated with what could be called bias among advertising buyers over their AB tendencies. A chromosome n. Genetics (a) a chromosome reckoned as the first in a classification varying from author to author (now disused); (b) a chromosome of the set which normally occurs in all the members of a species. ΚΠ 1909 Amer. Naturalist 43 243 For each pair in the cells of a given individual there is a homologous pair in the cells of other individuals of the same species.... We may designate one of these pairs as A chromosomes, a second as B chromosomes, etc., the same pairs as a rule being found in different individuals of the same species. 1927 Amer. Jrnl. Bot. 14 80 The A-chromosomes are shown in this nucleus in the lower part of fig. 15. The second large pair (B-chromosomes) are represented in figure 20. 1928 L. F. Randolph in Anat. Rec. 41 102 In maize have been found supernumerary chromosomes of three types: a) Duplicates of members of the typical set... Type-A chromosomes appear in the progeny of triploids crossed with diploids.] 1941 Genetics 26 609 In somatic metaphases the B chromosomes are readily distinguishable from the A chromosomes. 1977 I. H. Herskowitz Princ. Genetics (ed. 2) xix. 465 A chromosomes will synapse with similar, but nonhomologous, B chromosomes. 2009 J. A. Coyne Why Evol. is True 242 The plant arising from this union will have eleven chromosomes. And it will be sterile, for while each A chromosome has a pairing partner, none of the B chromosomes do. A-horizon n. see horizon n. 5b. A-mode n. chiefly Medicine a mode of operation or functioning that is first in a group of two or more; spec. the mode of operation in A-scan ultrasound imaging; frequently attributive; cf. B-mode n. at B n. Additions. ΚΠ 1946 Jrnl. Inst. Electr. Engineers 93 iiia. 931/2 These three modes [of vibration in a microwave resonator] were originally designated by Sayers as the AB-mode, the A-mode and the B-mode. 1966 Neurology 16 355/1 The term A-mode ultrasonics signifies that returning ultrasonic energy is represented by height of deflections on the ordinate of the oscilloscope screen. 1994 P.-M. Klews in K.-J. Wolf & F. Fobbe Color Duplex Sonography i. 4 Figure 1.4 shows the B-mode image of a liver and a gall bladder. One ultrasound scan line is displayed in A-mode. 2006 National Hog Farmer (Nexis) 15 Apr. 30 A commonly used A-mode ultrasound machine..was also used to estimate fat depth. A-plus n. see plus adj. 5b. A-shaped adj. having the shape of a capital letter A; cf. sense 4. ΚΠ 1844 H. M. Noad Lect. Electr. (ed. 2) viii. 366 On the shaft is mounted an A shaped frame. 1909 Cent. Dict. Suppl. A-frame, the A-shaped support for the cylinder-beam and cross-head guides of a vertical engine. 2005 C. Holmes Garden of Evil xv. 111 When they got to the A-shaped greenhouse building, Gil led the way down the rows of newly potted seedlings. A-side n. (the music recorded on) the more important side of a single (single n. 3p). Cf. B-side at B n. 4b(f). ΘΚΠ society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > a sound recording > [noun] > record or disc > side side1926 coupling1934 A-side1937 flip side1949 flip1960 B-side1962 1937 Down Beat Feb. 14/1 The ‘A’ side is ‘Rockin' Chair’, which was originally coupled with ‘Barnacle Bill, the Sailor’. 1942 Billboard 28 Feb. 61 The A side is a catchy melody. 1968 Guardian 5 Jan. 18/4 The seven-man band arrived at the London recording studio to make the ‘A’ side of a new ‘single’. 1984 Sounds 1 Dec. 6/5 The A-side features the inimitable talents of Jim Thirlwell on lead vocal. 2003 J. Dawson & S. Propes 45 RPM xvii. 138 The A-side is surf-rock's national anthem. A-star n. British Education a grade awarded in GCSE and A-level examinations (from 1994 and 2008 respectively) for performance exceeding the standards denoted by an ordinary A (also written A). ΚΠ 1994 Scotsman* 3 Sept. 3/3 Of the top 50 British schools obtaining most A and new A-star grades, 34 were single-sex girls' schools. 2001 Observer 18 Mar. (Britain Uncovered Suppl.) 60/1 We thought he was no good at French but he got an A-star. 2009 S. Faulks Week in December 22 Although the pupils regularly came near the top of the national league of exam results, most taking home a full house of A-stars and A's, they had little idea of spelling or grammar. A-test n. [ < the initial letter of atom n. and atomic adj. + test n.¹, after A-bomb n.] a test explosion of an atomic bomb. ΚΠ 1954 Britannica Bk. of Year 637/2 A-test, a test explosion of an atomic bomb. 1984 Times 29 Aug. 8/2 (headline) The A-test that tipped the balance of power Moscow's way. 2001 Sydney Morning Herald 28 Apr. 10/7 (headline) Papers back A-test victim claims. Initialisms Many of the terms given here without points are also frequently used with points, and vice versa. Less commonly, variation between upper- and lower-case letters may occur where the initialism is not a proper name.See also ABTA n., ACAS n., ADAS n., AIDS n., A-OK adj. and adv., Apex n.², Apex n.³, Apra n., asap adv., ASCII n., ASEAN n., Aslef n., AWACS n., etc. (as main entries). AA n. chiefly U.S. Politics administrative assistant. ΚΠ 1957 Newsweek 28 Jan. 34/1 A.A.'s make up ‘quotes’ for inquiring reporters and whisper strategic advice during floor debates. 1989 D. W. Ewing Justice on Job 149 The AA would write up the complaint when it came to the office and set the wheels in motion for a thorough investigation. 2002 G. Reeher & M. Mariani Insider's Guide to Polit. Internships 32 The AA is responsible for all the office's operations and serves as a top advisor to the member on both policy and political issues. AA n. originally U.S. Alcoholics Anonymous; (also) a member of this organization. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > excess in drinking > [noun] > addiction to alcohol or habitual drinking > society for rehabilitation or support of Alcoholics Anonymous1939 AA1940 Al-Anon1952 Alateen1958 the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > excess in drinking > [noun] > addiction to alcohol or habitual drinking > society for rehabilitation or support of > member of AA1940 1940 Washington Star 5 May ii. c5/4 Attention was drawn to the movement recently by a dinner that John D. Rockefeller, jr..gave for 60 A.A.'s at the Union Club in New York. 1943 A.A. (Alcoholic Foundation) 1 As an active member of A.A. since 1939, I feel myself a useful member of the human race at last. 1977 M. French Women's Room ii. x. 89 I keep thinking I just have to get through today, you know? Like an AA. 2008 Daily Record (Nexis) 23 July 32 I am an alcoholic but, with the help of AA and friends, I have not had a drink for four years. AA adj. (also A-A, A/A) anti-aircraft; cf. ack-ack adj.The abbreviation occurs in a work ostensibly dated 1909, E. Hospitalier Vocabulaire Technique, Industriel & Commercial (new ed.) 538, but this title-page date is thought to be an error for 1919. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > piece of artillery > [adjective] > anti-aircraft anti-aircraft1911 AA1914 ack-ack1916 1914 Times Bk. Navy 145 The abbreviations used in the lists are as follows:..A.A., Anti-air-craft guns. 1943 Notes & Queries 184 107/2 A.-A. barrage was audible from twenty miles away. 1978 MERIP Rep. No. 64 23/1 (table) Self-propelled A/A guns. a1985 P. White With the Jocks (2003) 29 As the gun had AA mounting and sights it was difficult to keep the rapid bursts of fire consistently on target. A.A. n. North American Education Associate of (also in) Arts. ΚΠ 1857 Photogr. Notes 15 Dec. 464/1 Young men, whose age does not exceed 18 years, may, by successfully passing an examination in two or more..subjects,..receive the degree of A.A. (Associate of Arts). 1952 Good Housek. (U.S. ed.) Dec. 201/1 (advt.) Fully accredited. Awards A.A. degree. College transfer, terminal, and pre-professional courses. 2001 J. E. Rosenbaum Beyond College for All iii. 66 The A.A. is a shorter and perhaps easier degree than a B.A. AA n. Automobile Association. ΘΚΠ society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > driver or operator of vehicle > [noun] > driver of motor vehicle > motoring associations AAA1902 AA1905 RAC1906 1905 Autocar 14 Oct. 443/1 Commonsense precautions taken with regard to villages, and at dangerous points, do not concern the A.A., for therein it is considered lies the duty of the policeman. 1937 Discovery July liv/2 (advt.) Victoria Hotel, A.A. H. & C. Electricity. 2009 Evening Gaz. (Middlesbrough) (Nexis) 4 Apr. 11 You contacted the AA for a routemap and the information you received was a loose leaf folder stapled at the top. AAA n. Amateur Athletic Association. ΚΠ 1880 Wheel World Oct. 273 This year has seen the formation of the Amateur Athletic Association.., the A.A.A. 1955 Times 20 July 3/5 B. S. Hewson, the A.A.A. mile champion. 1999 E. Afr. Standard (Nairobi) 5 Jan. 25/2 Her image had been tarnished by..the local Amateur Athletics Association (AAA)..as well as the sports ministry. AAA n. American Automobile Association. ΘΚΠ society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > driver or operator of vehicle > [noun] > driver of motor vehicle > motoring associations AAA1902 AA1905 RAC1906 1902 Automobile May 1945/1 (heading) Constitution and by-laws of the A.A.A. 1955 Times 4 Aug. 10/2 Colonel Hallington, the chairman of the A.A.A. contest board, said that the decision had been prompted by the accident at Le Mans. 2003 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 23 Nov. viii. 3/1 The AAA is revamping its Web sites to compete with online travel agencies. AAA n. Military (originally U.S.) anti-aircraft artillery; cf. triple-A n. at triple adj. and adv. Additions. ΚΠ 1943 N.Y. Times 31 Mar. 13/2 (caption) Major Gen. Sanderford Jarman, commanding general of the AAA command. 1985 Washington Post 12 Mar. a8/5 The airfield was protected by light AAA. 1999 Belfast News Let. (Nexis) 28 Apr. 11 Despite the AAA fire, the Harriers pressed home their attack. AAE n. Linguistics African American English. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [noun] > Indo-European > Germanic > English > American English > African American English Negro English1808 Negro1884 Black English1968 Black English Vernacular1972 Ebonics1973 African American Vernacular English1991 1992 Pragmatics (Internat. Pragmatics Assoc.) June 142 Did AAE start as a Gullah-like Creole? 2002 L. J. Green Afr. Amer. Eng. ii. §2 39 In AAE, the simple past and present perfect can be distinguished only in emphatic affirmation environments. 2021 T. L. Weldon Middle-class Afr. Amer. Eng. 45 I..reflect on some of the tensions and expectations that inform my own identity performance in everyday interactions as a middle-class speaker of AAE. AAF n. Auxiliary Air Force. ΚΠ 1925 Flight 15 Jan. 32/2 The designating numbers of the A.A.F. units will start with 600. 1991 Air Force Mag. June 86/1 Forty-one AAF planes fell in combat, about half to flak, but 184 were lost to other causes, largely weather-related. AAM n. air-to-air missile. ΚΠ 1950 Pop. Sci. Monthly Mar. 158/1 AAM is thus Air to Air. The M stands for Missile. 1990 D. J. Calvert Harrier (‘Aircraft Illustr.’ Special) 21/3 Even more impressive was the fitting of the necessary wiring and switches to allow the GR3 to mount a pair of AIM-9G Sidewinder AAM on the outer pylons. A and E n. (also A&E) Medicine (chiefly British and New Zealand) accident and emergency (department). ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > places for the sick or injured > [noun] > hospital or infirmary > hospital department > specific department ambulatorium1834 emergency room1886 emergency department1889 recovery room1894 accident and emergency1898 outpatients1910 X-ray1916 casualty1927 abortorium1933 out1933 ER1955 A and E1966 emerg1978 1966 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 19 Mar. p. lii Senior House Officer in Surgery required... 54-bedded unit with O.P.D. Clinics and some work in A. and E. Department. 1970 Accident & Emergency Dept. S.W. Regional Hosp. Board: Dept. Design Ser. III. 68 (table) For X-ray Sub-dept. if main X-ray Dept. is not adjacent to A. & E. Dept. 1994 I. Welsh Soft Touch in Acid House 51 Ah hud tae go tae the A and E at the Infirmary. 2002 More! 3 Apr. 56/1 I've given countless people CPR in A&E. A & M n. (also A and M) U.S. (in the names of colleges and universities) Agricultural and Mechanical. ΚΠ 1865 Naturalists' Directory i. 65 GW Aderhold, A. & M. College, Lexington, Ky. 1954 Jet 22 July 54 Alex Burl, a sprinter-halfback from Colorado A. and M. College, was signed by the Chicago Cardinals. 2001 Chicago Tribune 27 Aug. i. 8/3 At Texas A & M, Clark puts the Aggies through ‘jingle-jangle’ drills. A & M adj. and n. (also A and M) (a) adj. ancient and modern (as postmodifier in Hymns A & M); (b) n. used elliptically for Hymns A & M.Hymns Ancient and Modern is the title of a hymnal used in the Church of England, first published in 1861. ΚΠ 1863 O. Shipley Lyra Eucharistica Contents p. xxxiv An ancient Anthem. O Esca viatorum..H. A. & M.] 1864 O. Shipley Lyra Eucharistica (ed. 2) Contents p. xli O Esca Viatorum. An ancient Anthem..Hymns A. and M. 1869 J. Miller Singers & Songs of Church (ed. 2) 542 The rendering in ‘A. and M.’ is altered by the compilers. 1999 Music & Lett. 80 304/2 The tunes chosen in Hymns A & M were often of a generic type that could well have been interchanged. 2009 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 14 Mar. 29 The Hymns Ancient and Modern version is by Edward Caswall. He published translations of 200 Latin hymns in Lyra Catholica (1848) and two dozen are included in A&M. A and R n. (also A & R) artist and repertoire (also repertory; occasionally recording); (frequently attributive) designating a person in a recording company who selects performers, arranges recordings, etc. ΚΠ 1948 Billboard 19 June 21/1 He has been operating as the firm's Coast a. and r. man. He will be..supervising popular, hillbilly, race, hot jazz, international and other specialties. 1958 Times 26 May 7/6 A and R men, dee-jays, pluggers—to use the abbreviated titles by which artists and recording managers, disc jockeys and exploitation men are known. 1990 F. Dannen Hit Men (1991) i. 9 Even the best A&R—artist and repertoire—staff in the world couldn't save you if radio gave you the cold shoulder. 2005 Future Music Winter 125/4 A and R men will not be at your gigs. These people will be at other gigs when you play. AAVE n. Linguistics African-American Vernacular English; cf. BEV n. at B n. Additions. ΚΠ 1993 Amer. Speech 68 371 The theoretical and political implications of Labov's study for scholarship on the historical and current status of AAVE were wide-ranging. 2003 E. Richardson Afr. Amer. Literacies i. 19 Sociolinguists have laid the groundwork for researchers to investigate the ways in which we might employ AAVE in literacy education. A.B. n. able seaman (formerly able-bodied seaman). ΚΠ 1810 C. James New & Enlarged Mil. Dict. (ed. 3) II. (at cited word) Seaman, Able-bodied seaman, a sailor capable of taking both helm and lead... He is rated A. B. on board the ships of war. 1845 Times 6 Nov. 7/6 The initials A.B. signify able seaman; O.S., ordinary seaman; R.M.A., Royal Marine Artillery. 1894 Gloss. Terms Evid. Royal Comm. Labour 36/2 in Parl. Papers 1893–4 (C. 7063–VC) XXXVIII. 411 Disrating, A nautical term for ‘disranking’, that is, reducing from a higher rank to a lower, such as lowering a man from A.B. to ordinary seaman, or from fireman to trimmer. 1962 ‘C. S. Forester’ Hornblower & Hotspur iv. 41 Of her hundred and fifty hands no fewer than a hundred were prime seamen, rated A.B. 1990 J. McPhee Looking for Ship 97 An A.B. gets five dollars and forty-seven cents an hour for not eating lunch, if mandatory work on deck keeps him away from the food. It's called penalty time. A.B. n. [graphic abbreviation of post-classical Latin artium baccalaureus (1569 or earlier); compare baccalaureus artium (1517 in a British source); also bacallarius facultatis artium (1425 in a British source), bachilarius in artibus (1264 in a British source)] now chiefly U.S. Bachelor of Arts (cf. B.A. n. at B n. Initialisms 1). ΚΠ 1697 E. Polsted Excise-man (title page) In an Essay. By Ezekiel Polsted, A.B. 1721 N. Amhurst Terræfilius (1754) No. 50. 273 Mr. Scurlock, A.B. fellow of Jesus-college, and a member of the constitution-club was..disgraced..for mentioning the word king in his declamation. 1773 Mass. Gaz. & Boston Weekly News-let. 29 Apr. 2/2 Last Friday departed this life..John Alden, A.B., aged 22. 1842 Knickerbocker 19 429 A man may..write A.B. after his name, and even A.M., and be no great things either. 1895 Rep. to Harvard Club of Chicago 2 Educational qualifications equivalent to the Harvard A.B. 1966 M. Pei How to learn Langs. 46 And finally to my appointment to the Romance Department of City College..two years before I finally achieved my A.B. from..the same college. 2004 Copeia No. 4. 946/2 Following his AB degree, George enlisted in officers' training with the Coast Guard. ABC n. now historical Aerated Bread Company; (also) a cafeteria or shop run by the company. ΚΠ 1889 E. Dowson Let. 17 Mar. (1967) 50 I did go down to the ABC after leaving my atrocity with you on Friday. 1894 Punch 15 Dec. 285/1 I pass an A.B.C., Where I purchase two or three Cakes and scones. 1941 E. Blunden Thomas Hardy 120 Afterwards we went to a Lyons tea-shop, at which he [sc. Hardy] was a little alarmed, being used only to an A.B.C. 2006 G. Shaw et al. in J. Benson & L. Ugolini Cultures of Selling iii. 86 Whilst a typical bakery might produce around 200,000 pounds of bread per year, ABC methods could produce ten times this from just one machine. ABC n. American Broadcasting Company. ΚΠ 1929 Radio Broadcast Apr. 372/2 (caption) Adolph E. Linden, President of the American Broadcasting Company which operates the ABC Western Network. 1948 Life 6 Sept. 41/1 The progress of ABC, a relative newcomer in the field, typifies the rapid expansion of television facilities this year. 2009 Sci. Amer. (U.K. ed.) Nov. 54/3 The first era arrived..via bunny ears and national broadcast networks, such as NBC and ABC. ABC n. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (formerly Commission, Company). ΘΚΠ society > communication > broadcasting > broadcasting service > [noun] > broadcasting company B.B.C.1923 British Broadcasting Corporation1926 C.B.S.1930 ABC1931 Portland Place1937 Independent Broadcasting Authority1954 ORTF1964 PBS1969 I.B.A.1971 LBC1973 1931 Austral. Broadcasting Co. Ltd. Year Bk. 1930 24 (heading) The widespread ramifications of the A.B.C. 1957 ‘N. Shute’ On Beach iv. 132 The A.B.C.'s been doing a good job in telling people just the way things are. 2006 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 12 July 20/2 The ABC studios at Toowong in Brisbane could fetch more than $45 million. ABCA n. now historical Army Bureau of Current Affairs, an organization providing troops with information about current affairs during the 1939–45 war. ΚΠ 1942 Rep. Comm. on Amenities in Women's Services (Cmd. 6384) 44 ABCA came into existence in September, 1941, to remedy this ignorance and to mitigate boredom. 1995 A. Croft in J. Fyrth Labour's Promised Land? iii. 202 Despite opposition from Churchill, ABCA material developed an increasingly radical strain, evident in the Why We Fight series. ABH n. British Law actual bodily harm; cf. GBH n. at G n. Initialisms. ΘΚΠ society > law > rule of law > lawlessness > specific offences > [noun] > unlawful violence mayhem1447 forcea1481 mutilation1517 actual bodily harm1837 grievous bodily harm1861 ABH1975 1975 P. Morris & F. Beverly On Licence 149 Theft, burglary, aid and abet rape, ABH. 1992 Independent 6 Jan. 14/7 You can nick me for ABH.., or whatever you're going to get me nicked for, I'll admit it. 2003 New! 3 Nov. 9/2 The 20-year-old..singer looked shaken..after the jury convicted her of ABH. ABM n. originally U.S. anti-ballistic missile (cf. I.C.B.M. n. at I n.¹ Initialisms). ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > guided or ballistic missile > [noun] > types of loon1947 seeker1949 Honest John1952 Nike1952 heat-seeker1956 anti-ballistic missile1957 Polaris1957 Pershing1958 SAM1958 cruise missile1959 sea-cat1959 minuteman1961 ABM1963 lance1964 Exocet1970 trident1972 MX missile1973 stinger1975 cruise1976 tomahawk1976 silo buster1977 Euromissile1979 Brilliant Pebbles1988 1963 Missiles & Rockets 16 Sept. 14 (heading) Soviets may have ultimate ABM. 2002 K. Matinuddin Nuclearization S. Asia xii. 242 The possibility of an aircraft being intercepted is greater than the interception of missiles, at least till such time that India acquires an anti-ballistic missile (ABM) capability. ABO adj. Medicine designating a system of classifying human blood based on the presence or absence of A and B antigens on red blood cells, resulting in four blood types, A, B, AB, and O. ΚΠ 1937 J. C. Thomas in Brit. Med. Jrnl. 14 Aug. 317/2 By far the most complete investigations of the heredity of the blood groups have been made with the ABO system. 2000 Chatham (Ont.) Daily News (Nexis) 10 Nov. 10 Everyone has heard about ABO blood types and how important it is to match a recipient's blood type with the same type of donor blood. ABS n. Chemistry acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, a hard composite thermoplastic used to make rigid moulded products such as car bodies and cases for computers; frequently attributive. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > synthetic resins and plastics > [noun] > plastic > other plastics hard plastic1896 Galalith1901 Paxolin1918 casein plastic1925 polyvinyl acetate1927 protein plastic1928 Mipolam1936 acrylic1940 styrene plastic1943 bioplastic1946 ABS1957 Noryl1966 1957 Mod. Plastics Oct. 27 (advt.) Royalite (the industry's standard for A.B.S. plastics) is extremely light, yet so durable it withstands everyday abuse. 1983 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Chem. 792/1 Ease of fabrication by a variety of methods..has led to the development of new uses for ABS resins. 2004 J. Emsley Vanity, Vitality, & Virility (2006) vi. 209 Polycarbonate will blend with other polymers, and the blend with ABS..is even stronger than polycarbonate itself. ABS n. [perhaps originally after German ABS, initialism < the initial letters of Antiblockiersystem] Motoring anti-lock (occasionally anti-locking) braking (or brake) system. ΚΠ 1980 Hartford (Connecticut) Courant 14 Sept. 2 f/4 ABS is meant to make safe driving easier, by avoiding crashes. 2003 Chatelaine Jan. 28/2 ABS won't always stop a vehicle in a shorter distance than conventional brakes. ABV n. alcohol by volume, used to express the percentage of alcohol in an alcoholic beverage. ΚΠ 1985 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 8 Apr. b9/4 Any beverage containing less than 0.5 per cent ABV is considered non-intoxicating by the liquor control legislation of all the provinces and territories. 2003 I. Banks Raw Spirit (2004) xiii. 299 I've already got a Rare Malts Edition 23-year-old at 53.6 abv. AC n. and adj. (also A/C) (a) n. air conditioning; (b) adj. air-conditioned. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > freedom from impurities > removal of impurities > ventilation and air-conditioning > [noun] ventilation1664 ventilating1743 air conditioning1909 central air conditioning1923 central air1955 AC1962 air-con1970 air1974 1962 G. Meckler & M. Meckler in Methods Building Cost Anal. 55 (table) Decrease in AC Cost as % TBC. 1970 Rotarian Nov. 59/3 (advt.) Kalamazoo-Southgate Motor-Inn:..124 A/C rooms, htd. pool. 2002 Sunday Times of India 22 Sept. 2/4 With the advent of the Metro, people can look forward to AC coaches, faster commuting, and pollution-free travel. 2008 A. Adiga White Tiger 69 This was a beautiful, modern car, with all the necessary comforts: a speaker system, A/C, nice glossy leather seats. AC n. (also A/C) aircraftman; cf. S.A.C. n. at S n.¹ Initialisms 1. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > hostilities in the air > airman > [noun] > aircraftman or woman aircraftman1919 AC1928 erk1928 aircraftwoman1939 plonk1941 ACW1942 1928 Times 25 May 6/7 Lance-Corporal Bosworth and A./C. Mallett, 3 defeats each. 1963 Times 8 Mar. 12/7 Airmen ranks to disappear are master technician, senior technician, corporal technician, and aircraftman 2nd class (AC 2). 2001 D. F. Clark Stand by Your Beds! vi. 178 AC Lott, for God's sake! AC Lott! This is the Controller at Dirleton here... Shift your bloody arse, Airman! a.c. n. alternating current; cf. AC/DC adj. 1. ΚΠ 1891 Med. Summary July 124/2 I then take a smooth-running, faradic instrument of mild current (No. 1 Kidder's Preferred, A. C. Current). 1903 Electr. Times 31 Dec. 962/1 (heading) The Ferranti A.C. Meter. 1958 Pop. Mech. June 135/1 The generator delivers 1200 watts of continuous duty 60-cycle a.c. 2000 Courier Mail (Brisbane) 18 May (What's On) 17 Pick up some..table-lamp-type a.c. cable from your hardware store. A.C. adv. [graphic abbreviation of post-classical Latin ante christum (1544 or earlier)] now rare before Christ; cf. A.D. adv. ΚΠ 1690 I. Newton Let. 14 Nov. in Corr. (1961) III. 95 He praises the Codex Lobiensis written A.C. 1084. 1834 Biblical Repository Oct. 426 In AC 135, an insurrection of the slaves in Sicily happened. 1975 I. Gershevitch in J. R. Hinnells Mithraic Stud. I. vi. 69 Those Parthians who in the third century a.c. were converted to Manichaeism identified the Manichaean god who had led the Third Emanation..with Mithra. AC n. (with reference to wine, or some foods) appellation contrôlée. ΚΠ 1965 M. A. Amerine & V. L. Singleton Wine xiii. 199 In France the appellations contrôlées are the most respected (often abbreviated A.C.). 1991 Decanter Aug. 23/1 The latest Clarets to join the range promise well for the future. Château Malard, AC Bordeaux Supérieur 1987 is a bargain. 2003 Decanter Aug. 102/2 In the outlying fields, Charolais cattle graze beside the goats that produce the region's other great AC, Crottin de Chavignol cheese. AC n. athletic (or athletics) club. ΚΠ 1868 H. F. Wilkinson Mod. Athletics iv. 66 BB Connolly, formerly of the Cambridge University AC, got off best and won as he liked in the 100 yards. 1956 Boys' Life Nov. 65/2 When we drew for lanes, the other first leg men stared at me suspiciously, suspecting some skulduggery on the part of the New York AC. 2010 Tamworth Herald (Nexis) 8 Apr. 89 Tamworth Athletics Club stars began their build-up to the summer's major events by competing at Mansfield Harriers AC's Track and Field Open Meeting over the Easter weekend. AC n. Companion of the Order of Australia. ΚΠ 1976 Titles & Forms of Addr. (ed. 15) 1 A.C... Companion of the Order of Australia. 2009 West Austral. (Perth) (Nexis) 26 Jan. 3 His contribution to defence policy was particularly recognised in his being awarded the AC. A.C.C. n. Physiology now rare anodal (or anodic) contraction, contraction of a muscle to which the anode is attached when an electrical circuit is closed; an instance of this. ΚΠ 1874 G. V. Poore in Lancet 9 May 649/1 On making a slight further increase of intensity, contraction occurs with anodal closure also (A. C.).] 1876 G. V. Poore Text-bk. Electr. in Med. & Surg. v. 95 The anodal closure contraction (A. C. C.) soon becomes very marked, and equals or even surpasses the cathodal closure contraction (C. C. C.). 1905 W. R. Williams Essent. Pract. Med. 327 Ascending currents that are somewhat stronger cause a contraction at the closure of the circuit, called the anodic closure contraction, A.C.C. 1920 R. Burton-Opitz Text-bk. Physiol. xiii. 155 The two making or closure contractions (C.C.C. and A.C.C.) must be stronger than the two breaking or opening contractions (A.O.C. and C.O.C.) 2003 R. L. Gupta Textbk. of Surg. 425 A change of polarity is seen in the affected muscles in which anodal closure contraction (ACC) becomes greater than KCC. ACCM n. now historical (also with pronunciation Brit. /ˈakəm/ , U.S. /ˈækəm/ ) Advisory Council for the Church's Ministry. ΘΚΠ society > faith > church government > council > church's ministry > [noun] ACCM1967 1967 Church of Eng. Yearbk. 177 Candidates for courses..are specially selected by ACCM. 2008 Times (Nexis) 12 Feb. 54 In 1971 he began a 15-year involvement on the Advisory Council for the Church's Ministry (ACCM). ACF n. South African Military Active Citizen Force. ΚΠ 1912 Diagram Syst. Mil. Def. S. Afr. Union (caption) in Times 24 May 14/3 A. C. F. Reserve, Class ‘A’. 1989 Combat & Survival Mag. Oct. 8/4 In August I was in the ACF and my battalion was at its annual camp in the north of Scotland. 1998 Jrnl. S. Afr. Stud. 24 747 Reference was made to Gideon Scheepers shot for wearing khaki in the Anglo-Boer War. The Minister of Justice hotly denied the ACF's contention: the colour of the uniform was ‘not khaki, but drab’. A.C.H. n. R.A.F. (now historical and rare) = aircraft hand n. at aircraft n. Compounds 2. ΚΠ 1925 T. E. Lawrence Let. 7 Oct. (1938) 484 Five are fitters, five are riggers, five are A.C.H.'s. 1941 ‘L. A. C. Errant’ R.A.F.'ing It iv. 18 A.C.H., ‘Aircraft Hand’..designates as a rule the non-tradesman. ACL n. Anatomy anterior cruciate ligament (of the knee). ΚΠ 1957 Zool. Soc. 129 221 (caption) ACL, anterior cruciate ligament. 1991 Skiing Mar. 122/1 The new generation of toepieces with upward release capability might help to reduce the incidence of at least boot-induced ACL injuries. 2006 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 15 Jan. iii. 4/5 Alabama senior forward Chuck Davis tore both the ACL and MCL in his right knee and will miss the rest of the season. ACLU n. American Civil Liberties Union. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social attitudes > racial attitudes > [noun] > equality > specific civil rights organization ACLU1923 black power1954 Chicano movement1968 1923 Year's Fight for Free Speech (Amer. Civil Liberties Union) 52 Receipts and Disbursements by American Civil Liberties Union from April 16, 1922, to July 31, 1922... A.C.L.U. Receipt Numbers 2155, 2162, [etc.]. 1936 Amer. Mercury Dec. 385/2 The fiction of the ‘Liberalism’ of the ACLU has been firmly implanted in the popular mind. 2004 Village Voice (N.Y.) 1 Sept. 18/4 We wanted to..remind you that all media calls should be referred to the ACLU press office. ACP n. African, Caribbean, and Pacific (countries), spec. the signatories to the Lomé Conventions (signed between 1975 and 1989) and the Cotonou Agreement (of 2000), establishing aid and trade cooperation between these countries and the member states of the European Union. ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > politics > international politics or relations > international agreements > [adjective] > convention > signatories of LoméConvention ACP1974 1974 Times 12 June 10/5 Negotiations had been going on between the ‘associable’ countries—the African, Caribbean and Pacific states known as ACP—and the Community for some time. 1978 J. Paxton Dict. European Econ. Community (rev. ed.) 148 A.C.P. bananas were to enjoy duty-free access and were also to be included in the Stabex scheme. 1983 Financial Times 4 Oct. 14 It offers some protection against declining prices for a range of ACP commodities through the Stabex mechanism; and it is committed to buying 1.3m tons of ACP sugar a year. 2006 C. Bretherton & J. Vogler European Union as Global Actor (ed. 2) v. 123 The Cotonou Agreement requires that six regional groupings of the ACP negotiate distinctive Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) with the Union. ACS n. Medicine (now rare) antireticular cytotoxic serum. ΚΠ 1942 B. E. Linberg in A. A. Bogomolets Therapeutic Action of Antireticular Cytotoxic Serum ‘ACS’ 154 Everywhere where a weakening of the physiological system of the connective tissue takes place it can be activized by means of ACS. 1946 W. M. Mandel Guide to Soviet Union iii. 32 Thousands of wounded Red Armymen in deep shock and probably doomed to death were saved by this ‘ACS’ serum. 1972 Y. Halperin tr. L. V. Polezhaev Loss & Restoration Regenerative Capacity in Tissues & Organs Animals ii. v. 283 It has been shown that in small doses, ACS can stimulate regeneration of damaged tubular bones in rabbits. ACT n. British advance corporation tax. ΚΠ 1972 Accountant 25 Sept. 378/1 The three aims of avoiding transitional penalties, securing a windfall ACT (advance corporation tax) relief for dividends paid before that date and escaping an ACT forfeit for dividends paid after it. 1998 Economist 21 Mar. 36/2 At present, firms pay each financial year's tax (apart from any ACT already paid) in one lump. ACT n. U.S. Education American College Testing (or Test).A proprietary name. ΚΠ 1959 Daily Rev. (Hayward, Calif.) 8 Sept. 6/1 ACT will charge each student $3, and levy no charge against the high school. 1975 Ebony Mar. 79/1 The ACT has four parts: mathematics, English, social studies and natural sciences. 2006 B. Fey Statistics Hacks ii. 52 An officer could enter the student's ACT score into the regression formula and predict his GPA. ACT n. Australian Capital Territory. ΚΠ 1938 Official Year Bk. Austral. 390 A.C.T. 2007 L. Wallis et al. in C. Smith & H. Burke Digging it up Down Under v. 147 Weather conditions in the ACT can change rapidly, so when in the field make sure that you have adequate clothing, water and first-aid supplies. ACTH n. Medicine adrenocorticotropic hormone. ΚΠ 1943 Ann. Rev. Biol. 12 282 (heading) Adrenocorticotrophic Hormone (ACTH). 1977 Lancet 5 Nov. 955/2 Mean A.C.H.T. levels were raised..in addisonian outpatients on cortisone acetate. 2003 D. R. Mottram Drugs in Sport (ed. 3) vi. 198 ACTH is produced and secreted by the corticotroph cells of the anterior pituitary. ACTRA n. Alliance of Canadian Television and Radio Artists. ΚΠ 1963 Winnipeg Free Press 31 Aug. (TV & Radio guide) 12/3 They were referred to AFM and ACTRA, the unions involved. 2002 W. Pitman Louis Applebaum vi. 110 Best Television Program of the Year, ACTRA Award. ACTT n. Association of Cinematograph, Television, and Allied Technicians. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > working > association of employers or employees > [noun] > trade union > other specific trade unions NUT1889 AWU1904 Nalgo1909 NUJ1909 Aslef1914 NUR1914 AEU1921 NUPE1931 U.A.W.1936 USDAW1946 NUM1948 T.G.W.U.1955 ACTT1957 C.B.I.1965 ASTMS1967 AUEW1971 Apex1972 UDM1985 1957 Film & TV Technician 23 5/3 The new A.C.T.T. badges and brooches can be obtained from Head Office. 2007 Guardian (Nexis) 8 Sept. 45 Murray worked extensively with the film technicians' union, ACTT, to open up greater flexibility for the independent film workshop movement. ACTU n. Australian (formerly also Australasian) Council of Trade Unions. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > working > association of employers or employees > [noun] > trade union > trade-union associations trade union congress1860 Knights of Labour1886 Industrial Workers of the World1905 T.U.C.1910 Profintern1924 Histadrut1925 ACTU1928 WFTU1947 Sohyo1953 U.W.C.1974 1928 Econ. Rec. May 108 The 1927 Congress..set itself to construct machinery that might act adequately in the field of Interstate industrial disputes. Hence the new Australasian Council of Trades Unions (A.C.T.U.). 1972 J. Belfrage in G. W. Turner Good Austral. Eng. vi. 108 This is another local reference..to the active pro-labour work of the new President of the ACTU. 2005 Austral. Financial Rev. (Sydney) 12 Aug. 19/1 The ACTU said the criticism from a South Australian Industrial Relations Court judge was an example of the failings of the federal government's workplace agreements. ACV n. air-cushion vehicle (see air cushion n. 2). ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > mechanically propelled vessels > [noun] > hovercraft cushion-rider1959 hovercraft1959 hydroskimmer1960 ACV1962 society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > air cushion vehicle > [noun] ACV1962 aerotrain1965 1962 Flight Internat. 81 113 Free-moving ACVs will be going into business also, together with hydrofoil craft. 2005 Times Educ. Suppl. (Nexis) 6 May 4 ACVs work on land or sea and are the fastest ships in the world (60mph). ACW n. aircraftwoman; cf. S.A.C.W. n. at S n.¹ Initialisms 1. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > hostilities in the air > airman > [noun] > aircraftman or woman aircraftman1919 AC1928 erk1928 aircraftwoman1939 plonk1941 ACW1942 1942 J. A. Hammerton ABC of RAF (new ed.) 58 A.C.W., Aircraftwoman. 1943 K. B. Beauman Wings on her Shoulders v. 57 A plotter, A.C.W. Cooper, told me about the attack on North Weald. 1966 M. L. Settle All Brave Promises v. 97 Well. ACW Settle, we have been a bit of a fool, haven't we? 2007 Townsville (Austral.) Sun (Nexis) 26 Sept. 36 ‘After the event we had..a barbecue to say thanks to everyone,’ ACW Kelly said. AD n. Military active duty. ΚΠ 1942 Sun (Baltimore) 1 Feb. ii. 75 ‘DP following Reserve Officers ordered to AD.’.. Written out this reads: ‘By direction of the President, the following Reserve Officers are ordered to active duty.’ 1990 Federal Reg. 7 Sept. 38086/3 Refer AD personnel with serologic evidence of HIV-1 infection for a medical evaluation of fitness for continued service. 2004 W. Taylor in H. J. Thie et al. Past & Future iv. 37 [They] often arrived at follow-on flying tours with considerably fewer flying hours than did their AD contemporaries. AD n. Medicine Alzheimer's disease. ΚΠ 1955 Jrnl. Mental Sci. 101 604 A.D. is a progressive dementia which usually occurs between the ages of 40 and 60 years. 1987 D. Collerton in S. M. Stahl et al. Cognitive Neurochem. xv. 285 A substantial noradrenergic deficit exists in some patients with AD. 2009 San Antonio (Texas) Express-News (Nexis) 25 Feb. 9 f AD leaves a specific type of brain damage different from what happens in schizophrenia. A/D n. Electronics (also A-D) analogue-to-digital. ΚΠ 1962 Electroencephalogr. & Clin. Neurophysiol. 14 414 (in figure) A-D converter. 1983 Analytica Chimica Acta 147 78 Up to four fast instruments..transferred data via a second A/D system to the central computer. 2002 Wired Nov. 135/1 What if every A/D converter incorporated lockware that prevents unauthorized digital recording? A.D. adv. [graphic abbreviation of post-classical Latin anno domini Anno Domini adv.] = Anno Domini adv.The Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors (ed. 2, 2000) p. 4 notes: ‘precedes numerals, but follows numbers written as words’. The abbreviation is sometimes found after numerals. ΘΚΠ the world > time > reckoning of time > chronology > [noun] > period with own chronological system or era > particular year in Christian era year of gracec1325 (in) the year of our Lord (also our Lord God, our Lord's incarnation)1389 the year of Christc1392 Anno Dom.1438 year1482 anno1484 Anno Domini1485 the year of (our) redemption1513 A.D.1556 year of (man's) salvation1560 1556 in tr. A. Mainardi Anatomi (title page) A. D. 1556. 1663 W. Blundell in T. E. Gibson Cavalier's Note Bk. (1880) 223 This course, as it is now used upon the marshes..was stooped out by me W.B., a.d. 1654. 1683 I. Mather Kometographia viii. 101 A.D. 1558. A Comet was seen in the Evening under Coma Berenices, of a pale colour, continuing about 30 dayes. 1764 J. Grainger Sugar-cane i. 13 (note) The declension of the needle was discovered, A.D. 1492, by Columbus. 1819 J. Playfair Geogr. & Statist. Descr. Scotl. 1 78 Kelso... Here an abbey for Tironensian monks was founded, and richly endowed by David I, A.D. 1128. 1875 E. H. Bunbury in Encycl. Brit. II. 712/2 The whole country..continued subject to the Byzantine empire, until it was overrun by the Seljukian Turks in 1074 a.d. 1906 T. Čapek Slovaks of Hungary 395 There is no mention in Strabo of the Germanic and Pannonic wars of Tiberius of the years 4–11 a.d. 1963 G. H. Williams in S. C. Neill & H. R. Weber Layman in Christian Hist. i. 30 In a letter to the church in Corinth written about AD 95, Clement..makes brief reference to the participants in the liturgy. 2004 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 1 July a1/3 Preliminary research dates the settlement from about A.D. 900 to 1100. AD n. autograph document. ΚΠ 1889 L. C. Draper Ess. Autographic Coll. Signers Declar. of Independence (rev. ed.) 46 An A. D.—autograph document, not signed, is sometimes called into requisition to eke out a collection. 1912 F. K. Walter Abbrev. & Techn. Terms Bk. Catal. 1 A.D., Autograph document. 1962 D. D. Jackson Lett. Lewis & Clark Exped. 161 AD, in Clark's hand. 2009 D. Carpenter S. R. Bradley: Lett. Revolutionary War Patriot 108 AD... In the hand of SRB. AD n. Military armoured division. ΚΠ 1949 R. E. Dupuy St. Vith, Lion in Way v. 71 One counterattack [CCB 9th AD] has started, but other [CCB 7th AD] not started yet. 2002 H. Coyle Against all Enemies (2009) xxii. 348 After a rapid and all but unopposed advance, the 4th AD came to a halt just west of Twin City. AD n. athletic director. ΚΠ 1950 Catholic Lib. World Jan. 128/1 He was the ‘A.D.’, or athletic director, at Roosevelt High School in Chicago. 2006 M. Conrad Business of Sport iii. 34 The AD controls the athletic department budget. AD n. chiefly Film assistant director, a person responsible for coordinating the production schedule of a film, and for oversight of the set, cast, and crew. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > filming > filming unit or team > [noun] > others involved in filming director of photography1916 grip1918 continuity writer1921 script girl1922 gaffer1926 production manager1927 best boy1931 production assistant1932 continuity girl1933 titler1933 clapper-boy1937 AD1957 1957 Radio Daily-Television Daily 18 June 7/3 Another person worthy of a testimonial repast—or at least a snack—is the so-called A.D., or assistant director. 1986 Washington Post 13 Dec. b1/4 They just put the camera up... The AD [assistant director] was a friend of mine. 2008 Independent 2 June (Extra section) 2/6 ‘First positions, thank you very much,’ calls the first AD. ADC n. aide-de-camp (hence ADC-ship). ΚΠ 1777 A. Hamilton Let. 10 Nov. in G. Washington Papers (2002) Revolutionary War Ser. XII. 193 [Signed] A. Hamilton A.D.C. 1801 S. Owenson Poems 155 Captain E— celebrated the virtues of Capt. S—ll, (A. D. C. to his R. H. Prince William of Gloucester)..in a monody that did equal honor to his head and heart. 1837 E. Eden Let. 28 Oct. in Up the Country (1866) I. i. 9 The A.D.C.'s are very apt to assemble over our cabins at night. 1896 Punch 4 Jan. 5/2 Permitted to retain his A.D.C.-ship after promotion from field-rank. 1919 G. Frankau Peter Jackson, Cigar Merchant (1920) xxvi. 201 If you do change your mind about that ACD-ship, drop me a line. 1945 Ld. Alanbrooke Diary 13 Feb. in War Diaries (2001) 662 Rollie Charrington came to dinner and like the brick he is offered to take Barney's place as ADC. 2005 G. Sheffield & J. Bourne in D. Haig War Diaries & Lett. 1914–18 508 He served as ADC to Lord Roberts in India and was Kitchener's DAAG in the Sudan. ADC n. Electronics analogue-to-digital converter; cf. A/D n. ΘΚΠ society > computing and information technology > hardware > [noun] > conversion unit converter1950 digitizer1953 ADC1961 1961 Jrnl. Franklin Inst. 272 539/1 The ADC-1B Analog-to-Digital Converter. 1985 C. H. Vanderwolf & L.-W. S. Leung in A. A. Boulton & G. B. Baker Gen. Neurochem. Techiques ix. 316 An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) converts a continuous signal to a series of discrete, digital values. 2008 Maximum PC Feb. 59/2 The opposite of the ADC, the digital-to-analog converter turns a digital value into an analog waveform. ADD n. Psychiatry attention (also attentional) deficit disorder. ΚΠ 1979 Hosp. Pract. Jan. 66/1 The next edition of the American Psychiatric Association's official Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM III) will have relabeled ‘hyperactivity’ and MBD syndrome as attentional deficit disorder (ADD). 1994 Face Sept. 29/1 ADD..is only just being recognised in Britain as a genuine medical syndrome and a potential nightmare of late-twentieth century living. 2006 Total Film Feb. 24/3 My attention span is horrible, man. I've got ADD. ADF n. automatic direction finder. ΚΠ 1939 Aero Digest June 24/2 (advt.) The ADF-6—Automatic Direction Finder: Primarily a powerful radio receiver offering direction finding... Learadio offers the ADF-6 as the latest contribution to the art of safe flying. 1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. (rev. ed.) IV. 231/2 Radio stations erected specifically for use with the ADF are known as NDB (non-directional beacons or radiophares). 2000 Public Admin. Rev. 60 247/1 The plane was equipped with only one automatic direction finder (ADF). ADGB n. now historical Air Defence of Great Britain. ΚΠ 1926 Flight 6 May 272/2 The Fighting and Wessex Bombing Areas are under the A.O.C.-in-C., A.D.G.B. 1944 Times 1 Mar. 4/5 Sir Archibald Sinclair disclosed for the first time that the organization responsible for the air defence of this country is now known as A.D.G.B. (Air Defence of Great Britain). 2002 J. Ferris in S. Cox & P. Gray Air Power Hist. i. ii. 37 Experience at ADGB and as the RAF's Director of Research had taught him much about research and development. ADH n. Medicine antidiuretic hormone. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > substance > process stimulators or inhibitors > hormone > [noun] > other hormones thyro-iodine1896 parathormone1925 parathyroid hormone1925 oestrin1926 oestrogen1927 relaxin1930 theelin1930 prolan1931 galactin1932 inhibin1932 prolactin1932 oestriol1933 oestrone1933 oestradiol1934 adrenocorticotrophin1943 pancreozymin1943 ADH1945 adrenocorticotropin1945 cortisone1949 mineralocorticoid1950 electrocortin1953 aldosterone1954 angiotensin1958 melatonin1958 calcitonin1961 zeranol1971 amylin1988 adiponectin1999 adipokine2001 1945 Physiol. Rev. 25 573 The antidiuretic substance is a hormone (ADH) formed in the pars nervosa of the pituitary gland. 1983 D. J. Weatherall et al. Oxf. Textbk. Med. II. xviii. 20/2 Reliable assays for ADH in plasma or urine are now available. 2009 Modesto (Calif.) Bee (Nexis) 9 June d1 The ability to concentrate urine is controlled by the kidney as signaled from the brain via a hormone called ADH, or antidiuretic hormone. ADHD n. (also AD-HD) Psychiatry attention deficit (also deficient) hyperactivity disorder. ΚΠ 1987 Behavioral Assessment 9 228 If AD-HD is viewed as a dimensional disorder lying on a continuum with normal child behavior..then another approach to assessment is required. 1994 N.Y. Times 24 July iv. 1/4 Today, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn surely would have been diagnosed with both conduct disorder and ADHD. 2006 The Word July 19/1 He was also prescribed Ritalin for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADL n. originally and chiefly U.S. = activity of daily living n. at activity n. 3d. ΚΠ 1952 E. B. Lawton Physical Rehabilit. for Daily Living i. 5/2 A given A.D.L. for a given group of patients..is the sum total not only of all the motions of the specific activity but also of everything that was learned on the preceding level. 2001 F. Popcorn & A. Hanft Dict. Future 2 You don't know how important ADLs are until you aren't capable of doing them anymore. ADP n. Biochemistry adenosine diphosphate. ΚΠ 1942 Jrnl. Biol. Chem. 143 300 Adenosine diphosphate (ADP) was incubated with myokinase or deaminase or both. 1967 Brain 90 577 The hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and inorganic phosphate. 2008 E. Regis What is Life? v. 86 The original ATP molecule is converted to adenosine diphosphate, ADP, a dangling phosphate (P), and energy. ADP n. automatic (also automated) data processing. ΘΚΠ society > computing and information technology > data > database > data entry > [noun] data entry1930 data processing1944 read-in1946 input1948 ADP1955 data capture1962 capture1971 1955 Office Oct. 248 Moore's ADP training... Classes in automated data processing. 1980 Amer. Banker (Nexis) 21 Nov. 2 Provident president William Maytum said his bank was one of the first to use ADP services. 2003 N. Rush Mortals xxxvi. 677 You don't know anything about ADP, do you? You need to. That's where the world is going, ADP, ASAP. ADR n. chiefly North American alternative dispute resolution. ΚΠ 1982 Business Week 23 Aug. 56/1 A new Washington-based company..is beginning to provide dispute-management services—including cost-benefit analyses, ADR, and training. 2004 Philadelphia June (Advertising Suppl.) s32 DM&S always fights for its clients' rights, both in the courtroom, and when appropriate, using mediation and ADR. ADR n. U.S. Stock Market American depository receipt. ΚΠ 1956 N.Y. Times 5 Aug. iii. 7/3 Other banks issuing ADRs are expected to look into the possibility of making similar arrangements with some companies whose shares are or may be represented by depository receipts. 2003 D. L. Scott Wall St. Words (ed. 3) 354 Holders of sponsored ADRs have all the rights of common stockholders. ADS n. autograph document signed. ΚΠ 1861 Sotheby & Wilkinson Catal. 1 July Tenison Mss. 50 Colbert, A.L.S. to Cavalier Bernino, 1665—Perrault (the architect of the Louvre), A.D.S. with portrait. 1912 F. K. Walter Abbrev. & Techn. Terms Bk. Catal. 1 A.D.S., Autograph document signed. 1979 J. Y. Simon Papers U. S. Grant VIII. 382 McPherson enclosed a statement of Aug. 10 in which Col. Josiah W. Bissell described the organization of the Engineer Regt. of the West. ADS, ibid. 2000 A. F. Wertheim & B. Bair Papers Will Rogers II. 29 (table) Descriptive Symbols. AD. Autograph Document. ADS. Autograph Document Signed. ADSL n. Computing and Telecomm. asymmetric (also asynchronous) digital subscriber line (or loop), a technology for the transmission of digital data over standard copper telephone lines which allows the high-speed transmission of signals from the telephone network to an individual subscriber, but a slower rate of transmission from the subscriber to the network; cf. DSL n. at D n. Additions. ΚΠ 1991 Telephony 10 June 28/2 The ADSL concept grew out of Bellcore's developmental work for high-rate digital subscriber line. 2000 Internet Money No. 15. 65/2 Because ADSL uses existing copper cables, the high frequency signals sent down them get degraded as they get further away from their point of origin. 2005 Guardian 3 Mar. (Life section) 21/2 The real speeds of 400kbps to 800kbps are comfortably within the range delivered on phone lines by ADSL. ADT n. Canadian Atlantic Daylight Time. ΚΠ 1949 S. K. Farrington Fishing the Atlantic i. 46 Fishing will start at 7:00 AM ADT daily on a signal from the judge's boat. 1970 Winnipeg Free Press 23 Apr. 13/1 Quebec will be all EDT, while the Maritime provinces, in the Atlantic time zone, will be all ADT. 1994 Harrowsmith Mar. 25/3 Mideclipse will occur at these times across Canada:..1:25 p.m. EDT, 2:50 p.m. ADT. AE n. Photography auto-exposure; automatic exposure. ΚΠ 1976 Pop. Sci. Oct. 46/1 The Canon AE-1 is a dandy little handful... It has..a blinking ‘M’ in the viewfinder when the camera is in manual mode instead of automatic-exposure mode.] 1977 Film Making June 51 (advt.) Perfectly exposed cine pictures with Automatic Exposure Control (AE). 1991 Buying Cameras Mar. 13 The centre weighted multi-zone metering in conjunction with the Program AE exposure mode effectively makes this a very accurate ‘point and shoot’ camera. 2007 Stuff July 73/2 The camera detects faces, and adjusts both focus (AF) and exposure (AE) to make the most of them. AEC n. U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, an organization set up in 1946 by the U.S. government to regulate and promote use of atomic energy. ΚΠ 1946 Washington Post 29 Oct. 4/3 Mr. Truman said the Army would continue to operate its present atomic projects during the period of transition to the new AEC. 2003 Western Hist. Q. 34 517/2 The AEC justified the tests as necessary for national security. A.E.F. n. American Expeditionary Forces (cf. BEF n. at B n. Initialisms 1). ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > branch of army > [noun] > other branches language1703 langue1799 guides1802 army intelligence1902 yak corps1904 A.E.F.1914 anti-aircraft1915 RAOC1918 1914 Rep. Nat. Acad. Sci. 1913 66 Maj. Edward H. Bowle, headquarters A.E.F. Officers and enlisted men have been ordered abroad for meteorological work in connection with America expeditionary force. 1998 N.Y. Times Bk. Rev. 31 May 52/3 Right after the armistice, some political operatives had quietly canvassed among the doughboys of the A.E.F. AER n. annual equivalent rate (of interest). ΚΠ 1998 Independent 16 Sept. (Wednesday Review section)13 As the AER will be published every time a contractual rate of interest appears..it will be easier for savers to compare the returns that they can expect when they leave the interest they earn in their account. 2001 Financial Times 27 Jan. (Money section) 11/3 (advt.) I now pay no interest on my credit card, and £500 in my current account earns a very nice 5% AER/gross. aet n. Sport (originally and chiefly Association Football) after extra time. ΚΠ 1971 Times 13 Apr. 7/2 Hertfordshire Senior Cup: Final: St Albans 1, Bishop's Stortford 1 (a.e.t.). 1979 Guardian 12 Dec. 24 Swindon 4, Arsenal 3 (aet). 2003 Irish Independent (Nexis) 30 June Cahill Cup... Gortnahoe 1-13 Upperchurch 0-13 (aet). AEU n. British (now historical) Amalgamated Engineering Union. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > working > association of employers or employees > [noun] > trade union > other specific trade unions NUT1889 AWU1904 Nalgo1909 NUJ1909 Aslef1914 NUR1914 AEU1921 NUPE1931 U.A.W.1936 USDAW1946 NUM1948 T.G.W.U.1955 ACTT1957 C.B.I.1965 ASTMS1967 AUEW1971 Apex1972 UDM1985 1921 Times 4 Feb. 7/4 It was announced that the A.E.U. had submitted proposals which would be laid before the N.U.R. delegates at their resumed conference in the morning. a1974 R. Crossman Diaries (1976) II. 497 I spent the morning with the old A.E.U. members who have A.E.U. pensions. 2006 Managem. Today Jan. 60/3 At Amicus, Simpson inherited a post-merger environment in which he was confronted by a legacy of an entire shelf-load of alphabetti spaghetti—AEU and EETPU, which became the AEEU [etc.]. AF n. air force; cf. R.A.F. n., U.S.A.F. n. at U n.¹ Initialisms 1a, etc. ΚΠ 1919 Aircraft Jrnl. 27 Dec. 7/2 British AF Independence. The constitution of the British air force emphasizes its integrity and independence as a separate fighting unit of the Crown. 1998 Air Force Missileers (2000) 87/3 [He] grew up on a farm in Iowa, attended Iowa State College and joined the AF in March 1959. AF n. audio frequency. ΚΠ 1915 Proc. IRE 3 411 The following abbreviations are used:..a.f.—audio frequency. 1944 Pop. Sci. Monthly Aug. 206 The R.F. carrier wave..must be varied in exact accordance with the A.F. impulses that represent speech and music. 1997 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 352 651 Bring the RF signal down to an intermediate frequency (IF) or audio frequency (AF). AF n. Photography autofocus; automatic focusing (also focus). ΚΠ 1974 U.S. Patent 3,798,660 2 Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the automatic focusing control circuit (hereinafter referred to as AF circuit). 1994 Backpacker Oct. 71/1 If you have an autofocus (AF) camera, switch it to manual focusing to save battery drain from the AF motors. 2005 D. Harman Digital Photogr. Handbk. ii. 58/1 If your camera allows control over which auto focus (AF) points you can use, select the central AF point and use it to focus. AFB n. air force base. ΚΠ 1950 Pop. Mech. Dec. 262/2 This correspondent flew as an observer in a recent high-altitude combat demonstration over Andrews AFB. 2004 J. G. Dunne Nothing Lost i. iii. 127 If the toxins in the infection were militant enough, it could put him on a plane back to Travis AFB. AFC n. Air Force Cross. ΚΠ 1919 Whitaker's Almanack 144/1 The Air Force Cross. 1918—A.F.C.—Instituted..for acts of courage or devotion to duty when flying, although not in active operations against the enemy. 1995 E. Wilson Dangerous Sky iii. 26 In February 1970 the AFC was awarded for the first time to a naval officer. AFC n. U.S. American Football Conference; cf. NFC n. at N n. Initialisms 1. ΚΠ 1970 Atlanta Daily World 15 Mar. 6/2 Following Cleveland in the AFC are: Kansas City, Pittsburgh..and San Diego. 1995 Hongkong Standard 26 Aug. 20/2 Kansas City Chiefs... Over the past two seasons, RB Marcus Allen has scored more touchdowns than anyone else in the AFC. 2006 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 12 Nov. iii. 2/4 He led all AFC defenders with 25 passes defended last season. AFC n. British Association Football club. ΚΠ 1879 Cambr. Rev. 22 Oct. 26/1 For the R.U.F.C. the officers elected are—1st captain, Burnett; 2nd ditto, Payne; secretary Chapman (who is also secretary to the A.F.C.). 2000 M. Herman Purely Belter 98 (stage direct.) The enormous Stadium of Light. Home of Sunderland AFC. AFC n. Electronics automatic frequency control. ΚΠ 1934 Electronics Dec. 375/3 Mr. Travis stated that automatic frequency control, or AFC, was only a refinement, perhaps, for superheterodynes used in the broadcast band. 1973 Jrnl. Wildlife Managem. 37 416 EKG's may be received by an FM receiver with good automatic frequency control (afc). 2008 T. Petruzzellis Telephone Projects for Evil Genius xii. 94 The AFC or automatic frequency control of the local oscillator is accomplished using the Varicap diode at D10. AFI n. American Film Institute. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > cinematography > [noun] > film institute or organization BBFC1930 BFI1934 AFI1967 1967 Washington Post 6 June a19/2 Establishment of the long-promised American Film Institute was announced... A private, non-profit corporation, the AFI will have its headquarters in Washington. 1992 Amer. Film Jan. 13/1 Says Gary McVey, festival producer for the AFI, ‘American culture has opened up to international cuisine and music so much in the last 20 years, but, ironically, in film they've gone the opposite direction.’ 2007 S. Baumann Hollywood Highbrow iii. 75 There has been controversy since the beginning surrounding the degree to which the AFI should focus on scholarly research and publication. AFIS n. Brit. /ˈeɪfɪs/ , U.S. /ˈeɪfᵻs/ (also Afis) U.S. = automated fingerprint identification system n. at automated adj. Compounds. ΚΠ 1983 H. Togoh et al. Proc. Conf. on Crime Countermeasures & Security 84/2 The Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) has been developed to solve these problems. It has two main functions: automatic registration and filing; and, automatic matching of latent fingerprints. 1984 Computerworld 19 Mar. 25/1 The $2.6 million Automated Fingerprint Identification System (Afis)..has already resulted in an arrest for a previously unsolved six-year-old murder case. 2003 S. Paretsky Blacklist (2004) 40 They're running your John Doe's prints through AFIS. AFK adv. colloquial (originally and chiefly in electronic communications) away from (the) keyboard. ΚΠ 1989 FidoNews 8 May 10 AFK, Away From Keys.] 1990 Re: Smilies collection in rec.humour (Usenet newsgroup) 17 Jan. AFK = Away From Keyboard. 1990 LPMUD Sugg. Rent-a-Stuff Recap in alt.mud (Usenet newsgroup) 14 May As I have been AFK for about a week, I couldn't read alt.mud, would someone please mail me any postings concerning my suggestion? 1990 Toronto Star 15 Oct. c3/5 AFK, Away From Keyboard. 2008 T. Boellstorff Coming of Age in Second Life iv. 108 Often Second Life residents went afk for domestic reasons: to fix dinner for their families, dust the furniture, or spend time with an actual-world spouse. AFL n. American Federation of Labor. ΚΠ 1889 Boston Daily Globe 15 Dec. 4/6 We deem it necessary to briefly state the attitude of the A. F. of L. toward that order [sc. the Knights of Labor].] 1890 Conductor & Brakeman Oct. 786/1 From a brief acquaintance with President Gompers we believe the A.F.L. has an able and energetic leader. 1935 Ironwood (Mich.) Daily Globe 28 May 4/8 The effect on wages in private industry would be nil, a circumstance which..presumably does not mitigate against the political correctness of the AFL's position. 2003 C. C. Northrup & E. C. P. Turney Encycl. Tariffs & Trade in U.S. Hist. 14 The AFL merged with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in 1955 to form the present-day AFL-CIO. AFL n. Australian Football League, the major professional league for Australian Rules football. ΚΠ 1989 Sunday Mail (S. Austral.) 27 Aug. 153 It [sc. the Victoria Football League] already has announced that it will change its name to the AFL next year. 2005 TNT Mag. 7 Mar. 50/2 Pickett was given a six-match ban,..a penalty that was upheld by the AFL's appeals board last week. AFM n. Air Force Medal. ΚΠ 1919 Times 11 Dec. 15/7 Sergeant W. H. Shiers, A.F.M., is also an Adelaide man. 2001 P. Duckers Brit. Gallantry Awards 49 The AFM was rendered obsolete in 1993 when the Air Force Cross was made available to all ranks. AFS n. now historical Auxiliary Fire Service. ΚΠ 1938 Times 16 June 13/4 The training uniform for auxiliary firemen consists of blue dungaree overalls, rubber boots, black webbing belt..and an A.F.S. cap. 2003 N. Moss Nineteen Weeks x. 307 Four-fifths of the firemen were members of the AFS, the Auxilliary Fire Service, who joined up for the war, and they had had little experience of firefighting. AFV n. chiefly U.S. = alternative fuel vehicle n. at alternative adj. and n. Compounds. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > [noun] > motor vehicle > with specific type of engine one-lunger1908 straight eight1926 V-eight1930 hybrid1967 alternative fuel vehicle1979 AFV1982 1982 N.Y. Times 8 Jan. d2/6 The car, called AFV, for alternative-fuel vehicle, will be on display at the Detroit Auto Show later this month and, if built, would be ‘slightly more expensive’ to buy than conventional gasoline-powered cars. 2003 News & Observer (Raleigh, N. Carolina) (Nexis) 16 June a9 Auto manufacturers also produce a whole array of other AFVs that operate on natural gas, propane and electricity. AFV n. armoured fighting vehicle. ΚΠ 1927 Times 15 July 11/5 The expression ‘armoured fighting vehicles’ (A.F.V.) has been added to the Army vocabulary. Something of the sort was needed, in order to distinguish vehicles that are self-contained for actual fighting from those which are used to move the other arms of the Service about. 1942 Wardens' Bull. (City of Oxford Civil Defence) No. 53 18 June 3 Vehicles. Very dark dull grey with dark brown disruptive design. A.F.V.'s have black cross outlined in white. 1969 AFV Profiles xiii. 1 The first tracked AFV's to go into military service in Canada since 1918. 2001 G. McKay & G. Nicholas Jungle Tracks i. 5 To be part of the AFV crew requires a certain sense of being ‘at one’ with the machine. AG n. Adjutant General. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > leader or commander > officer according to function > [noun] > aide-de-camp or adjutant corporal of the field1591 general-adjutant1632 adjutant1641 adjutant general1644 agitant1644 aide-de-camp1670 aid-major1670 Adj.1708 aid1761 Adjt.1763 aide1776 D.A.A.G.1899 AG1913 D.A.G.- 1913 W. T. Rogers Dict. Abbrev. 7/1 A.G., Adjutant-General. 1998 I. M. Brown Brit. Logistics on Western Front ii. 48 Had Sir John French not had three consummate professionals as his QMG, AG, and IGC, he might have had a terrible problem on his hands. AG n. Attorney General. ΘΚΠ society > law > legal profession > lawyer > [noun] > state or public law officers the King's Attorney1414 attorneya1513 attorney-general1533 Solicitor-General1533 city attorney1664 state's attorney1779 AG1814 Official Solicitor1875 1814 J. Campbell Rep. Cases Nisi Prius 3 501 Garrow, A. G., for the defendant, contended that these facts afforded sufficient evidence. 1841 in F. A. Carrington & J. Payne Rep. Cases Nisi Prius IX. 139 Campbell, A.G., opened the case for the Crown, and in his opening said:—This indictment against John Frost consists of four counts. 1889 A. J. Balfour Let. 11 Apr. (Br. Libr. Add. MSS 49827 f. 845) My dear A.G. 1992 J. Batten Class of ‘75 ii. 63 Blacklock articled at the Ontario attorney general's office..and he was offered a job... So were four other students. The AG was seriously short of bodies. 2006 U. Smartt Media Law for Journalists ii. 63 The AG sought injunctions against the Guardian, the Observer and the Sunday Times newspapers. AGC n. Electronics automatic gain control. ΚΠ 1933 U.S. Patent 1,905,946 2/1 AGC is an automatic gain control unit. 1978 Pop. Sci. Nov. 107/2 JVC's models have an AGC switch for overly bright or dim scenes; it provides the equivalent of one f-stop compensation. 2005 J. D. Herrington Podcasting Hacks x. 364 AGC can be very useful for untrained recordists, especially nonprofessionals making audio diaries. AGM n. annual general meeting. ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > types of deliberative or legislative assembly > [noun] > of a company or corporation > annual general meeting annual general meeting1725 AGM1886 1886 J. F. Wilkinson Friendly Soc. Movement ix. 126 The Central Body is known by different titles... In the Manchester Unity the governing body is known as the Annual Movable Committee (A.M.C.); in the Foresters as the High Court (H.C.); in the Rechabites the High Movable Conference (H.M.C.); in the Free Gardeners as the Annual General Meeting (A.G.M.). 1952 Secretaries Jrnl. 2 Aug. 99/2 It is surely not the intention to enable even private companies to hold their A.G.M.'s on paper with the members in various different places. 2006 St James' Parish Mag. (Blackburn) Apr. 3/1 We will meet together at Good Shepherd Church at 5pm for a Bring and Share tea and the AGM followed by our Monthly Service. AGN n. Astronomy active galactic nucleus (or nuclei). ΚΠ 1983 Adv. Space Res. 3 111 Somewhat more than 50% of the..viewing time will be devoted to galactic studies..and the remainder to extragalactic studies (AGN, extragalactic supernovae). 2003 New Scientist 25 Oct. 35/2 Because the density of gas on the edge of an AGN accretion disc is millions of times higher than in a typical interstellar cloud, once formation has begun the star matures rapidly. AGR n. advanced gas-cooled reactor. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > nuclear fission > nuclear reactor > [noun] > cooled by gas advanced gas-cooled reactor1958 AGR1958 1958 Atom No. 21 11/1 We are already carrying out experiments with a zero energy reactor, NERO, to study the nuclear properties of the A.G.R. reactor. 1983 Listener 14 July 6/1 The American reactor will produce five times as much intermediate waste as the AGR. 1996 Earth Matters Autumn (Suppl.) 2/3 When the expected operational costs and liabilities are taken into account, the company's seven Advanced Gas Cooled Reactors (AGRs) are actually worthless. AH adv. [graphic abbreviation of post-classical Latin anno Hegirae (1556 or earlier) < classical Latin annō , ablative of annus year (see annals n.) + post-classical Latin Hegirae , genitive of Hegira Hijra n.¹] in the year of the Hijra. ΚΠ 1621 P. Heylyn Microcosmus 321 (table) A:H. 1788 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall V. lii. 418 The foundations of Bagdad were laid a.h. 145, a.d. 762. 1861 W. Muir Life Mahomet III. xiii. 151 Mahomet marries Haphsa Shában, A.H. III. November A.D. 624. 1940 F. Stark Winter in Arabia iv. 25 It [sc. the wooden minbar] belonged to the year a.h. 693 (1293 a.d.). 2000 Mag. Antiques (Nexis) Mar. 464 These dates, in the Muslim calendar (AH), start with the Hegira, the prophet Muhammad's flight from Mecca to Medina in A.D. 622. AHA n. Chemistry alpha-hydroxy acid. ΚΠ 1955 U.S. Patent 2,721,188 39 (table) Percent of rosin based on the wt. of the AHA, estolides, and rosin, percent by weight. 1991 USA Weekend (Nexis) 5 Jan. 24 AHAs are natural—found in sour milk, old wine, fruit and sugar cane—and have none of Retin-A's negative side effects. 2008 Men's Health May 158/1 Used once a week with an exfoliator, an AHA can help you flatten out the topography of wrinkled areas. AI n. Air Interception; (also) airborne interception. ΚΠ 1945 Electronic Engin. 17 683 With the Battle of Britain by night must be associated the use of A.I. or Air Interception. 1992 A. Hodgkin Chance & Design (1994) ii. xii. 147 When the fighter was suitably placed the observer would be given the order ‘Flash Weapon’ which would tell him to switch on the AI and complete the interception. AI n. artificial insemination. ΚΠ 1945 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 13 Jan. 40/1 We ourselves have used, and in certain respects developed, the technique of artificial insemination (A.I.) during the past five years. 1972 Times 7 Dec. 30/2 The major advantage of AI is that a good bull can be used to sire thousands of daughters. 2006 San Francisco Chron. (Nexis) 29 July a 1 Last year..the club registered 2,828 AI-produced litters [of puppies]. AI n. artificial intelligence. ΘΚΠ society > computing and information technology > [noun] > artificial intelligence artificial intelligence1955 AI1963 society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > types of machine generally > [noun] > automatic > artificial or electronic intelligence ELINT1954 artificial intelligence1955 machine learning1959 AI1963 machine intelligence1966 1963 M. L. Minsky Mathscope: Pt. I 2 A.I. Memo 61. 1991 Omni Mar. 51/1 Truly reactive creatures far more intelligent than any AI systems that have come before. 2009 Kotaku (Nexis) 28 May What about video game characters? They're governed by AI. AID n. now historical Aeronautical Inspection Directorate (also Department). ΚΠ 1916 Times 28 July 5/6 Whatever you find belongs to me. It was given to me by the late Colonel Fulton (chief of the Aeronautical Inspection Department) and Mr. Cockburn, one of the present A.I.D. inspectors, can vouch for it. 1998 P. Summerfield Reconstructing Women's Wartime Lives vi. 210 She moved from riveting in an aircraft factory to training and working as a member of the AID, and had plans to join the ATA. AID n. Brit. /eɪd/ , U.S. /eɪd/ U.S. Agency for International Development, established in 1961 to give economic aid to underdeveloped countries. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social attitudes > philanthropy > [noun] > international aid agency aid agency1856 aid worker1903 AID1961 1961 J. F. Kennedy in N.Y. Times 27 May 2/5 Responsibility..will be assigned to a single agency—the Agency for International Development... The new agency—A.I.D.—will be headed by an administrator of Under Secretary rank. 2003 N. Rush Mortals xiv. 157 He could imagine the AID people saying that this was not what they needed to have shoved down their throats at a memorial service. AID n. artificial insemination by donor (or with donated semen). ΚΠ 1945 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 13 Jan. 40/2 (heading) Male sterility and Other Indications for Artificial Insemination with Donated Semen (A.I.D.). 1979 Jrnl. Amer. Med. Assoc. 23 Mar. 1219/2 Although these cases would be rare,..AID prevents any real safeguard against inadvertent inbreeding. 2008 Guardian (Nexis) 20 May (G2 section) 8 I went on a waiting list to have AID (artificial insemination by donor). AIF n. now historical Australian Imperial Force. ΚΠ 1915 Sydney Morning Herald 6 Mar. 11/2 J. P. Abbot, B.A., Clerical Division, A.I.F. 1940 War Illustr. 16 Feb. 121 The Second A.I.F.—Australian Imperial Force—consisting of men who have volunteered for service either at home or abroad. 2000 Amer. Hist. Rev. 105 1722/2 There was a continuing problem with the discipline of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). AIH n. artificial insemination by husband. ΚΠ 1945 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 13 Jan. 43/1 In a recent series of 30 successive cases A.I.H. was carried out because of low invasive power of the semen. 1968 New Eng. Jrnl. Med. 7 Mar. 552/2 The use of homologous artificial insemination (AIH). 2002 Fordham Urban Law Jrnl. (Nexis) 1 Nov. AIH accounts for a small proportion of artificial insemination cases. AIM n. (also Aim) British Stock Market Alternative Investment Market. ΚΠ 1994 Herald (Glasgow) 7 Sept. 15/4 The idea behind AIM is to make entry as easy and cheap as possible while preserving some basic safeguards for investors. 1995 Daily Tel. 2 May 22/1 Aim, the new small companies market. 2007 Independent 29 Nov. (Extra section) 10/5 We absolutely are a commercial, for profit organisation and we wouldn't be able to go into the AIM if we weren't. AIM n. Brit. /eɪm/ , U.S. /eɪm/ U.S. American Indian Movement. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social attitudes > patriotism > nationalism > [noun] > other spec. > movement or ideal cultural nationalism1914 American dream1916 pan-Indianism1945 AIM1971 1971 Minneapolis Tribune 16 Aug. 12/2 The occupation began..when 25 Indians, most of them members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) broke a window. 2009 Sunday Oregonian (Portland, Oregon) (Nexis) 19 Apr. Eyre was a beneficiary of the movement: ‘I got a lot of my education through programs that came out of AIM activism,’ he said. AK n. [ < the initial letters of alte kacker n.] U.S. slang (originally Theatre) (now rare) = alte kacker n. ΘΚΠ the world > people > person > old person > old man > [noun] old maneOE bevara1275 beauperec1300 vieillard1475 Nestor?c1510 old gentleman1526 haga1529 velyarda1529 old fellow?1555 old sire1557 granfer1564 vecchioc1570 ageman1571 grave-porer1582 grandsire1595 huddle-duddle1599 elder1600 pantaloon1602 cuffc1616 crone1630 old boya1637 codger?1738 dry-beard1749 eld1796 patriarch1819 oubaas1824 old chap1840 pap1844 pop1844 tad1877 old baas1882 senex1898 finger1904 AK1911 alte kacker1911 poppa stoppa1944 madala1960 Ntate1975 1911 Variety 16 Sept. 8/2 The organization of vaudeville agents..would vote to discard the appellation of ‘agent’..and become known as ‘theatrical brokers’... Many agents familiarly known as the ‘A. K.'s’ (alter kokers)..would be classed by themselves. 1920 Variety 27 Aug. 7/1 (headline) Thorek cuts out goat gland optimism. Theatrical surgeon says, goat and monkey N.G. for A.K. 1931 I. Gershwin Entrance of Supreme Court Judges in Compl. Lyrics (1993) 180/2 They're..the A.K.s who give the O.K.s! 1943 A. Halper Only Inch from Glory vi. 73 Nah, I'm an A.K., I'm thirty-five. 1966 I. Faust Steagle 140 It's all the A.K.s lookin' for a handout like my brother Milton. AK n. [ < Russian AK, initialism < avtomat Kalašnikova Kalashnikov's automatic (see kalashnikov n.)] an automatic kalashnikov rifle; esp. (more fully AK-47) a model of this rifle, first manufactured in 1947. ΚΠ 1963 T. Nelson World's Submachine Guns I. 22 The end result was that the Avtomat Kalashnikov (AK), which is, in the opinion of many students of contemporary small arms design, the finest weapon in its class in the world. 1970 Bull. Concerned Asian Scholars 2 85 All of the 50 or so Cambodian soldiers present are carrying Chinese-made, Soviet designed AK-47 rifles. 1978 T. O'Brien Going after Cacciato xiv. 89 Stink said it didn't sound like an AK, anyway. ‘No crack,’ he said. 1996 E. Afr. Standard (Nairobi) 23 May 1/6 How do you expect a policeman, who is confronted by a criminal brandishing an AK47 rifle, to behave? AKC n. American Kennel Club. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping dogs or cats > [noun] > keeping or affinity with dogs > Kennel Club AKC1885 1885 Amer. Kennel Reg. 6 28 No awards will be recognized except those made by members of the A. K. C. 1939 N.Y. Times 23 July x. 3/4 Twenty-six of the country's best-known ring critics will award an array of trophies... A feature will be the A. K. C. obedience trial classes. 2004 Dog World Oct. 24/2 How to integrate these non-registered, non-pedigreed dogs into the AKC gene pool? AL n. Baseball American League; cf. NL n. at N n. Initialisms 1. ΚΠ 1908 Chicago Tribune 9 Feb. ii. 1/4 Jones is quite confident that the White Sox will win the A.L. pennant this year. 1991 M. Pappas in J. Eisenberg From 33rd Street to Camden Yards vii. 63 The AL hadn't caught up with the NL as far as blacks were concerned, and they finally made an effort in the early '60s to start signing more black players. 2009 San Francisco Chron. (Nexis) 30 June d2 On the national front, it's still silly that the All-Star Game and not interleague play determines World Series home-field advantage. The AL usually gets the nod either way. AL n. autograph letter. ΘΚΠ society > communication > writing > written text > [noun] > in person's own hand chirograph1483 autograph1605 holograph1623 idiograph1623 autograph letter1769 AL1868 1868 Hist. Mag. Nov. 256/2 A. L. (third person) 1. p. 4to. 1967 J. Y. Simon Papers of Ulysses S. Grant I. p. xxxiii AL Autograph Letter. 2006 R. A. Hill Marcus Garvey & Universal Negro Improvem. Assoc. Papers X. 16 AL, draft copy. ALA phr. (also A.L.A., a.l.a., ala) British (in personal advertisements) all letters answered. ΚΠ 1974 Gay News 28 Mar. 18/1 Gay male, 26, wishes to make new friends... Please write. Photo appreciated. ALA. 1987 Time Out 21 Oct. 119/1 Colin ‘lookalike’ is looking for his Barry. Is it you?.. Photo/phone. a.l.a. 2008 A. Lister Swingers: Female Confidential 7 First Timers Seek Similar—she bi-curious and eager to find out more. ALA. ALP n. Australian Labour Party. ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > politics > other national politics > [noun] > specific parties in Australia Liberal Party1814 ALP1922 U.A.P.1936 1922 Round Table Mar. 409 The federal conference of the A.L.P., held at Perth in June, 1918. 1973 Nation Rev. (Melbourne) 31 Aug. 1434/1 Will the ALP grow a new set of wings? 2003 Austral. Financial Rev. (Sydney) 20 Oct. 3/1 The Victorian ALP faces months of infighting over renewed allegations of branch stacking in a string of federal seats. ALS n. Associate of the Linnean Society. ΚΠ 1793 Mem. Sci. & Arts 1 75 Mr. Thomas Hoy, of Gordon Castle. A. L. S. 1891 Gardeners' Chron. 17 Jan. 76/3 Mycologist, Dr. M. C. Cooke, M.A., A.L.S. 2002 Your Professional Qualification (Times) 43/1 The Linnean Society of London... Associate (ALS): Restricted to persons aged 18–29. ALS n. (also ALs, Als) autograph letter signed. ΚΠ 1851 Puttick & Simpson Catal. 29 July Autograph Letters 1, Letters autograph and signed are thus marked ‘A.L.s.’ 1909 First Editions Amer. Authors: Libr. of F. Maier 191 Laid in is a 2 pp. A.L.S. regarding the forwarding of Stevenson's writings. 1981 V. Klinkenborg et al. Brit. Literary Manuscripts 264/1 Aird, Thomas, 1802–1876. Als (2) 1853, 1858 to Mr Ebsworth. 2006 J. Liberkowski US Presidents: Guide to Authenticating Autographs 10 Autograph Note Signed—basically the same as an ALS but shorter. ALU n. Computing arithmetic and logic(al) unit. ΘΚΠ society > computing and information technology > hardware > [noun] > central processing unit > arithmetic and logic unit arithmetic (and logic or logical) unit1946 ALU1956 1956 IRE Trans. Electronic Computers 5 220/2 Switching circuits which permit only the addressed character to be transmitted from the memory buffer register to the ALU. 1984 Byte Jan. 135/1 A basic operation of the ALU will be to accept two 16-bit inputs and to produce a 32-bit product. 2001 P. J. Bentley Digital Biol. ii. 38 The ALU follows the rules of addition embedded in its circuitry and calculates the correct answer. AM n. Albert Medal. ΚΠ 1918 Times 6 Sept. 3/2 It is notified in Army Orders that officers..who have been awarded the Albert Medal are now entitled to add the distinctive letters ‘A.M.’ after their names. 2005 C. McCreery Order of Canada p. xviii. (table) British Bravery Decorations. AM Albert Medal. GM George Medal [etc.]. AM n. Radio amplitude modulation; cf. F.M. n. at F n. Initialisms 3a. ΘΚΠ society > communication > broadcasting > radio broadcasting > [noun] > radio transmission AM1939 1939 Fortune Oct. 86/3 In a clumsy attempt to blank out static in its service area an AM station must increase the strength of its signal to thirty or forty times greater than the strength of the noise. 1962 E. Snow Other Side of River (1963) xlvi. 352 The hi-fi set and typewriter have already been stolen and only a worthless AM set remains. 2006 Church Times 17 Nov. 15/2 The transfer of the Daily Service at 9.45 a.m. from AM/FM to Long Wave disenfranchised many of us. A.M. adv. [graphic abbreviation of post-classical Latin anno mundi in the year of the world (11th cent.)] used before (or occasionally after) a date to indicate that it comes the specified number of years after the creation of the world, according to biblical chronology. ΚΠ 1596 T. Bell Suruey Popery iii. i. 94 (table) A.M. 3426. 1651 C. Hoole Latine Gram. i. 8 A.M. Anno mundi, In the year of the World. 1784 P. Oliver Script. Lexicon 2 The second son of Adam, who was slain by his brother Cain; supposed to be slain, A.M. 130. 1865 W. A. Baker Day & Hour x. 144 Archbishop Usher..places the nativity in the year A.M. 4000 and the nativity in the year A.M. 4004. 1987 J. T. Fraser Time, Familiar Stranger ii. 93 Putting it all together, today fills in the year 5747 a.m. (Anno Mundi, as calculated in the Jewish and traditional Christian chronology). A.M. n. [graphic abbreviation of post-classical Latin artium magister (1440 in a British source)] now chiefly U.S. Master of Arts (cf. M.A. n. at M n. Initialisms 2a). ΚΠ 1664 T. Lawrence Mercurius Centralis (title page) Sent in a Letter to Thomas Brown, M.D. By Tho. Lawrence, A.M. 1684 T. Creech tr. Theocritus Idylliums sig. A2 To His Honoured Friend Arthur Charlet A.M. Fellow of Trinity College in Oxon. 1726 W. Law Absolute Unlawfulness Stage-entertainment (title page) The absolute unlawfulness of the stage-entertainment fully demonstrated. By William Law, A.M. 1837 Confessions of French Catholic Priest (title page) Edited by Samuel F. B. Morse, A.M. Professor, &c. &c., in the University of the City of New-York. 1915 C. E. Hughes in Sesquicentennial Brown University 185 The repute of the University was being endangered by the low standard of scholarship required for the degrees of A.M. and A.B. 1995 B. Edmonston & C. Schultze Modernizing U.S. Census 459 She has an A.M. degree in Sociology from the University of Chicago. AM n. British Assembly Member; (the official abbreviation in English for) a member of the Welsh Assembly; cf. MWA n. at M n. Initialisms 3. ΚΠ 1999 EGi Web News Newswire (Nexis) 10 May [She]..has been elected to the New National Assembly for Wales as the Labour AM (Assembly Member) for Cardiff North. 2006 S. Wales Echo (Nexis) 29 Apr. 1 The Pontypridd AM was at an awards presentation at Tonyrefail Primary School. AM n. Member of the Order of Australia. ΚΠ 1976 Titles & Forms of Addr. (ed. 15) 2 A.M... Member of the Order of Australia. 2008 M. D. Prentis Conc. Compan. Aboriginal Hist. 79 He was awarded the AM in 1993. AMA n. American Medical Association. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medical services and administration > [noun] > American Medical Association AMA1849 1849 N.Y. Jrnl. Med. 2 122 Alfred Stille, Henry J. Bowditch, Sec's of A.M.A. 1878 St. Louis Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 35 44 We propose..to present this plan to the next meeting of the A.M.A. 1911 Sunset Sept. 284/1 Now and then the ducks left their pond and waddled pompously across the lawn, as if to let the A.M.A. know that the ‘quacks’ had a right to membership, too. 1959 New Statesman 13 June 833/3 One cannot help wondering whether obstruction by the AMA has played any part in preventing Eckstein's book from being published earlier. 2004 Science 3 Dec. 1649 The AMA had urged the institutional review boards (IRBs) that review trial protocols to require such registration before approval of a drug. AMD n. Medicine age-related (also adult) macular degeneration. ΚΠ 1984 Arch. Ophthalmol. 102 1640/1 Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the four most common causes of severe visual loss in this country. 2006 J. C. Folk & M. E. Wilkinson Protect your Sight i. 1 The risk of AMD sky-rockets with advancing age. AMDG n. [graphic abbreviation of post-classical Latin ad maiorem Dei gloriam (6th cent.)] to the greater glory of God (esp. as a motto of the Jesuits). ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > [adverb] > to the greater glory of God ad majorem Dei gloriam1660 AMDG1814 society > faith > church government > monasticism > religious order > Society of Jesus > [adverb] > motto of ad majorem Dei gloriam1660 AMDG1965 1814 Orthodox Jrnl. May 178/2 To the Editor of the Orthodox Journal. A. M. D. G. 1837 S. F. B. Morse Confessions French Catholic Priest 231 Such is the spirit of those histories; and the Jesuits entitle their works A.M.D.G., viz.—‘Ad majorem Dei gloriam’,—(to the greatest glory of God). 1877 E. S. Dallas Kettner's Bk. of Table 279 Another liqueur, Bénédictine..is consecrated with the letters A.M.D.G. (Ad majorem Dei gloriam). 1965 N. Freeling Criminal Conversat. ii. xiii. 148 We had to write at the top of the page..the Jesuit motto A.M.D.G. 1999 W. W. Meissner To Greater Glory xviii. 312 The motto..has become synonymous with..Jesuits the world over. Hardly a logo or banner..representing the Society does not carry the familiar AMDG. AMG n. Allied Military Government (cf. AMGOT n.). ΚΠ 1943 Amer. Notes & Queries 3 86/2 AMG. Not long after AMGOT (Allied Military Government of Occupied Territories) first appeared in print it was denounced as an unprintable Turkish word. Immediately the War Department shortened the form to AMG (Allied Military Governments). 2004 H. Mitgang Newsmen in Khaki vi. 82 Even before the AMG landed in Sicily, conflicts arose about how to run the defeated Axis nation. AMP n. Biochemistry adenosine monophosphate (adenylic acid). ΚΠ 1943 Jrnl. Biol. Chem. 148 136 2 ADP ⇌ ATP + AMP. 1968 J. H. Burn Lect. Notes Pharmacol. (ed. 9) 65 Cyclic AMP is broken down by phosphodiesterase to the inactive 5-AMP. 2005 C. de Duve Singularities xii. 156 The group has recently described the phosphorylation of AMP to ADP and ATP in a similar system. AMPA n. Biochemistry alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid, an excitatory amino acid which acts as an agonist at a particular class of glutamate receptor; frequently attributive, designating receptors of this class. ΚΠ 1972 Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 261 106 Phosphonoacetic acid was degraded by the Schmidt reaction to CO₂ and AMPA. 1998 Sci. Amer. Apr. 22/2 Without GluR2 sub-units, AMPA receptors become calcium permeable and so key players in excitotoxic cell death. 2008 N.Y. Times 24 Feb. (Washington Final ed.) 10/3 Because glutamate is so central to the brain's activity, directly blocking or triggering the NMDA and AMPA receptors can be very dangerous. AMRAAM n. Brit. /ˈamram/ , U.S. /ˈæmˌræm/ (also Amraam) U.S. Military advanced medium range air-to-air missile. ΚΠ 1979 Wall St. Jrnl. 5 Feb. 10 The Amraam will succeed the Raytheon Sparrow Aim 7 missile as the U.S. medium-range air-combat missile. 2009 Atlantic Monthly Mar. 67/1 A small country can buy a MiG-21 on the world weapons market..and outfit it with ‘launch and leave’ missiles comparable to the AMRAAM. AMS n. Medicine acute mountain sickness. ΚΠ 1969 Federation Proc. (Federation Amer. Soc. Exper. Biol.) 28 1085/1 As a working definition, we consider AMS to be a syndrome or symptom complex which occurs to some degree in all unacclimatized individuals who rapidly ascend to high terrestrial elevations. 2004 Global May 54/2 The secret to beating AMS (acute mountain sickness) is acclimatisation. AMT n. U.S. alternative minimum tax. ΚΠ 1979 Hutchinson (Kansas) News 15 July c3/3 The new AMT exempts the first $20,000 of income, but levies a tax of 10 percent or $2,000 on his total income of $40,000. 2007 Wall St. Jrnl. 16 Feb. a12/1 He wouldn't necessarily object if Democrats passed a ‘revenue neutral’ bill cutting taxes paid under AMT and raising them elsewhere to offset the money that would be lost to the Treasury. amu n. Physics atomic mass unit. ΚΠ 1954 Science 24 Dec. 1078/2 (table) Proposed symbols for units..Atomic mass unit..amu..1 amu=931 Mev. 1988 H. A. Klein Sci. Measurem. xx. 207 The amu (physical) is 0.03 percent less than the amu (international). 2008 J. E. House Inorg. Chem. xiii. 423 Naturally occurring boron consists of approximately 20% of ¹⁰B and 80% of ¹¹B, leading to an average atomic mass of 10·8 amu. AN n. autograph note. ΚΠ 1915 Catal. Literary Treasures Libr. Gen. Brayton Ives No. 788 Monroe (James). A. N. third person, 1p. 12mo, undated. 1963 J. F. Hopkins Papers of Henry Clay IV. 22 AN. MHi-Adams Papers. Addressed: ‘The Honble J. Q. Adams. Present’. 1990 J. J. Benson New Crit. Approaches to Short Stories of E. Hemingway 469 (note) Ms 716 is an autograph note (AN), JFK. 2006 S. K. Gragert & M. J. Johansson Papers Will Rogers IV. 59 (table) AN Autograph note. ANC n. African National Congress. ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > politics > African politics > [noun] > South African politics > specific parties remskoen party1898 S.A.P.1920 African National Congress1923 OB1940 Ossewa Brandwag1940 U.P.1943 ANC1952 1952 Rand Daily Mail (Johannesburg) 27 Nov. 12 The recommendations were adopted by the conference of the A.N.C. and S.A.I.C., and the course of action followed during the defiance campaign was mainly that prescribed in these recommendations. 1984 Daily Tel. 24 Mar. 16/1 For many years the ANC was a peaceful organisation dedicated to changing South Africa through non-violent means. 2009 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 12 Feb. 28/2 The ANC's spokesperson..told me that the government has built 2.8 million houses since 1994. ANF n. Biochemistry atrial natriuretic factor. ΚΠ 1983 FEBS Lett. 164 286 ANF is localized in the granules of the atrial cardiocytes. 2005 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A 102 18039/1 The ANF promoter serves as a target of cardiac-specific and stress-dependent gene regulation. ANP n. Biochemistry atrial natriuretic peptide. ΚΠ 1984 Biochem. & Biophysical Res. 124 816 Rat atrial peptide, α-rat ANP. 2008 Boston Globe (Nexis) 21 Apr. c1 As the heart works harder, the body produces more ANP, which helps control the brain's response to stress and anxiety. ANS n. autograph note signed. ΚΠ 1864 Priced Catal. of Autographs, Relics & Curiosities 5 A.N.S., Autograph note signed. 1912 F. K. Walter Abbrev. & Techn. Terms Bk. Catal. 1 A.N.S. Autograph note signed. 2001 P. Olleson Lett. Samuel Wesley 33 ANS, 1p. (Private collection of Cynthia Comyn). ANS n. Physiology autonomic (or automatic) nervous system. ΚΠ 1962 T. G. Hiebert Abbrev. Basic Med. Physiol. (ed. 4) i. i. 2 The Automatic Nervous System (ANS). 1978 Science 31 Mar. 1413/3 Other neurons of the parasympathetic portion of the ANS. 2003 P. Ekman Emotions Revealed iv. 63 Different patterns of ANS activity for each of the emotions we have examined. ANSI n. Brit. /ˈansi/ , U.S. /ˈænsi/ American National Standards Institute. ΚΠ 1969 Mag. of Standards Oct. 162 It will be appearing from now on as the identifying mark on all American National Standards published by the Institute...ansi. 1981 InfoWorld 19 Oct. 17/1 ANSI sets the standards for light bulbs and innumerable other items whose uniformity most of us take for granted. 2008 D. M. Etter & J. A. Ingber Engin. Probl. Solving with C++ (ed. 2) ii. 45 A total of 128 characters can be represented in the ANSI code. AO n. Officer of the Order of Australia. ΚΠ 1976 Titles & Forms of Addr. (ed. 15) 2 A.O... Officer of the Order of Australia. 2008 M. D. Prentis Conc. Compan. Aboriginal Hist. 97 She was awarded an MBE and an AO and was Australian of the Year in 1971. AOB n. any other business (at the end of the agenda for a meeting). ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > topic, subject-matter > materials of topic > [noun] > of meeting > unlisted item any other business1910 AOB1946 1946 Chem. & Industry 25 May 205/2 Under A.O.B., Dr. Vickers moved a vote of thanks to Mr. E. M. Myers for his services as Hon. Secretary during the past ten years; this was seconded by Prof. H. L. Riley. 1963 W. H. Scott et al. Coal & Confl. iv. 169 The secretary..claimed that if ‘AOB’ was heard earlier, members would leave as soon as it was completed. 2007 Evening Herald (Plymouth) (Nexis) 4 Sept. 4 The board agreed to withdraw AOB from its agenda as the chair's items covers any necessary issues board members need to include. AOC n. (with reference to wine, or some foods) appellation d'origine contrôlée. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > wine > class or grade of wine > [noun] > satisfying regulations appellation d'origine1939 appellation contrôlée1950 AOC1957 Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée1965 typicity1975 the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > wine > class or grade of wine > [adjective] > satisfying regulations AOC1957 1957 L. W. Marrison Wines & Spirits v. 97 Cognac and armagnac are also covered by A.O.C.'s. 1984 Times 4 Oct. 1/5 It is still too early to predict..what the quality of the AOC wines will be like. 2000 S. Fallon & M. Rothschild World Food: France (Lonely Planet Guide) 54 Fourme d'Ambert (AOC) is a very mild cow's milk cheese from Rhône-Alpes. AONB n. area of outstanding natural beauty (cf. S.S.S.I. n. at S n.¹ Initialisms 1). ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > landscape > [noun] > type of beauty spot1846 picturesque1852 moonscape1907 mudscape1908 postcard land1918 cultural landscape1919 dunescape1928 Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty1949 wirescape1951 AONB1957 Marlboro Country1961 roofscaping1962 1957 Ann. Rep. Council Preserv. Rural Eng. 1956–7 32/1 The Breckland area of Norfolk and Suffolk has also been considered..for designation as an A.O.N.B. but rejected as unsuitable. 2006 Build It May 125/1 Paul's house is outside a conservation area, AONB and a national park. AOSIS n. (also Aosis) Alliance of Small Island States, a coalition of small island and coastal countries founded in 1990 to lobby for restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions and other (industrial) activities thought to contribute to climate change and consequent rises in sea level. ΚΠ 1990 Nature 15 Nov. 188/1 AOSIS would ‘be extremely firm in the negotiations to come’, pushing for limits on carbon dioxide emissions from the industrialized countries. 1995 Guardian 25 Mar. 4/6 Some countries would disappear altogether. Thirty-six of them have joined in an alliance, AOSIS, and demanded a 20 per cent cut by 2005 in 1990 levels of carbon dioxide emissions. 2009 Cape Argus (Nexis) 19 Aug. 9 An analysis by Aosis of emissions reduction pledges made thus far had revealed that these would achieve just 10 to 16 percent of the required cuts to meet the 2°C target. AP n. (also A/P) accounts payable. ΚΠ 1893 L. L. Williams & F. E. Rogers New Theoret. & Pract. Bk.-keeping 201 Enter in A. P. B.] 1929 S. E. Howard ABC of Accounting viii. 109 Similarly the account A P (Accounts Payable) has been introduced in the general ledger (A) for the many individual accounts with trade creditors. 1994 C. R. Malburg Accounting for New Business ii. 36 The A/P subledger pays each payable when due. 2007 M. S. Schaeffer Controller & CFO's Guide Accts. Payable vii. 107 The customer believes that the time starts when the invoice hits the AP department, whereas the vendor starts counting on the date on the invoice. AP n. North American Education advanced placement, a programme of college-level coursework offered to high school students; frequently attributive. ΚΠ 1958 Friends Jrnl. 5 Apr. 215/2 The real advantage which an A.P. student gains by qualifying for one or more sophomore courses in his first year is the time for more advanced work in his chosen field or for courses in other fields which normally could not be fitted into his schedule. 2003 D. A. Cantu & W. J. Warren Teaching Hist. Digital Classroom xvii. 283 In 2001, over 820,000 students took thirty-five AP exams in nineteen subject areas. AP n. Associated Press. ΚΠ 1879 Chicago Tribune 4 Mar. 5/4 Now, the A.P. may be a very wicked institution, but a ‘Monopoly’ it is not. 1947 Mem. Evid. Submitted to Royal Comm. on Press i. 14 The full A.P. service is provided to Press Association and a selection of items is distributed to subscribers in this country. 2004 Wall St. Jrnl. 20 Aug. (Central ed.) a8/2 Depending on the service and phone, you'll receive four to six short text messages a day culled from the AP..and a 20- to 25-second audio clip. AP n. attachment parenting (see attachment parenting n. at attachment n. Compounds 2b). ΚΠ 1996 Re: New Mailing List about Attachm. Parenting in misc.kids (Usenet newsgroup) 30 July I no longer feel constrained to do anything recommended by AP advocates if it doesn't fit well with my instincts or my child. 2007 Corkman (Nexis) 11 Oct. The philosophy of AP encourages responsive contact between parent and child and encourages the practices of breastfeeding, co-sleeping and babywearing. 2016 www.mumsnet.com 19 Aug. (forum post, accessed 12 June 2017) Read the rules of any FB group you join and comply with them... If you're in an AP group you can't possibly be surprised that they don't support sleep training. APB n. U.S. all-points bulletin (see all adj., pron., n., adv., and conj. Phrases 6a). ΘΚΠ society > communication > broadcasting > radio broadcasting > [noun] > radio service > radio alert broadcast all-points bulletin1936 APB1953 1953 Athens Messenger (Ohio) 29 Sept. 4/6 Get me a copy of that picture just going out on an APB. 1979 A. Hailey Overload (new ed.) iv. xvii. 382 A man..drove away in a Volkswagen van half an hour before the place was raided. The police have issued an APB for the van. 2005 Independent 23 June 45/4 There is no documented evidence of McDonald's death, and an APB put out on her in America has yielded nothing. APC n. Military armoured personnel carrier. ΚΠ 1954 Newport (Rhode Island) Daily News 2 June 8/3 Immediately behind them waddled a line of APCs, carrying a full infantry platoon behind. 2006 D. J. Blasko Chinese Army 127 As an APC it can carry up to 20 troops; it can also mount or tow anti-tank guns or artillery. APC n. Pharmacology a medicinal preparation containing aspirin, phenacetin (later replaced by paracetamol), and caffeine, used as an analgesic and antipyretic; a dose of this, typically in the form of a powder or tablet. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines for specific purpose > febrifuge or antipyretic > [noun] > others dragon-water1607 Goa stone1681 spirit of Mindererus1772 kairine1883 acetophenetidin1888 phenacetin1888 pyrodin1888 thalline1888 phenocoll1891 iodopyrin1892 tolypyrin1893 triphenin1896 pyramidon1898 aspirin1899 phenazone1899 thermodin1899 APC1930 Panadol1955 paracetamol1957 1930 Chemist & Druggist 27 Dec. 793/1 A.P.C. mixture.—Acetylsalicylic acid... Phenacetin... Caffeine. 1970 G. Jackson Let. 30 Mar. in Soledad Brother (1971) 200 When I ask for medication the M.T.A. gives me an APC or two. 2003 Cairns (Queensland) Post (Nexis) 25 Oct. 37 The powerful APC (aspirin, phenacetin, caffeine) powders were so highly addictive that some women swallowed up to 50 a day. API n. American Petroleum Institute (used esp. with reference to a scale, developed by the Institute, for expressing the relative density of oil). ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > drilling for oil or gas > [noun] > scale of oil density API1922 1922 Circular U.S. Bureau of Standards 13 July 4 The American Petroleum Institute, the Bureau of Mines, and the Bureau of Standards have agreed that a scale based on the modulus 141.5 shall be used in the United States petroleum industry and shall be known as the A. P. I. scale. 1958 Times Rev. Industry June 59/1 Crude oil prices are usually quoted on a scale..the heavier oil commanding..say 2 cents a barrel for each degree A.P.I. more than the lighter. 2001 FHM Feb. 72/3 Make sure that the oil spec (its API or ACEA grade) is at least that recommended by your car's manufacturer. API n. Computing application programming (or program) interface, a set of routines, protocols, and tools designed to allow the development of applications that can utilize or operate in conjunction with a given item of software, set of data, website, etc.ⓘSee also application programming interface n. at application n. Compounds 2a. ΚΠ 1982 Computerworld 29 Nov. 87 It also includes the Application Program Interface (API), a host facility that allows user-written CICS applications to access Disoss document-related functions. 1996 Linux Jrnl. Dec. 38/1 New features include API apprentice, which reduces complicated API calls down to filling out a dialog box. 2009 Guardian (Nexis) 12 Mar. (Technol. section) 6 Third parties using Twitter's API have developed a huge range of services and applications. APL n. [initialism < associative programming language, but now often explained as initialism < A Programming Language, the title of a 1962 book by K. E. Iverson (1920–2004), who devised the mathematical notation which was developed into the programming language] Computing a high-level programming language, typically used for mathematical computations. ΘΚΠ society > computing and information technology > programming language > [noun] > high-level language > language Fortran1956 Algol1959 Lisp1959 Cobol1960 BASIC1964 SNOBOL1964 PL/I1965 APL1966 Pascal1971 C1973 LOGO1976 Prolog1977 Ada1979 C++1984 Perl1987 Java1995 JavaScript1995 1966 Proc. AFIPS Conf. 29 677/2 APL was conceived at the General Motors Research Laboratories to satisfy the need for convenient data handling techniques in a high-level language. Standing for associative programming language, it is designed to be embedded in PL/I as an aid to the user dealing with data structures in which associations are expressed. 1984 N.Y. Times 8 Jan. xii. 7/3 He taught himself how to program by sitting at a terminal with a book on APL. 2003 G. Perry Absolute Beginner's Guide to Programming (ed. 3) iii. 58 APL (which stands for A Programming Language) is a highly mathematical programming language developed by IBM. APP n. Biochemistry amyloid precursor protein. ΚΠ 1988 Internat. Jrnl. Developmental Neurosci. 6 387 The precursor of the beta-amyloid peptide (APP)..participates in the formation of neuritic plaques in human brains affected by Alzheimer's disease. 2007 A. de Grey & M. Rae Ending Aging viii. 138 Some people produce unusually large amounts of beta-amyloid because they have inherited mutations that..cause their bodies to produce too much of APP itself. APR n. annual(ized) percentage rate (of interest on money lent on credit). ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > management of money > income, revenue, or profit > profit > [noun] > return from capital or investment > interest > rate of coupon1822 APR1972 1972 Pop. Mech. Mar. 79/2 APR is a big help because it gives borrowers a uniform price base to work with while shopping. 2003 Which? July 37/5 Most companies charge you extra for paying by instalments—we show you the annual percentage rate (APR) that they charge. APS n. Photography Advanced Photo or (Photographic) System, a film system in which film of 24 mm width is enclosed in a cartridge for easy loading into a compatible camera, the image produced on the negative being 30·2 × 16·7 mm in size.A distinctive feature of APS is the ability to record information such as shutter speed, aperture setting, or the date the photograph was taken, in addition to the image. A typical APS camera can also record which of the three formats (of differing aspect ratio) supported by the system an image should be printed in.APS is a proprietary name in the United States. ΚΠ 1994 Science 3 Sept. 22/1 All five companies involved..have pledged not to disclose any details about the film, called the advanced photographic system (APS). 2007 Guardian (Nexis) 27 Oct. (Suppl.) 17 APS (Advanced Photo System) was perhaps film's last stand, with its choice of three formats including a 3:1 panoramic. APT n. advanced passenger train. ΘΚΠ society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > train > passenger train > high-speed bullet train1966 advanced passenger train1967 APT1967 Shinkansen1968 Metroliner1969 TGV1980 sprinter1984 1967 Times 12 Sept. 9/5 If the hovertrain looks promising, the A.P.T. looks equally so, and poor old deficit-ridden B.R. should not be kept waiting for the funds. 2001 Mod. Railways Feb. 36/3 This is a live question for Railtrack in Britain, where we have negligible experience from the ill-fated APT, but a major construction programme for Virgin Trains presently under way. APU n. auxiliary power unit. ΚΠ 1944 Aero Digest 15 Aug. 92/2 (caption) The auxiliary power unit is installed in the hull and has an integral fuel tank, bilge pump and generator... A.P.U. engine. 2002 J. W. Hall Blackwater Sound ii. 29 She was thinking of the flare and touchdown, rotating ten degrees nose high, she was thinking of the APU and engine fire handles that she would have to override. APY n. annual percentage yield (of interest on deposited funds). ΚΠ 1973 R. L. D. Morse Let. 18 June in FTC Jurisdict. Financial Inst.: Hearings before U.S. Senate Banking Comm. (93rd U.S. Congr., 1st Sess.) 147 Under present conditions all three rates (APY, APR and PPR) are required. 2009 New Yorker 12 Oct. 47 (advt.) The Annual Percentage Yield (APY) and balance for a Premier Checking Account..is 0.01% APY on balances of $5.00 or more. AR n. (also A/R) accounts receivable. ΚΠ 1915 C. Rittenhouse Elem. Acct. 67 Three Ledger folio columns are provided,..headed respectively, A.R. Folio (Accounts Receivable), C.C.D. Folio (Clients' Cash Disbursements), and C.C.S. Folio (Clients' Cash Suspense). 1983 InfoWorld 19 Sept. 35/3 GL-Plus clears the monthly journal, the completely paid A/R and the completely paid A/P. 2007 S. Discenza in S. B. Buchbinder & N. H. Shanks Introd. Health Care Managem. viii. 219 Management of AR becomes exceedingly important in order to collect revenues generated to insure cash flow. AR n. Autonomous Region; Autonomous Republic. ΚΠ 1973 G. Moseley Consolidation South China Frontier vii. 157 The Tay Bac ar embraces an area equivalent to three provinces in the mountains between the Red River valley and the Laotian frontier. 1988 M. A. Jazayery & W. Winter Langs. & Culture 689 In the territory of the Georgian SSR are located the Abkhas and Adjar ARs and the South-Ossetian AD. 2005 A. Baschieri et al. Creating Poverty Map for Azerbaijan World Bank Working Paper 10 Poverty rates..are higher in urban areas compared to rural areas, the highest poverty incidence being found in Nakhchivan AR. A.R.A. n. British Associate of the Royal Academy. ΚΠ 1805 Eclectic Rev. June 477/1 Designs for cottages, &c.; by J. Gandy, A. R. A. 2002 W. Baker W. Collins's Libr. 170 The Peaceful Thames, after F. Walker, A. R. A. by C. Waltner. ARC n. Medicine AIDS-related complex. ΚΠ 1984 AIDS Res. 1 211 Homosexual patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related complex (ARC). 2005 Independent (Nexis) 10 Sept. 20 Her symptoms were those of pneumonia, but blood tests showed she had Aids related complex (ARC), a precursor to Aids. ARM n. adjustable-rate mortgage. ΚΠ 1980 Hartford (Connecticut) Courant 29 June 40 (advt.) To find out more about ARM or any of our other mortgage plans, visit a nearby Society office today. 2009 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 12 Feb. 16/2 Bankers and mortgage brokers promoted..the adjustable rate mortgage, or ARM, in order to lower mortgage payments temporarily to levels that might seem well within the means of lower-income buyers. ARP n. Finance adjustable-rate preferred; cf. preferred n. ΚΠ 1985 Amer. Dental Assoc. News 4 Nov. 7/1 While market conditions will affect the price of the ARP, the interest rate swing has less impact on its value because the security's dividend will be adjusted upward to reflect the change in interest rates. 2002 R. Conrad Power Hungry xi. 241 The best time to buy an ARP is after interest rates have dropped for a time, and the yield is near the bottom of its designated collar. ARP n. air raid precautions (see air raid precautions n. at air raid n. Compounds 2). ΚΠ 1935 Times 27 Aug. 11/3 The accumulation of stocks of respirators and protective clothing for the A.R.P. services. 1977 E. R. Dodds Missing Persons xiv. 134 Shortly afterwards I joined the A.R.P. service myself and spent long nights in the Oxford control room. 2003 S. Mawer Fall (2004) xxii. 366 Nothing. Bombed out... So I asked around, in the local pub, the corner shop, the ARP post, that kind of thing. ARPS n. Finance adjustable-rate preferred stock (or share). ΚΠ 1982 Amer. Banker 22 Nov. 11/2 The investment bankers say the adjustable-rate preferred, called ARPS, is the cheapest form of permanant [sic] capital for banks. 1986 Atlantic Reporter 2nd Ser. 501 1237/1 The minority holders of common stock were to receive .50 share of a new adjustable rate preferred share (‘ARPS’) in place of each share of Crocker common stock held. 2001 M. Constas & J. K. Shim Investm. Sourcebk. vi. 178 Adjustable-rate Preferred Stock (ARPS)..is preferred stock with a floating dividend rate that resets each quarter. ARV n. and adj. Medicine and Virol. (a) adj. antiretroviral; (b) n. an antiretroviral drug; antiretroviral therapy. ΚΠ 1994 Jrnl. Infectious Dis. 170 1286/1 (caption) Relative risk (RR) with antiretroviral therapy (ARV) alone. 2006 S. Afr. Times 15 Nov. 11/2 Our members have seen first hand what a difference ARV drugs makes to these children who prior to receiving ARV would have had a very short life span. 2007 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) July 158 First introduced in 1987, anti-retroviral drugs—ARVs for short—block H.I.V'.s assault on the body's immune system. AS n. British Education (originally) Advanced Supplementary, a former General Certificate of Education qualification regarded as a complement to the A level; (now chiefly) Advanced Subsidiary, the first half of an A level which is divided into two components, also constituting an independent qualification (see A2 n.); frequently attributive, esp. in AS level. ΘΚΠ society > education > educational administration > examination > [noun] > school examinations entrance examination1819 entrance exam1857 standard1862 skew1866 leaving examination1868 Oxford1871 entry exam1886 Abitur1918 higher1923 scholarship1950 A level1951 C.S.E.1963 international baccalaureate1966 A1979 Certificate of Secondary Education1981 AS1984 STEP1985 SAT1988 A21999 1984 Times 2 May 3/1 The advanced supplementary, or AS level, will require two years of study, cover at least half the ground of an A level, and be worth half an A level to employers and..admission tutors. 1988 Guardian 19 Jan. 13/7 There are interviews with students who are taking CPVE, BTEC, ‘A’ and AS courses. 1997 Daily Tel. 12 Feb. 11/1 The introduction of a new AS qualification to bring flexibility to sixth-form studies. 2001 Independent 26 July (‘Go Higher’ Suppl.) II/4 All new exams take time to bed, but the new AS has had more than its fair share of problems. 2002 P. Hodkinson & M. Bloomer in K. Evans et al. Working to Learn ii. 37 Can I change one of my As to an AS? 2005 Daily Tel. 14 Sept. 25/4 I..have a choice between continuing with general studies, in which I gained an A at AS-level, or taking an AS-level in critical thinking. A.S. n. and adj. Anglo-Saxon. ΚΠ 1799 Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. 4 481 AS. Anglo Saxon. 1881 C. P. Mason Eng. Gram. (ed. 25) 36 The genitive in A.S. was monan. 1901 Northern Counties Mag. May 122 These are survivals of the A.S. neuter plurals. 1992 A. L. Klinck Old Eng. Elegies (2001) 116 There is no evidence that the verbs could be used in these senses in the A-S period. A.S. n. North American Education Associate in (also of) Science. ΚΠ 1942 W. C. Eells Associate’s Degree & Graduation Pract. in Junior Colleges iii. 35 Associate in Science... A.S. 2006 S. H. Stafford Community College iii. 36 An AS degree in computer science could help you gain an entry-level job in the field, or go on to a four-year institution and become a software programmer. ASA n. British = Advertising Standards Authority n. at advertising n. Compounds 2. ΚΠ 1962 New Society 13 Dec. 5/2 If the ASA rules that advertisements should not resemble editorial matter it may well be discouraging the more informative kind of advertising which many people welcome. 2008 B. Goldacre Bad Sci. viii. 142 An advertising campaign which was ultimately terminated by the ASA since it breached their codes on truthfulness and substantiation. ASA n. (also with pronunciation Brit. /ˈeɪsə/ , U.S. /ˈeɪzə/ , /ˈeɪsə/ ) American Standards Association (used esp. with reference to a standard scale for rating photographic film speed). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > photography > plates and films > [noun] > film > scale for rating film speed ASA1928 1928 AERA 19 450/2 The change in name to 'American Standards Association' is a noteworthy improvement... It gives a balanced, pronounceable combination of initials, A.S.A., which has a decided advantage in practical use. 1976 Early Music 4 451/1 All films have a speed number on the carton—an ASA number—which indicates how sensitive the film is to light. 2003 Nat. New Eng. Summer 17 Expose Velvia (ASA 50 pushed one stop to ASA 100) with sufficient depth of field. ASB n. Alternative Service Book. ΘΚΠ society > faith > artefacts > book (general) > service book (general) > [noun] > containing directions for worship > Anglican > Alternative Service Book ASB1978 Alternative Service Book1980 1978 Church Times 14 July 4/4 To exclude the psalms from the ASB would be to hasten their [sc. hymns'] decline. 1997 Cathedral Music Winter 14/1 One commentator said, when the ASB was introduced, that the Church of England was stumbling into a ‘great act of forgetting’. A.S.C. n. Army Service Corps; (also) a member of this organization. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > branch of army > [noun] > administration and supply branches baggage1603 field train1692 Corps of Wagoners1802 wagon-corps1810 subsistence department1820 baggage-train1841 rear echelon1852 Control Department1867 Army Service Corps1869 A.S.C.1871 pay corps1876 Q1916 echelon1922 1871 G. J. Wolseley Soldier's Pocket-bk. (ed. 2) (p. xi. List of abbrevs.) A.S.C.—Army Service Corps. 1893 W. J. Clarke N.M.P. 14 The N.C.O.'s of the A.S.C. erected a store close to the camp and a fort was afterwards constructed round these stores. 1916 Somme-Times 31 July in Wipers Times: Compl. Series (2006) 119/2 I climbed up the rope of a sausage and joined two A.S.C.'s who were also watching the proceedings. 1941 W. Fortescue Trampled Lilies xxviii. 267 She continued to cope throughout the day, marshalling her men like a General of the A.S.C. 2006 Wipers Times: Compl. Series Gloss. 358 A.S.C., Army Service Corps. Also known at ‘Ally Sloper's Cavalry,’ after a children's comic character, and as the Army Safety Corps. ASD n. autism (or autistic) spectrum disorder. ΚΠ 1987 Proc. First Internat. Symp. Specific Speech & Lang. Disorders Children 28 ASD children were likely to have oromotor deficits. 2000 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 97 8734/1 This difference is less detectable among high-functioning adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). 2012 N.Y. Mag. 5 Nov. 89/1 Many with ASD, and the families who care for them, suffer terribly. ASH n. Brit. /aʃ/ , U.S. /æʃ/ Action on Smoking and Health. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > [noun] > good health > state of being conducive to > organization Sokol1910 World Health Organization1945 W.H.O.1946 ASH1968 the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > tobacco > smoking > [noun] > anti-smoking society ASH1968 1968 Christian Sci. Monitor 30 Jan. 5/1 Most recently there is the formation of the brand new Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) to act as a legal arm of the antismoking forces. 1983 Listener 30 June 36/1 After talking to ASH..I use the word ‘lethal’ advisedly. 2008 Evening Standard (Nexis) 28 Nov. 6 Until yesterday, Ash campaigners were convinced they had strong support for the proposals being in an NHS Bill in next week's Queen's Speech. ASIC n. (also Asic) Computing (also with pronunciation Brit. /ˈasɪk/ , /ˈeɪsɪk/ , U.S. /ˈæsɪk/ , /ˈeɪsɪk/ ) application-specific integrated circuit, an integrated circuit designed for one or more specific functions, rather than for general use. ΚΠ 1983 Computerworld 15 Aug. 97/1 Shipments of application-specific integrated circuits (Asic) will grow at a compounded annual rate of 25% through 1990. 1990 Computer Buyer's Guide & Handbk. vii. 37/2 Arche is currently designing five custom ASIC chips, each a half-inch square. 2006 Computer Weekly 31 Jan. 36/4 The faster transmission rates make dedicated Asics necessary. asl adv. above sea level. ΚΠ 1954 Geogr. Jrnl. 120 469 Block of carboniferous limestone country (1000 to 1300 feet a.s.l.) immediately west-northwest of the village of Ystradfellte. 2005 Quaternary Res. 63 56/2 Silt beds below about 18 m asl are nearly barren. ASL n. American Sign Language. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > a language > [noun] > sign language hand language1625 arthrology1641 chirology1656 dactylology1656 finger-talk1656 finger language1669 hand alphabet1680 semiology1694 finger alphabet1751 finger talking1823 sign language1824 finger speech1826 indigitation1826 manual alphabet1876 dactylography1884 signing1891 American Sign Language1900 sign1930 British Sign Language1961 ASL1965 Ameslan1972 Yerkish1973 1965 W. C. Stokoe et al. Dict. Amer. Sign Lang. 293 Some ‘signs’ for numbers in ASL are simply configurations shown as letters are. 2002 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 7 Nov. 37 (advt.) Kristin Mulrooney studies the reason in ASL behind the difference in how men and women fingerspell. ASM n. air-to-surface missile. ΚΠ 1950 J. C. Fahey Ships & Aircraft U.S. Fleet (ed. 6) 24 Guided Missiles (M)..Air-to-Surface Missile..[Class] ASM. 2004 Aviation Week & Space Technol. (Nexis) 8 Nov. 57 As with other areas of its guided-weapons inventory, China is bound to be building up its own capability to produce tactical ASMs. ASM n. Theatre assistant stage manager. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > the staging of a theatrical production > people concerned with theatrical productions > [noun] > assistant stage manager assistant stage-manager1898 ASM1918 1918 R. Pertwee Old Card 1919 iii. 54 A frantic assistant stage-manager deserted the prompt corner and grasped Freddie Manning by the arm... ‘Shall I ring down?’ queried the A.S.M. 1949 K. S. Allen A.B.C. of Stagecraft for Amateurs iv. 30 The A.S.M. often combines the duties of a stage-hand with that of ‘props’ or stage-carpenter, or for any useful purpose around the stage. 2005 D. Nicholls Understudy 24 He received consolatory nods and never-minds from Debs from Wardrobe, Chrissy the ASM, Sam the lightning guy. ASW n. Military anti-submarine warfare. ΚΠ 1944 N.Y. Times 13 Feb. (Mag.) 11/4 The ASW officer is the sound wizard who works the detection devices. 1959 P. Frank Alas, Babylon vi. 118 ‘ASW?’ ‘Anti-submarine warfare. I'll interpret.’ 2004 Flight Deck Spring 8 The aircraft were stripped of their ASW equipment. ASP n. Computing application service provider. ΚΠ 1998 PR Newswire (Nexis) 1 July New report defines role of application service providers (ASPs). 2007 Dominion Post (Wellington, N.Z.) (Nexis) 14 May (Business section) 10 After failing to take off five or six years ago, ASPs are starting to come back into favour with investors. A.S.R.S. n. (also A/S.R.S.) rare Air-Sea Rescue Service. ΚΠ 1942 J. A. Hammerton ABC of RAF (new ed.) 74 Abbreviations of Titles and Terms employed by the R.A.F... A/SRS. Air Sea Rescue Service. 1945 Times 8 Aug. 2/2 One of A.S.R.S.'s busiest periods for United States rescues was in July, 1943. ASSR n. now historical Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. ΚΠ 1926 Russ. Rev. 4 41/2 The Bashkir A.S.S.R. with Ufa as its capital city. 1998 A. Dalby Dict. Langs. 425/2 First is Khalkha, the national language of modern Mongolia, which is very close to Menggu,..and also close to Buryat, of the Buryat ASSR to the north. AST n. Canadian Atlantic Standard Time. ΚΠ 1933 Radio News Sept. 184/2 The hours of transmission are from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Atlantic Standard Time, daily, and from 6 to 11 p.m., AST. 2010 Telegraph-Jrnl. (New Brunswick) (Nexis) 12 Feb. d1 One of the men's quarter-final games is slated to begin at 11 p.m. (AST). ASTM n. American Society for Testing and Materials. ΚΠ 1906 Cement Age Dec. 479 The aging of Portland cement... By H. Spencer Conover, A.S.T.M. 1954 Chem. & Engin. News 5 Apr. 1386/3 ‘Kerosene’ is commoner than ‘kerosine’. The ASTM and ASA have preferred ‘kerosine’, probably in order to make it consistent with ‘gasoline’. 2006 Lexington (Kentucky) Herald Leader (Nexis) 26 Sept. (Sports section) c7 I think instead of a waiver it would be better to look at these other tests and see if it would be easier to adopt those standards in addition to the ASTM. ASTMS n. now historical (also with pronunciation Brit. /ˈastəmz/ , U.S. /ˈæstəmz/ ) Association of Scientific, Technical, and Managerial Staffs. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > working > association of employers or employees > [noun] > trade union > other specific trade unions NUT1889 AWU1904 Nalgo1909 NUJ1909 Aslef1914 NUR1914 AEU1921 NUPE1931 U.A.W.1936 USDAW1946 NUM1948 T.G.W.U.1955 ACTT1957 C.B.I.1965 ASTMS1967 AUEW1971 Apex1972 UDM1985 1967 in J. Hughes & H. Pollins Trade Unions in Great Brit. (1973) xliii. 200 A new body—the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs—would be established. The Executive Council of the ASTMS would consist of six members each from the Executives of the present unions. 1979 C. Jenkins & B. Sherman White-collar Unionism ii. 31 ASTMS..has over 440,000 members and is a general union. 2006 Managem. Today Jan. 60/3 ASTMS and Tass, which became MSF, and now Unifi (formerly Bifu). ASV n. air(craft) to surface vessel. ΚΠ 1944 Radar System Fundamentals (U.S. War Dept. Techn. Man. 11–467) 364 A.S.V. 1966 D. Taylor Introd. Radar iii. 40 The actual performance obtained with this form of A.S.V. equipment depended on aircraft height, state of sea (because of sea returns), operator's experience, etc. 2002 T. G. Mahnken Uncovering Ways of War v. 154 They also developed Air-to-Surface-Vessel (ASV) radar sets to allow aircraft to detect ships at sea. ASV n. American Standard Version. ΚΠ 1905 Christian Observer 12 July 7/3 Scholars who know the many excellencies of this ‘A.S.V.’ can advocate its conservative use in the study, the family, the Bible class. 2001 Jrnl. Biblical Lit. 120 525 The NASB and NRSV translate as ‘when the wine had gone out of Nabal’, closely following the AV and ASV. AT n. Medicine ataxia telangiectasia. ΚΠ 1966 Lancet 26 Nov. 1193 The association between A.T. and malignancy, particularly lymphoreticular malignancy, appears firmly established. 2009 Daily Record (Glasgow) (Nexis) 6 Apr. AT, which is also known as Boder-Sedgwick syndrome, is so rare that it only affects three in one million people worldwide. ATA n. Air Transport Auxiliary. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > [phrase] > in an emergency at (also to) needc1175 in a needc1225 at (also in, on, upon) a pinch1489 for a need1547 ATA1939 1939 Flight 36 373/2 Air Transport Auxiliary. A.T.A. was originally formed by British Airways for..assisting the regular airline people to maintain communications during..bombing attacks on this country. 1984 Times 17 July 29/3 This first of two programmes covers the period when the ATA was formed. 2008 Daily Tel. 5 May 23/1 One of a handful of ‘Atagirls’, women who served during the war as ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary) pilots. AT&T n. (also AT & T, AT and T) U.S. American Telephone and Telegraph Company. ΘΚΠ society > communication > telecommunication > telegraphy or telephony > [noun] > company AT&T1898 Baby Bell1980 1898 Rep. Joint Sel. Comm. Charities Columbia ii. 363 A. T. & T. pay stations, metallic. 1908 G. R. Johnston Some Comments on 1907 Ann. Rep. Amer. Telephone & Telegr. Company 5 The A.T. & T. general statements in the first paragraph quoted may be met by general denial. 1965 J. A. Michener Source (1966) 884 Until the day when A.T. and T. drops to forty and you have an economic crisis. 2009 Economist (Nexis) 6 June Joel Engel..whom Mr Cooper called at AT&T's Bell Laboratories that day, says he does not remember taking the call. ATB n. Cycling (originally U.S.) all-terrain bike. ΚΠ 1983 Sports Illustr. 27 June 12/2 The new bikes have their own name, ATB, for All-Terrain-Bike. 2008 D. Stokes & W. Lomax Marketing vi. 173/1 By 2000, ATBs accounted for over two-thirds of all bicycle sales in the UK. ATC n. air traffic control (also controller). ΚΠ 1946 Fortune Aug. 192/2 A pilot, bringing a ship into a major airport recently, checked with traffic control... Control told him: ‘Cleared to descend to 1,500 feet.’ He rogered, descended, checked in again at 1,500 feet. This time ATC ordered: ‘Descend to 5,000 feet.’ 1952 Aeronautics June 71/3 From the ATC point of view, a landing by a Comet with one engine out of action would receive the same priority as one for any other aeroplane. 2004 M. Ruppert Crossing Rubicon xx. 377 [He] was the ATC handling both Flight 93, departing from Newark, and Flight 175 from Boston. ATC n. Air Training Corps. ΚΠ 1941 Flight 39 57/2 The birth of the A.T.C. 2007 K. Barnes Rough Passage I. i. xi. 105 I was poorly co-ordinated on the drill square and thought that the ATC, and..the RAF for my national service, would suit me better. ATC n. Automatic Train Control. ΚΠ 1928 Pop. Sci. Monthly Oct. 34/2 He'd potter around an engine that was being equipped with about twelve hundred dollars worth of ATC accessories. 1958 Engineering 14 Mar. 336/1 Before the Second World War..in general, the Great Western Railway had A.T.C. and the other British railways did not. 2003 E. Albrechtsen & P. Hokstad in T. Bedford & P. H. A. J. M. van Gelder Safety & Reliability 26 If train A passes the exit signal, the ATC should stop the train from leaving the station. ATE n. automated test equipment. ΚΠ 1976 N.Y. Times 4 Apr. f17/4 (advt.) Digital computer maintenance experience including airborne digital processors, and/or minicomputers associated with automated test equipment (ATE). 2003 M. Levin & T. T. Kalal Improving Product Reliability Foreword p. xix As our business grew, the technology necessary to design ATE became increasingly complex. ATF n. U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (Bureau), a law enforcement agency within the United States Justice Department responsible (since 1968) for enforcing laws and regulations relating to firearms, alcohol, tobacco, explosives, and arson (made an independent bureau within the Treasury Department in 1972, and moved to the Justice Department in 2003). ΚΠ 1969 Los Angeles Times 1 Dec. i. 21/1 ATF and U.S. customs agents are working with the Air Force's office of special investigations in the probe. 1981 Cook's Mag. Sept. 16/3 The ATF decided to identify California wines ‘distinguished by unique characteristics such as climate, soil, and elevation’. 2002 Washington Post 10 Oct. (Home ed.) a33/2 New federal enforcement tools..would beef up the ability of ATF to crack down on gun trafficking. ATM n. Computing asynchronous transfer mode. ΚΠ 1987 Computer Networks & ISDN Syst. 14 340/1 Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is a promising new multiplexing and switching concept based on asynchronous ‘on demand’ use of short fixed size time slots, called cells. 1997 Byte Oct. 58/1 Once the unsinkable Titanic of high-speed networking, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) looks like it might have a hole in its hull. 2005 Financial Mail (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 4 Nov. 82 The cost of ATM, sometimes referred to as cell relay technology, was prohibitive next to technologies such as IP over Ethernet. ATM n. originally U.S. automatic (also automated) teller machine (see automatic teller n. at automatic adj. and n. Compounds). ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > financial dealings > banking > [noun] > cash dispenser money teller1594 cash machine1890 bank machine1920 teller machine1921 automatic teller1924 automatic teller machine1967 cash dispenser1967 automated teller machine1973 cashpoint1973 money machine1973 ATM1975 hole-in-the-wall1985 society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > [noun] > keeper of accounts > specific mechanical or automated accounting machine1801 automated teller machine1973 ATM1975 Pinpoint1984 1975 Changing Times Oct. 6/2 An ATM requires a much smaller investment than construction of a full-fledged branch office. 1989 Life Autumn 49 (advt.) Need cash at midnight? Hit the ATM. 2009 Wall St. Jrnl. 20 Apr. r4/4 Some mobile-banking services offer lists of ATM locations and maps on their Web sites. ATM adv. colloquial (chiefly in electronic communications) at the moment. ΚΠ 1992 Backup PC to Server Tape Device in vsmnet.networks.desktop.pathworks (Usenet newsgroup) 9 Jan. The app works on most pc's but buzz's [sic] (bugs minor ATM) out on some!.. Only works ATM (at the moment) on DECNet-ULTRIX machines. 2001 Sun 24 Apr. (Sun BT Offer Suppl.) 3/1 ATM: At The Moment. 2012 G. Szekely & J. A. Bucknam Art Teaching iv. 214/2 Calling all parents: FYI IDK how, but we r in need of black yarn again! Ud think the kids are eating it :) LOL! That's all Atm Gtg Ttyl! ATOL n. Brit. /ˈatɒl/ , U.S. /ˈæˌtɔl/ , /ˈæˌtɑl/ British Air Travel Organizer's Licence (also Licensing). ΚΠ 1973 Observer 13 May (Review section) 38/4 (advt.) Cooks faraway holidays C.A.A. ATOL 265ABC. 1981 S. J. Burkart & S. Medlik Tourism (ed. 2) xviii. 188 The four air travel organizers' licenses (ATOL). 2007 Eve July 67/1 The house was my main investment, though I also had to find money for an ATOL bond, the travel industry's customer compensation scheme. ATP n. Tennis Association of Tennis Professionals, the governing body organizing the main men's professional tour.A proprietary name. ΚΠ 1973 N.Y. Times 8 June 36/4 The A.T.P. represents all of the leading tennis players. 2013 Radio Times 2 Nov. (South/West ed.) 89/3 Tennis... The season-ending ATP World Tour finals begin..with the first of five days in this round-robin stage. A.T.S. n. animal tub-sized (see animal n. Compounds 2). ΚΠ ?1912 Printing Papers (Spalding & Hodge) ii. 1 Animal Tub-sized, or A.T.S., is a term employed to denote the more costly method of passing the manufactured sheet through a bath or ‘tub’ of animal size. 2005 R. J. Prytherch Harrod's Librarians' Gloss. & Ref. Bk. (ed. 10) 703 Tub-sized paper (abbreviated ‘T.S.’) is strong and has a high resistance to moisture. Also called ‘Animal Tub-Sized’ (abbreviated ‘A.T.S.’). ATV n. all-terrain vehicle. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > [noun] > motor vehicle > for all types of terrain all-terrain vehicle1956 overlander1957 ATV1969 Humvee1982 Hummer1983 1969 Pop. Sci. Jan. 78/2 Latest all-terrain vehicle (ATV) is the sippy Attex, a six-wheeled amphibian for wilderness penetrators. 2005 High Country News 30 May 4/1 Each year more Jeeps, ATVs, giant-tired rock crawlers and dirt bikes traverse once-remote desert trails around Moab. ATV n. British (now historical) Associated Television, a British television company broadcasting between 1955 and 1981. ΚΠ 1955 Billboard 29 Oct. 7/5 ATV, which until three weeks ago was called Associated Broadcasting, now has a co-production arrangements with the Birmingham contractor. 1981 Ann. Reg. 1980 428 By far the greatest impact made by a single television programme in 1980 resulted from the screening..of ATV's Death of a Princess. 2009 Guardian (Nexis) 24 Mar. 37 Essex was made a Fellow of the Royal Television Society in 1975. When ATV was restructured as Central Television seven years later..he retired. AU n. (also ÅU) Physics Ångström (or Ångström's) unit; cf. sense 17. ΚΠ 1894 Astron. & Astrophysics 13 373 The table and drawing show with a slit-width of 10 Angström's units all five maxima, but each is displaced 5 A. U. towards the violet. 1929 Jrnl. Sci. Instruments 6 2 An actinometer which was sensitive in the region 2950–3900 å.u. 2006 D. Jubb Jubbs Cell Rejuvenation i. 32 The color red is 8000 AU. au n. Astronomy astronomical unit. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > cosmology > science of observation > astronomical calculation > [noun] > unit hour1777 astronomical unit1848 gravitational system1888 au1910 parsec1913 1910 Outlook 16 July 568 We find Mercury about .4 of an astronomical unit (A. U.) from the sun. 1984 Aviation Week & Space Technol. 2 Jan. 48/3 Halley will be..0·97 AU from Earth at the time of the Giotto encounter. 2009 Lewiston (Idaho) Morning Tribune (Nexis) 15 Jan. Uranus orbits the sun at an average distance of 19.2 AU. A.U.C. adv. [graphic abbreviation of classical Latin annō urbis conditae in the year of the foundation of the city (of Rome) ( < annō , ablative of annus year (see annals n.) + urbis genitive of urbs city, city of Rome (see urban adj.) + conditae , feminine genitive singular of past participle of condere to found, establish: see condite adj.²) or in some cases perhaps of classical Latin ab urbe conditā ab urbe condita adv.] in the year of the city (of Rome) having been founded. ΚΠ 1728 J. Morgan Compl. Hist. Algiers I. 14 This Epocha is express'd by these three Capitals, A.U.C. signifying Anno Urbis Conditæ and begins 752 years before the Christian Æra. 1785 J. Robertson Ess. Punctuation 163 A.U.C. Anno Urbis Conditæ, in the year after the building of Rome. 1824 J. L. Blake Hist. Reader (ed. 2) 74 Fifteen thousand were slain, and 24,000 surrendered themselves prisoner to the victor, A.U.C. 705, B.C. 49. 1874 H. R. Reynolds John the Baptist App. 531 There was a genuine Co-principate of Tiberius and Augustus before the middle of 765 a.u.c. 1906 A. Sloman Gram. Classical Lat. 309 To turn a date b.c. to a date a.u.c. subtract the date b.c. from 754. 1992 A. Zameenzad in M. Bradbury & J. Cooke New Writing 102 June 650∗ AUC it was, the month of Sassia's first wedding; the second year, I think, of the consulship of Marius. AUEW n. British (now historical) Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > working > association of employers or employees > [noun] > trade union > other specific trade unions NUT1889 AWU1904 Nalgo1909 NUJ1909 Aslef1914 NUR1914 AEU1921 NUPE1931 U.A.W.1936 USDAW1946 NUM1948 T.G.W.U.1955 ACTT1957 C.B.I.1965 ASTMS1967 AUEW1971 Apex1972 UDM1985 1971 Times 9 Nov. 19/7 The 1.4 m member AUEW—the most important craft union in the country. 2000 B. Bousquet in C. Newland & K. Sesay IC3 114 When I asked Terry Duffy of the AUEW, he also gave us 100 per cent support, whereas the leader of the miners' union, Arthur Scargill, refused. AV n. alternative vote (see alternative vote n. at alternative adj. and n. Compounds). ΘΚΠ society > authority > office > appointment to office > choosing or fact of being chosen for office > election of representative body by vote > right to vote at elections > [noun] > systems of voting scrutin de liste1851 cumulative vote1853 Australian ballot1888 preference1900 alternative vote1908 list system1908 preference voting1908 scrutin d'arrondissement1921 list voting1954 AV1965 1965 New Statesman 6 Aug. 174/1 His colleagues would happily settle for the single-member-constituency AV system. 2005 Independent 1 July 32/6 This proposes using the alternative vote (AV), which under many analyses is less proportional than first-past-the-post. AV n. (also A/V) audio/video; frequently attributive.Sometimes difficult to distinguish from uses with the sense ‘audio-visual’ (cf. audio-visual adj. and n.). ΚΠ 1951 Billboard 23 June 14/1 The A-V firm is affiliated with Audio-Video Recording and Audio-Video Products companies here.] 1978 Billboard 18 Feb. 50/4 The Beta or VHS systems also widely used in the A/V market. 2006 Esquire Feb. 97/2 You will need to connect the red and white audio cables through the AV sockets to add sound. AV adj. (also A-V) audio-visual.Sometimes difficult to distinguish from uses with the sense ‘audio/video’. ΚΠ 1970 Billboard 1 Aug. 14/2 BASF offers reel-to-reel and cassette tapes in the A-V educational market. 2010 Straits Times (Singapore) (Nexis) 13 Jan. The much-talked about convergence between PCs and audio-visual (AV) equipment is a task that is becoming fuss-free. A.V. n. (also AV) Authorized Version (of the Bible) (frequently with the). ΘΚΠ society > faith > aspects of faith > Bible, Scripture > text > edition > [noun] > Authorized Version King James Bible1631 Authorized Version1755 law-bible1833 A.V.1845 He Bible1877 She Bible1877 King James1886 1845 J. Kitto Cycl. Biblical Lit. I. 117/2 The oak is, in fact, less frequently mentioned in the original than in the A.V., where it occurs so often as to suggest that the oak is as conspicuous and as common in Palestine as in this country. 1868 B. F. Westcott Gen. View Hist. Eng. Bible iii. 334 In the later (Irish) editions of the ‘Rhemes and Doway’ Bible and New Testament there are considerable alterations, and the text is far nearer to that in the A.V. 1982 G. Hammond Making of Eng. Bible 237 The same phrase occurs twice in Genesis... Tyndale renders both as ‘speak kindly’. The AV follows his rendering. 2006 L. Branch Rituals of Spontaneity 256 (note) Campbell has asserted that in his early works Bunyan used..the Geneva Bible..and even the AV. AVC n. automatic volume control. ΚΠ 1931 Brit. Patent 357,134 1/2 The devices AVC and VL are used throughout to indicate automatic volume control device and volume limiter respectively. 1980 H. S. Bennett On Becoming Rock Musician iv. 195 The AVC, or automatic volume control, circuit found in car radios. 2006 Rotarian Apr. 22/1 (advt.) Automatic Volume Control. (AVC) Selectively compresses loud bursts of volume that are annoying when watching a program. AVH n. now historical the Hungarian secret police, from 1949 to 1956; cf. AVO n. [ < Hungarian ÁVH, initialism < the initial letters of either Államvédelmi Hatóság (short for Belügyminisztérium Államvédelmi Hatósága, lit. ‘state security authority of the Ministry of the Interior’ (1949)) or Államvédelmi Hivatal, lit. ‘state security office’, an alternative name of the same organization.] ΚΠ 1953 N.Y. Times 29 Mar. §vi. 9/3 The structure of terror in Hungary consists of..a pyramid with the Allam Vedelmi Hasotag (State Security Authority, or secret police), at the apex. A.V.H., which has 50,000 men and women in its force, is..the party's harsh punitive arm. 1973 R. Hayes Hungarian Game xxiii. 145 Neither AVH nor KGB had a watch on Mityas' house. He'd become such a non-person that not even they worried about whom he saw. 2006 P. Kenez Hungary from Nazis to Soviets iv. 94 Five years later Ries was tortured to death in an AVH prison. AVI n. Computing Audio Video Interleave (or Interleaved), a file format for the storage of digital video and audio sequences. ΚΠ 1991 InfoWorld 21 Oct. s100/3 Microsoft is developing an interim software-only solution for motion video with sound called Audio Visual Interleave (AVI). 2006 Maximum PC May 47/1 If you're having difficulty playing a particular AVI file, it could be because the file itself is damaged or incomplete. AVM n. Air Vice-Marshal. ΚΠ 1922 G. Bell Let. 8 Oct. (1927) II. xxii. 652 The King went straight to the heart of things, asking the A.V.M. what he could do to protect us from attack. 1981 P. White Let. 14 Nov. (1994) xiv. 551 I twisted Boycott's tail a bit by asking what had become of his friend Parselle (a Wing-Co, later AVM when I was in the ME). 2009 A. Brookes Vulcan Units of Cold War vi. 53 AVM Nigel Baldwin..flew four tours as a Vulcan pilot. AVO n. now historical the Hungarian secret police, before 1949cf. AVH n. [ < Hungarian ÁVO, initialism < the initial letters of Államvédelmi Osztály (short for Magyar Államrendőrség Államvédelmi Osztálya, lit. ‘state security department of the Hungarian state police’ (1946)).] ΚΠ 1951 White Bk. Aggressive Activities towards Yugoslavia (Yugoslav Min. Foreign Affairs) v. 132 Hostile elements are sent to Yugoslavia to carry out acts of espionage, terrorist activities and sabotage... This has been proved by public trials against the spies of the Hungarian A.V.O. 2002 A. Phillips Prague ii. xi. 161 Two unpleasant members of the AVO secret police came to the press and the Party man..called Imre up..and explained the accusations against him as the two AVO men took turns kicking him. AWB n. [ < Afrikaans AWB, initialism < the initial letters of Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging] South African the Afrikaner Resistance Movement, a far-right paramilitary Afrikaner organization, established in 1973. ΚΠ 1974 Eastern Province Herald (Port Elizabeth) 17 Oct. 18 The leader of the AWB is Mr Eugene Terreblanche, an ex-policeman. 2005 S. Frankental & O. B. Sichone S. Afr.'s Diverse Peoples vii. 212 As..apartheid withered away..the AWB swore that they would fight to preserve the Afrikaner nation. AWD n. (also awd) Motoring all-wheel drive; cf. 4WD n. ΚΠ 1959 Roads & Streets Apr. 60/2 All-wheel-drive helped rigs keep going in slippery clay during very rainy summer... For example, one Dodge power wagon (a.w.d.) served as a welding truck. 1984 Motor Trend July 129/1 Is all-wheel drive (awd) yet another marketing gimmick, or is it a valuable feature every consumer needs in personal transportation? 2004 Car & Driver July 36/3 Working in concert with the stability-control system (VSA), the AWD makes handling foolproof. AWM n. (also A.W.M.) Politics (originally and chiefly U.S.) = angry white male n., angry white man n. at angry adj. Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > politics > American politics > [noun] > principles or policies > adherents or supporters of well-born1629 liberty boy1766 federalist1787 anti1788 Fed1788 monocrat1792 anti-federal1805 blue light1814 dough face1820 colonizationist1823 slavite1831 hunker1849 states' righter1861 slavist1889 Little American1899 New Frontiersman1923 America Firster1927 new federalist1969 angry white male1991 angry white man1993 AWM1994 1994 Pittsburgh (Pa.) Post-Gaz. 14 Nov. (Lifestyle section) d1/6 I have brought the official poster boy of the Angry White Male with me today... He'll be accepting other AWM applications as soon as he finishes passing out cyanide capsules to all the cowering liberals who haven't bought his books. 2001 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Aug. 72/2 The public turned against A.W.M.'s after Republican freshmen on the Hill overplayed their hand with the government shutdown of 1995. 2006 N. Sagan Everfree (2008) 162 Do you think I'm an AWM?.. And if I am, does that make me racist? AWS n. British Railways automatic warning system, a system which provides audible indications of upcoming signals. ΚΠ 1961 Electr. Jrnl. July 48/2 A third of the total route mileage of the main trunk routes has now had A.W.S. installed. 1992 S. Hall BR Signalling Handbk. 63/2 AWS equipment is often not provided at large stations where speeds are low, even though the approach lines are equipped. The start of the AWS gap is indicated by a circular white sign showing ‘AWS’ with a red cross. AWU n. Australian Workers' Union. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > working > association of employers or employees > [noun] > trade union > other specific trade unions NUT1889 AWU1904 Nalgo1909 NUJ1909 Aslef1914 NUR1914 AEU1921 NUPE1931 U.A.W.1936 USDAW1946 NUM1948 T.G.W.U.1955 ACTT1957 C.B.I.1965 ASTMS1967 AUEW1971 Apex1972 UDM1985 1904 Shearer (Sydney) 15 Oct. 8/5 The A.W.U. organisers are having rough rows to hoe at nearly all sheds in Victoria. 1983 Financial Times 25 Nov. 6/1 Mr. Frank Mitchell, federal secretary of the..Australian Workers' Union (AWU), issued an immediate rebuff to Mr. Dolan, saying work would proceed. 2009 Weekend Austral. (Nexis) 6 June 27 The AWU wants to see successful resource companies in this country, not poorly led corporations. AYM n. (plural unchanged or with -s) = angry young man n. at angry adj. Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > displeasure > discontent or dissatisfaction > [noun] > discontent with prevailing state of affairs > person angry young man1951 angry1957 AYM1958 high blood1987 1958 Life 26 May 149/1 While the AYM are literary conservatives, they are attracted in their political thinking toward radical solutions. 1958 Spectator 11 July 67/2 A vigorous but implausible book about an AYM, strictly lower-class. 2000 A. Calcutt Brit Cult 29/2 Although neither of them liked being tagged as AYMs..their early work seems to merit the label. AZT n. Pharmacology azidothymidine. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines for specific purpose > preparations treating or preventing specific ailments > [noun] > for HIV infection dideoxycytidine1965 azidothymidine1974 dideoxyinosine1975 AZT1985 ddC1987 Retrovir1987 zidovudine1987 ddI1989 didanosine1990 nevirapine1991 zalcitabine1991 non-nucleoside1993 1985 United Press Internat. (Nexis) 2 Oct. Reports on experiments with the drug azidothymidine, or AZT, were given at a four-day conference sponsored by the American Society of Microbiology. 2008 Cape Argus (Nexis) 1 Feb. 6 HIV-positive pregnant women are to be given AZT from 28 weeks until they go into labour. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2011; most recently modified version published online December 2022). apron. Brit. /ə/, U.S. /ə/ Forms: 1. Chiefly south-west midlands and south-western Middle English a, Middle English aa, Middle English ha; English regional 1800s– a, 1900s– ah (Lincolnshire). 2. Combined with a following word early Middle English a-, early Middle English ha-. Origin: A variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymon: hi pron.² Etymology: Variant of hi pron.² Compare similarly ε. and η. forms at he pron., n.¹, and adj. and θ. forms at hoo pron. and n. J. Wright Eng. Dial. Gram. (1905) §410 records a pronunciation (/ə/) indicative of this form from Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, and Shropshire. It is possible that there is no continuity between Middle English and later use. Now English regional (midlands). The subjective and objective case of the third person plural pronoun (in later use, chiefly unstressed). 1. As subject: = they pron. 1. ΚΠ a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 5 (MED) Þus ha hine hereden. c1225 (?c1200) Sawles Warde (Royal) (1938) 32 Ha lifieð..in a strencðe to don buten euch swinc al þet aa wulleð. c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 27 Seggeð..Ower graces stondinde biuore mete & efter as ha beoð iwriten ow. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 2676 Ha [c1300 Otho hii] leopen an heore feire hors. a1325 (?c1300) Northern Passion (Cambr. Gg.1.1) l. 1061 Agein þe Ieues ha mist me were. c1400 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Tiber.) i. lix, in R. Morris & W. W. Skeat Specim. Early Eng. (1884) II. 242 Þe kynges of Engelond woneþ alwey fer fram þat contray: For a buþ more yturnd to þe souþ contray; & ȝef a [a1387 St. John's Cambr. þey, ?a1425 Harl. he] goþ to þe norþ contray, a goþ wiþ gret help & strengthe. 1841 C. H. Hartshorne Salopia Antiqua 301 Whire bin a? 1864 Ld. Tennyson Northern Farmer: Old Style st. 2 Doctors, they knaws nowt, fur a says what's nawways true. 1879 G. F. Jackson Shropshire Word-bk. 1 Whad wun a doin' theer? 1896 G. F. Northall Warwickshire Word-bk. 1 He (she, they) broke the winder...Did ă? 1995 J. M. Sims-Kimbrey Wodds & Doggerybaw: Lincs. Dial. Dict. 2/1 A, Ah, one, he, she, I, they. †2. As object: = them pron. 1. Cf. 'em pron. 2. Obsolete. ΚΠ a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 23 Þu scodeldest [read scoldest] heo biwiten al swa clenliche swa crist ha þe bitahte on þas fulhtes beðe. a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 21 Þah ure an heofde idon eower alre sunne and he walde gan to scrifte and bi-reusien ha and forleten ha a mare. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online December 2021). aadj. Brit. /ə/, /eɪ/, U.S. /ə/, /eɪ/ Inflections: Before a vowel sound an Brit. /ən/, /an/, U.S. /ən/, /æn/. Forms: α. early Middle English– a; English regional 1800s a' (before a vowel); U.S. regional (southern, chiefly in African-American usage) 1800s a' (before a vowel), 1800s er, 1800s ur; Scottish pre-1700 o, pre-1700 1700s– a. ?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1137 Wel þu myhtes faren al a dæis fare, sculdest thu neure finden man in tune sittende.a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 47 Gif hie was riche wimman, a lomb.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 20 Boc he nom..þa makede a Frenchis clerc, Wace wes ihoten.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 130 Þa luuede he a maide. þeo was Lauine mawe.a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 498 In so nobul a place.c1480 (a1400) St. Bartholomew l. 136 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 184 A vnwemmyt virgine.1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de la Tour-Landry Bk. Knight of Tower (1971) liv. 78 A baronnesse ryght a hyghe and noble lady of lygnage.1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. cclviii With perles many a one.1559 W. Cuningham Cosmogr. Glasse 175 Cambridge, a Universitie florishing with al kind of good letters.a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1955) II. 264 A historical and a moral faith.1669–70 in J. S. Dobie Munim. Irvine (1891) II. 267 Half a onc[e] of tobacco.1728 A. Ramsay Fables xxiii. 2 A paughty Bee Observ'd a humble midding flie.1838 C. Dickens Oliver Twist III. xlix. 279 ‘If the law supposes that,’ said Mr. Bumble,..‘the law is a ass—a idiot.’1843 Penny Cycl. XXVI. 25/2 In November [1835] the great seal was put to a charter creating a University of London.1844 C. J. Lever Tom Burke I. xxxix. 284 A eulogium on their honourable conduct.1892 F. H. Smith Day at Laguerre's 181 She want ur steel one. An' she sez ef yer ain't got no steel one she want ur squart o' molasses.1893 G. E. Dartnell & E. H. Goddard Gloss. Words Wilts. p. xix Gie I a apple, veyther.1901 R. De B. Trotter Galloway Gossip Eighty Years Ago 3 This wus a Insurance Company wantin' him tae gang tae Palnure tae examine aul' Doctor Agnew.1973 Advocate-News (Barbados) 19 May 10 (advt.) If you are in Business you need a Adding machine you can depend on.1975 T. Callender It so Happen 123 They looking at me like I is a idiot.1987 J. B. Weaver Sat. Night (song) in L. A. Stanley Rap: the Lyrics (1992) 281 Smokin' a J 'n' scratchin' a itch.2002 Daily Tel. 13 June 15/1 By a historical accident..the capital of Alaska is stranded in Juneau, in the state's far south-eastern ‘panhandle’. β. early Middle English– an, Middle English ann. ?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1137 & diden an scærp iren abuton þa mannes throte & his hals.c1175 ( Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 167 Þa com þær færinge swiðe beorht ȝenip, and heom ealle ofersceadewæde; and an stæfne wæs iworden on þam miste [OE West Saxon Gospels: Corpus Cambr. com stefn of þam wolcne].c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 1025 Te bisscopp sellf..Þær shollde cumenn o þe ȝer Ann siþe, & all himm ane.a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 25 He..bið al swa is an eppel iheoweð.a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 51 Crabbe is an manere of fissce in þere sea.c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 7590 Þere as þe bataile was, an abbeye he let rere.c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 9212 An rop me dude aboute is nekke.1340 Ayenbite (1866) 135 Mo þanne an hondred misdedes. ▸ a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. cv. 996 'Mile' is an herbe wiþ a longe stalk.a1400 Siege Jerusalem (Laud) (1932) l. 1224 An ewe-lombe.a1450 Generides (Pierpont Morgan) (1865) l. 5941 Ann hundreth nailes..Of his hauberk he rent thoo.1578 J. Banister Hist. Man i. f. 5 ^v An union of the bones made by a Cartilage.1611 Bible (King James) Acts vii. 47 But Solomon built him an house [1881 Revised a house].1611 Bible (King James) Acts vii. 27 An eunuch of great authority [1881 Revised a eunuch].1744 A. Pope Epist. to Several Persons iv. 84 Nor in an Hermitage set Dr. Clarke.1761 S. Johnson Life Ascham in R. Ascham Eng. Wks. p. ix An yearly pension.1823 J. Lingard Hist. Eng. VI. 219 An eulogium on his talents.1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess i. 19 All wild to found an University For maidens.1887 Daily News (Frederick, Maryland) 19 July An humble off shoot of the Anglomania now so prevalent throughout the United States.1900 H. L. Keeler Our Native Trees 126 Such an one would never think of the Choke Cherry as a tree.1937 R. Byron Road to Oxiana v. 281 Catching a ram of one and an ewe of the other, he showed us how to distinguish them by the tails.1947 M. E. Boylan This Tremendous Lover (new ed.) iv. 35 They could be understood in an heretical or in a pantheistic sense.2006 Lancs. Life Feb. 75/2 An historic family estate in Little Crosby. Origin: A variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymon: one adj. Etymology: Originally a variant of one adj., reflecting an unstressed pronunciation of the word (see note). In sense 4 after a prep.¹ 3b (see discussion at that sense).The word shows shortening of the long vowel of Old English ān one adj. when unstressed in proclitic use as indefinite article (see one adj. 14). This probably occurred before 1150, and hence before the rounding of ā in southern and midland Middle English dialects in the 12th and 13th cent. took effect (see the discussion at one adj., n., and pron. and compare the northern forms at α. forms at one adj., n., and pron., β. forms at one adj., n., and pron.). The earliest β. forms are ambiguous as they may show ān without rounding rather than shortened an and so belong at one adj. 14. In the form ann in the Ormulum (see β. forms) the shortness of the vowel is indicated by the spelling (this form occurs in the Ormulum only in the phrase ann siþe ; elsewhere the Ormulum shows both a and an before consonants). Occasional stressed forms of the word, which are attested since the early modern period, show lengthened versions of the reduced form (current English /eɪ/). The following isolated earlier examples of an apparent reduced form (from manuscripts of the West Saxon Gospels of the first half of the 11th cent.) are perhaps the result of scribal carelessness (the repetition of the forms in MSS Bodley 441 and Otho C.i should be seen in the context of a number of shared errors in these manuscripts):OE West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) xxi. 18 Ne forwyrð a locc [so also Bodl. 441, Otho C.i; OE Cambr. Univ. Libr. an locc, c1200 Hatton a locc] of eowrum heafde.OE West Saxon Gospels: John (Corpus Cambr.) xvi. 16 Nu ymbe a lytel [OE Cambr. Univ. Libr. an lytel, c1200 Hatton an lytel] ge me ne geseoð, & eft embe lytel ge me geseoþ forþam þe ic fare to fæder. Loss of the final consonant -n from the 12th cent. onwards took place chiefly, but not exclusively, before a following word with initial consonant (compare discussion at N n., and also the comparable development of my adj., thy adj.); by the 15th cent. it had been lost in all positions (i.e. including before vowels) in some areas and this is widely reflected in regional varieties (e.g. in many English and U.S. regional varieties, in colloquial Scottish English, and in most varieties of Caribbean English; compare quots. at α. forms). In the standard, however, retention of final -n before vowels had established itself as a rule by early modern English; compare the following:1532 in T. More Confut. Tyndales Answere iii. p.clxxx We haue two articles in englysh, a & the: a or an (for both is one artycle, the tone byfore a consonaunt the tother byfore a vowell) is commen to euery thynge almost. The phonetic tendency to lose initial h- in inherited words, especially in unstressed syllables, and uncertainty about the pronunciation of initial h- in borrowed words led to a widespread, originally hypercorrect, practice of writing an before initial h- even when it was not silent. Final -n was also often retained before words which no longer began with a vowel, i.e. after the development of a glide at the beginning of words such as eunuch n., unity n. (originally with initial diphthong), and also one adj. (see discussion at that entry). In current standard English, an is used before a vowel (including words spelt with silent h , as an hour ) and a before a consonant (including h and eu- , u- with the sound of /ju(ː)/, as a host , a one , a eunuch , a unit ). But in unaccented syllables, many (perhaps most) writers down to the 19th cent. retained an before sounded h and some even before eu , u , as an historian , an euphonic vowel , an united appeal , though this was all but obsolete in speech, and in writing a became increasingly common in this position (a tendency endorsed by most 20th-cent usage guides, although the use of an before h in an unaccented syllable is still preferred by some writers; compare quots. at β. forms). In the Middle English and early modern periods sometimes written without a space before the following word. In Older Scots the form o is occasionally found, as an irregular anglicized form (by analogy with variation between a and o in other words); see further Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at o indefin. art. From the beginning of the Middle English period to the early 17th cent. (and later in nonstandard varieties) the form a often resulted also from the transference of the -n of an to the following noun or adjective by metanalysis (see discussion at N n.), as e.g.:a1450 St. Edith (Faust.) (1883) l. 2064 And ryȝt w^t þat worde he made a nende. On early Middle English inflected forms such as anne , anre (some of which perhaps also contained a short a ) see forms at one adj., n., and pron. 1b and compare discussion at that entry. On Older Scots ane see discussion at one adj. 14. Indefinite article (determiner). Used only to modify a singular countable noun head (or in some cases, a plural phrase treated as such). I. Indicating indefiniteness. 1. Used in an indefinite noun phrase referring to something not specifically identified (and, frequently, mentioned for the first time) but treated as one of a class: one, some, any (the oneness, or indefiniteness, being implied rather than asserted). a. Before a noun denoting an individual object or notion, or denoting an individualized substance, quality, or state, and before a collective noun. Also: before a person's words treated as an individual instance of a general statement, and with a non-restrictive premodifier before the name of a person.from a boy, from a child, etc.: see from prep. 3a. of an evening, of a Sunday, etc.: see of prep. 51a. ΚΠ ?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1140 He spedde litel & be gode rihte, for he was an yuel man [cf. anno 1137 He..wæs god munec & god man]. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 17408 Inn till an wilde wesste. a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 121 (MED) Vre drihten wes iled to sleȝe al swa me dede a scep. a1250 Wohunge ure Lauerd in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 279 (MED) Was tat barabas a þeof. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 1743 Of is porchas so large he was to men..Þat he adde a gret ost in a lutel stounde. c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) ii. §12. 23 The xiij. day of March fil vp-on a saterday, per auenture. c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 857 He bigan with right a murye cheere His tale anoon. c1425 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Harl.) 119 (MED) He was Cristene, and heo a paynen [c1325 Calig. ȝo payene] was. a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 25 Wythin a litill whyle. 1549 Epitaph in G. Griffiths Hist. Tong (1894) 84 An eie to blind a lyme to lame she was. 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. 174 Yet there is a wine of Myrtles..which wil neuer ouerturn the brain. 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Esclaffer, to buff, or burst, out into a laughter. 1663 S. Butler Hudibras: First Pt. i. i. 2 And Pulpit, Drum Ecclesiastick, Was beat with fist, instead of a stick. 1674 R. Strange Life S. Thomas Cantilupe x. 105 He would onely haue..confirmd it with an I doubt not. 1675 H. More Let. 27 Jan. in Conway Lett. (1992) vii. 400 She would have been in an Apoplexy. a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1655 (1955) III. 163 He told me of an Inke that would give a dozen Copies, moist Sheetes of Paper being pressed on it. 1700–1 R. Gough Hist. Myddle (1875) 96 This Andrew Chambre was a sleepy drone of a man. 1738 Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 653/2 My door is quiet on a Sunday. 1795 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) II. 763 A prince can mak a belted knight. 1830 I. D'Israeli Comm. Life Charles I III. v. 64 The Star Chamber..was invested with a vigour beyond the laws. 1842 R. Browning Pied Piper of Hamelin in Bells & Pomegranates No. III: Dramatic Lyrics viii Up the face Of the Piper perked..with a ‘First, if you please, my thousand guilders!’ 1847 H. W. Longfellow Evangeline i. i. 59 A celestial brightness—a more ethereal beauty. 1880 A. C. Swinburne Study of Shakespeare ii. 161 Hamlet himself is almost more of a satirist than a philosopher. a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. xiii. 281 Physogastry, an ugly word for an ugly thing. 1978 C. Tomlinson Shaft 20 It was pure display—all a sky could put on In a single day, and yet remain sky. 1978 N.Y. Times 30 Mar. d18/2 The TV camera zoomed in on a triumphant Holmes. 2006 L. Smolin Trouble with Physics ix. 132 How, then, do we describe what makes a metal a metal and a bacterium a bacterium? b. Following a determiner or adjective and preceding the noun head. (a) Following a determiner in †all a, †each a, †every a, many a, nary a, such a, what a, †whatkin a, †which a, etc. (see all adj. 1e(c), each adj. 1a(b), every adj. 1b, many adj. 1b, nary adj. 2, such adj. and pron. 1a(c), what adj.¹ 7a, which adj. 4; see also ilka adj., manner n. 1). ΚΠ ?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1137 Wel þu myhtes faren al a dæis fare, sculdest thu neure finden man in tune sittende. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 525 Illc an hird wel wisste inoh. ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 89 Lo, hwich an ensample. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 9422 Of Vðere Pendragune scal arisen swilc a sune. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 3882 (MED) Þat ech a witesonetyd to carleon wende. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 12041 (MED) Quatkin a child es þis? ?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 42 (MED) Þis fflood is so gret on every asyde. 1477 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Hist. Jason (1913) 167 Thise thinges considerid & seen that he had no cause to purchase to you such a daunger for ye neuer deseruid it. 1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. lxxv. 96 Ther abode alyue no maner a person. 1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie vi. 33. 17 a We know what maner a one that is. 1611 Bible (King James) Ruth iv. 1 Ho, such a one! View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 (1623) v. iv. 12 Ah what a shame, ah what a fault were this. View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) v. iii. 142 And haue (in vaine) said many A prayer vpon her graue. View more context for this quotation 1672 N. Grew Let. 12 Mar. in H. Oldenburg Corr. (1971) VIII. 589 Every a drop of Raine aforesaid. 1755 J. Wesley Let. 29 Apr. (1931) III. 127 What a blessing it is to have these little crosses. 1792 E. Pendleton Let. 17 Nov. in Lett. & Papers (1967) II. 590 I took it for granted that such an Account was to be found amongst his Book or papers. 1892 J. K. Lawson Vain Sacrifice 175 Nary a daughter nor a son has poor ould Dan. 1967 Brit. Jrnl. Psychiatry 113 926/1 The definition of psychopathic behaviour..has laid many a psychiatrist low in the witness box. 2006 A. McCall Smith Right Attitude to Rain xv. 161 Sic a smile, she thought in Scots, would melt ilka heirt—such a smile would melt any heart. (b) Following a positive adjective, now chiefly when modified by as, enough, how, however, so, sufficiently, that, this, or too; (also) following a comparative adjective (usually modified by an intensifying adverb such as far, much, or no). ΚΠ a1250 Wohunge ure Lauerd in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 281 (MED) Þu was i swa strang a swing, þat te swat. c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 67 (MED) Glad aman was he. c1400 (?c1380) Pearl 492 (MED) Hit is to dere a date. c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) 1070 (MED) How comly a kest. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 603/1 Wyll you laye thefte to his charge, and have no better a grounde? 1534 tr. Erasmus Bellum Erasmi f. 31^v Wyll ye se howe small a matter it is that we make all this rufflynge fore. 1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique vii. xxix. 855 There is no greater a cut-throte to dogs then the wild bore. 1611 Bible (King James) James iii. 5 Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth [1881 Revised Behold, how much wood is kindled by how small a fire] . View more context for this quotation 1704 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 24 1569 Considering how large a Specie of Animals may be reduced under this Quadrumanous kind. 1790 E. Gibbon Misc. Wks. (1814) III. 414 The naked heir might often complain, that his father's sins had been redeemed at too high a price. 1815 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1959) IV. 571 I should still be disquieted as knowing how poor a substitute must Letters be for a vivâ voce examination of a Work with it's Author, Line by Line. 1833 C. Darwin Let. 11 Apr. in Corr. (1985) I. 307 This is so remote a locality from Europe. 1857 G. H. Lewes Biogr. Hist. Philos. (rev. ed.) i. iv. i. 124 Are you not a piper, and far more wonderful a one than he? 1869 F. Montgomery Misunderstood v. 110 He held his seat on less frail a tenure. 1872 C. D. Warner Saunterings 15 A throng of noble persons backed by the gay and glittering Guard of the Emperor, as brave a show as chivalry ever made. 1882 M. E. Braddon Mt. Royal I. v. 134 Christabel, noteful of every change,..saw how much more healthy a tinge cheek and brow had taken. 1921 G. Chittenden in B. Williams O. Henry Prize Stories of 1921 (1922) 93 Control relaxed for however brief a moment sends their slow blood whirling. 1936 R. Riskin Mr. Deeds goes to Town in Six Screenplays (1997) 381 Mac. Is he really that big a sap? 1957 J. Cheever Jrnls. (1991) 89 If lust makes me run and caper it is no stronger a force than that which brings me to my knees to say thanksgivings and litanies. 1974 R. Hawkey & R. Bingham Wild Card v. 51 McElroy was sufficiently promising a subject to be questioned under narco-hypnosis. 1984 N. Guild Berlin Warning (1985) xvi. 184 It was just ambiguous enough a movement that the other man didn't know quite how to react. 1999 BBC Gardeners' World Apr. 47/3 Whatever your opinion, it makes as fine a pot edge as you could wish for. 2001 Washington Post (Home ed.) 18 Oct. d1/1 Any time you have this big a mess in professional sports. c. Chiefly preceding a noun of multitude forming a numeral, as a dozen, a hundred, a thousand, a million, a myriad; see also certain n. 5b. Cf. one adj., n., and pron. Compounds 2a.In Old English the plural noun complementing hundred and thousand was in the genitive. Dozen and certain were originally complemented by of and the noun. ΚΠ c1175 ( Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 202 Þeah he libbe her on life a þusend wintræ. c1225 (?c1200) Sawles Warde (Bodl.) (1938) 14 (MED) Þah ich hefde a þusent tungen of stele. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 3545 An hundrad punda. c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 341 (MED) Tristrem wan..Of him an hundred pounde. c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. iv. l. 38 For a dozeine chickenes, Or as many capones. 1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. xiv. 13 A certayne noble knightis..she kept. 1559 P. Morwyng tr. C. Gesner Treasure of Euonymus 352 Whiche muste be a certain tymes strained. a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) i. i. 2 It was vpon this fashion bequeathed me by will, but poore a thousand Crownes. View more context for this quotation 1653 H. Holcroft tr. Procopius Gothick Warre i. 32 in tr. Procopius Hist. Warres Justinian Belisarius commanded Bessas with a 1000. selected men to charge them. 1718 M. Prior Solomon on Vanity iii, in Poems Several Occasions (new ed.) 497 Select from vulgar Herds, with Garlands gay, A hundred Bulls ascend the Sacred Way. 1777 R. Watson Hist. Reign Philip II II. xv. 57 A thousand regular troops, together with two thousand of the country people. 1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps ii. §11. 290 He had to retreat more than a dozen times. 1952 M. Laski Village i. 11 They had passed and repassed each other a dozen times. 2005 Trav. Afr. Autumn 48/2 The dry..deciduous woodlands that run south for a thousand miles. d. After a negative adverb, in an emphatic expression. See ne'er a adj., never a at never adv. 6a, not adv. 11a. Cf. one adj. 3a. ΚΠ a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 79 He..þe ne þoleð and forbereð noht a misbode. c1300 (c1250) Floris & Blauncheflur (Cambr.) (1966) l. 104 Ne herde we neure a word. a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iii. l. 1087 From his eighen fil þere not a tere. 1591 J. Harington Briefe Apol. Poetrie in tr. L. Ariosto Orlando Furioso sig. ¶vij In all Ariosto..there is not a word of ribaldry or obscenousnes. 1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 i. ii. 161 There is not a white haire in your face, but should haue his effect of grauity. View more context for this quotation 1663 S. Butler Hudibras: First Pt. i. i. 2 Not a man of them knew wherefore. 1799 Ld. Nelson in Dispatches & Lett. (1845) IV. 66 There is not a thing that the Admiral could propose that I would not meet him half-way. a1879 W. Howitt in M. Howitt Autobiogr. (1889) I. iv. 137 I do not believe that my father ever read a line of Rousseau's. 1964 G. A. Williamson World of Josephus xii. 194 Not a man survived. 1999 J. M. Coetzee Disgrace (2000) xxi. 193 He has uttered not a sound. e. Followed by an adjective used elliptically, either in a coordinate construction following the noun head (now archaic) or anaphorically. Now rare. ΚΠ c1225 (?c1200) St. Margaret (Royal) 13 Ich habbe a leouere, þe ich nule for nan leuen ne leosen. a1250 Wohunge ure Lauerd in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 285 (MED) A wrecche bodi and a wac bere ich ouer eorðe. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 951 A michel fier he sag, and an brigt, Sliden ðor. c1400 Brut (Rawl. B. 171) 27 And after þis Belyn, regnede his sone Corinbatrus, a gode man and a worþi. a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 26 That was a passynge good man and a yonge. 1557 R. Copland tr. P. Garcie Rutter of See (new ed.) sig. Eii^v An olde shyp wyllyngly lyeth not in the waye of a better. 1608 T. Middleton Trick to catch Old-one ii. sig. D A proper person and a louely. 1710 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 5 Oct. in Wks. I. 144/2 This has been but an insipid sort of day, and I have nothing to remark upon it worth threepence: I hope MD had a better with the Dean, the Bishop, or Mrs. Walls. 1813 W. Scott Let. 6 Nov. in J. G. Lockhart Mem. Life Sir W. Scott (1837) II. ii. 99 I heartily wish your Lordship had come down to Scotland this season, for I have never seen a finer. 1850 J. H. Newman Christ upon Waters 7 It is an old story and a familiar, and I need not go through it. 1895 A. Dendy in Rep. 6th Meeting Austral. Assoc. Adv. Sci. 99 The Cryptozoic Fauna of Australasia... I use the word ‘Cryptozoic’ for want of a better. 1978 S. King Stand i. xxv. 181 Supper. Now there was a word, had there ever been a finer? Ham steaks and potatoes with red-eye gravy. f. Preceding a proper name, used connotatively with reference to the qualities of the individual, or figuratively as the type of a class: someone or something like; a person or thing of the same kind as. ΚΠ c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Canon's Yeoman's Tale (Ellesmere) (1875) G. §3. l. 961 Euery man semeth a Salomon. ?1552 T. Churchyard Replicacion to Camels Obiection (single sheet) I can do no lesse, but shew what you are, Synce you ar a Daniell, dark dreames to declare. 1572 T. Wilson Disc. Vsurye sig. .vi^v Woulde god Englande had a Cromwell, I will saye no more. 1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iv. i. 220 A Daniell come to iudgement: yea a Daniell. View more context for this quotation 1665 R. Boyle Occas. Refl. iv. xii. sig. Ff3 Our own History affords us a Henry the Fifth. 1683 D. A. Whole Art Converse 53 Cannot ye praise a philosopher unless ye say he is an Aristotle. 1700 J. Dryden Fables Pref. sig. Bij^v Even after Chaucer there was a Spencer, a Harrington, a Fairfax, before Waller and Denham were in being. 1763 ‘A. B. C.’ Woman* 6 Long as the Annals of bright fame admit A Portia's virtue, or a Sappho's wit. 1780 W. Cowper Table Talk 322 And blazing London seem'd a second Troy. c1830 Fable in 4th Irish Schbk. 50 He whom his party deems a hero, His foes a Judas or a Nero. 1855 Ld. Tennyson Maud iv. viii, in Maud & Other Poems 19 Shall I weep if a Poland fall? shall I shriek if a Hungary fail? 1942 Times 30 Apr. 5/5 Men will love and die for a Nelson or a Wolfe. 2005 Herald Sun (Melbourne) (Nexis) 4 Jan. 71 He may not get the accolades of a Lara or a Tendulkar, but he's right up there with them. g. Preceding the name of an artist, writer, etc., used to designate a work by that person. ΚΠ 1635–6 in Publ. Catholic Rec. Soc. (1933) 33 180 By occasional meane of an old printed Turrecremata upon our Rule, which one whom I well know happened to buy amonge the booke-sellers of Duck-lane. 1736 A. Pope Wks. III. 197 A Chrysostom to smooth thy band in. 1784 W. Cowper Task vi, in Poems (1785) II. 245 He discerns The difference of a Guido from a daub. 1842 E. FitzGerald Lett. (1889) I. 84 I mean to take down a Thucydides, to feed on: like a whole Parmesan. 1886 J. Ruskin Præterita II. iv. 144 The pleasure of one's own first painting everybody can understand. The pleasure of a new Turner to me, nobody ever will. 1927 L. D. Braye Fewness of my Days 292 A fine Murillo adorns the private chapel. 1956 A. Lunn Zermatt & Valais xiii. 132 Who would borrow from these shelves a Rider Haggard or a Mrs. Humphrey Ward. 2004 P. Gilmour Sexy Football viii. 38 You can't compare one goal with another any more than you can compare a Monet with a Warhol. 2. a. In a more definite sense: one, a certain, a particular; the same, one and the same. Now chiefly in at a time (see time n. 18a) and in phrases after at, of, to, etc. Cf. one adj. 8, 12.birds of a feather: see bird n. Phrases 2c. of an age: see age n. Phrases 3a. of a piece: see piece n. Phrases 8a. to a degree: see degree n. 6b. to a hair, to a man, etc.: see to prep. 13a. ΚΠ c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 1025 Te bisscopp sellf..Þær shollde cumenn o þe ȝer Ann siþe, & all himm ane. c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (Bodl.) (1981) 2 Constentin ant Maxence were on a time..hehest i Rome. c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 1807 (MED) At a dint he slow hem þre. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5870 Do tua dais werkes on a dai. c1405 (c1375) G. Chaucer Monk's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 611 To Rome agayn repaireth Iulius With his triumphe lauriat ful hye..But on a tyme Brutus Cassius..Ful pryuely hath maad conspiracie Agayns this Iulius. 1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. cx. 132 In his dayes, ther was at a tyme, a great tournayeng before Cambray. 1551 R. Robinson tr. T. More Vtopia sig. Diii^v The kyllynge of a man, or the takynge of hys money..were bothe a matter. 1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) I. 898/1 Whether y^e Christians yelde to them, or yelde not, all is a matter. 1603 W. Shakespeare Hamlet v. ii. 212 These foyles, Haue all a laught. a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) i. iii. 236 He and his Phisitions Are of a minde. View more context for this quotation 1645 J. Milton L'Allegro in Poems 31 Euphrosyne..Whom lovely Venus at a birth With two sister Graces more To Ivy-crowned Bacchus bore. 1694 Bp. Tenison in J. Evelyn Mem. (1857) III. 344 Six little pieces of coin (all of a sort) found in an urn by a ploughman. 1701 J. Swift Disc. Contests Nobles & Commons iii. 25 The Power of these Princes..was much of a size with that of the Kings in Sparta. 1825 J. Neal Brother Jonathan III. 382 The windows carefully mismated, no two of a size. 1828 D. M. Moir Life Mansie Wauch xxii. 333 ‘Keep to a side,’ cried Tommy Staytape, ‘for..Moosey'll maybe hae a pistol.’ 1917 G. K. Chesterton Short Hist. England ii. 6 The islanders are of a kind with their islands. 1932 W. Faulkner Light in August xi. 220 Now and then she would be absent from home three and four days at a time. 1942 E. Ferber Saratoga Trunk (new ed.) vi. 100 In a way, chéri , we're two of a kind. 1996 Sunday Times of Zambia (Lusaka) 16 June 9/7 It has now become common for landlords to..demand payments for several months at a go. 2005 C. Stross Accelerando i. 26 Before they were uploaded one neuron at a time and injected into cyberspace. b. With infinitive clause as complement: such as (to do, undergo, etc., what is expressed by the complement). Now usually in negative contexts. †Also with for and verbal noun (obsolete). ΚΠ 1445 tr. Claudian's De Consulatu Stilichonis in Anglia (1905) 28 277 By thi comforte gode stilico; may soon be yolden ageyn A plastir to cure þe wounde of Rome. a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) ii. i. 319 O, 'twas a din to fright a Monsters eare; To make an earthquake. View more context for this quotation 1780 Mirror 81 324 He died, alas! before I could receive the full benefit of his instructions..; and left me rather in a condition to feel the weakness of my mind than to recover its strength. 1795 E. Burke Corr. (1844) IV. 312 I am not a man for construing with too much rigour the expressions of men. 1854 J. Ruskin Lect. Archit. & Painting i. 4 That is a city to be proud of, indeed. 1936 S. Dark Manning iv. 115 Although Newman forgave easily, he was not a man to forget. 2002 N. Nicolson Fanny Burney i. 11 Johnson was not a man to be taken in by an ambitious scamp. c. Preceding a proper name (usually one including a title) to indicate (sometimes dismissively) that the name is the only thing known about the person: ‘a certain’; ‘someone called’. Cf. one pron. 16b. ΚΠ 1625 N. Carpenter Geogr. Delineated ii. xv. 258 This conceit of a Monsieur Bodin, I admit without any great contradiction. 1658 E. Burrough Something of Truth made Manifest 2 Under the hand of a Mr. Philip..to publish thy work under a seeming authority. 1767 S. Bunbury in J. H. Jesse G. Selwyn & his Contemp. (1843) II. 191 A Mr Brereton (a sad vulgar). 1801 J. Austen Let. 8 Jan. (1995) 70 Mrs Laurel is going to be married to a Mr. Hinchman, a rich East Indian. 1835 Knickerbocker 5 304 A John Smith lives next door. 1946 F. Sargeson That Summer 55 I found a joint that was kept by a Mrs. Clegg. 1991 A. Wroe Lives, Lies & Iran-Contra Affair (BNC) 16 The best idea of all..came from another film producer, a Mr Spivey. 2003 F. Shaw Sweetest Thing 8 She..ended up laundress to a Mrs Hutton with a laugh like a screech owl. 3. a. Preceding a quantifier or (now English regional) a numeral, removing its definiteness or expressing an approximate estimate: some, a matter of, about. Now chiefly in a few, a good few, a good many, a great many, and (English regional) a many: see few adj., pron., and n. Phrases 1c, many pron. and n. 6.Very common in the 14th–16th centuries. ΚΠ OE tr. Gospel of Nicodemus (Cambr.) v. §1. 165 Ic bydde þe for þynre myltse þæt ðu læte me sprecan ane feawa worda.] c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 1692 Do we awai þane twenti, a tene beoð inohȝe. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 407 (MED) Þe king mid a vewe men him self fleiȝ atte laste. c1330 Seven Sages (Auch.) (1933) l. 2229 (MED) Þai asked respit a fourten niȝt. c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Squire's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 375 And vp they rysen, a .x. or a xij^e. ?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 38 Þat see is wel a .vj. myle of largeness in lengthe. a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 280 By hym there stonde a thirty grete knyghtes. 1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. xxxvii. 50 A ii hundred speres. 1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. xxxviii. 51 A xx. M. Almaynes. 1562 W. Turner 2nd Pt. Herball f. 7^v Stepe them a fiue or sixe dayes in vineger. c1595 T. Maynarde Sir Francis Drake his Voy. (1849) 5 He had a three hundred men more in his squadron. 1611 Bible (King James) Luke ix. 28 An eight days after these sayings. View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) i. i. 111 And a many merry men with him. View more context for this quotation 1639 R. Baillie Lett. & Jrnls. (1841) I. 237 Onc[e] a thre or four year. 1684 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 2nd Pt. Authors Way sig. A2^v Have also overcome a many evils. View more context for this quotation 1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 244 He came running to me..making a many antick Gestures. 1778 F. Burney Let. 21 Aug. in Early Jrnls. & Lett. (1994) III. 87 She would like an Egg or two, & a few slices of Ham,—or a Rasher. 1832 Ld. Tennyson Miller's Daughter xxiii, in Poems (new ed.) 46 They have not shed a many tears. 1859 H. Bonar Songs for Wilderness (ed. 3) 28 A few more struggles here, A few more partings o'er, A few more toils, a few more tears, And we shall weep no more. 1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. (at cited word) We shall have a plenty o' gooseberries. There was about of a forty I should think 'twas purty near a fifty. 1916 M. Gyte Diary 4 Apr. (1999) 83 There have been three Zeppelin raids since last Saturday. A many people killed in England and Scotland and a many injured. 1928 Aberdeen Weekly Jrnl. 20 Sept. 6/3 There wid be a hantle mair sheep in the kwintry noo nor there wis a twenty year seen. 1979 N. Rogers Wessex Dial. iv. 32 About a fifty of them. 1998 N. Lawson How to Eat (1999) 469 Stir in a good few tablespoons of crème fraîche. b. Followed by an adjective modifying (as a collective unit) an expression containing a numeral, either in the plural or introduced by one.In earlier use the interposed adjective is one that indicates the completeness of the amount, but in later use other kinds of commenting adjective can occur. ΚΠ 1811 C. Lamb in Reflector 2 396 That freak..jested me out of a good three hundred pounds a year. 1865 G. A. Sala My Diary in Amer. I. 129 An additional forty cents. 1877 Spirit of Times 24 Nov. 453/3 An extra twenty dollars. 1899 West-End 23 Aug. 14/1 A further three months as probationer. 1937 Nebraska State Jrnl. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 13 May 1/8 An estimated two million waited along the procession road back to Buckingham [Palace]. 1939 Fortune Oct. 125 (advt.) It exceeds 400,000,000 pounds, of which a good one-third normally is exported. 1976 Farnborough Internat. Exhibition (Official Programme) 11/2 At an incredible 20 tons an hour. 2005 San Francisco Chron. 7 May a4 A scant 200 million years after Earth was formed. II. Indicating proportion. 4. Used to express a rate or ratio: in, to, or for each, per: (a) originally (with adverbs of repetition) of occurrences within a period of time; (b) subsequently, relating an amount of money to a period of time; (c) hence expressing rate or proportion in general, i.e. of money value, volume, weight, etc., to a unit of another kind, an individual, etc. (cf. apiece adv.). Cf. aday adv. 1.In sense 4(a) originally the preposition a defining time (see a prep.¹ 3), but probably already in Middle English identified with the indefinite article; influence of the Old English construction seen in on anum monðe (see quot. OE²) is also possible.five-, seven-, etc. a-side: see side n.¹ Phrases 7. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > [adjective] > each eachOE aa1200 the1426 OE West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) xvii. 4 Seofan siþun..on dæg [OE Lindisf. seofa siða on dæge, c1200 Hatton seofen syðan..on daig]. OE Byrhtferð Enchiridion (Ashm.) (1995) iii. ii. 144 Þonne getimað hyt þæt hig wrixliað twia on anum monðe.] a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 109 (MED) The sunne..arist anes a dai. a1250 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Nero) (1952) 155 Of alle swuche þin-ges. schriue hire enes a wike [?c1225 Cleo. euche wike eanes] ette leste. c1275 (?a1216) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) 1133 (MED) Þar tron shulle a ȝere [a1300 Jesus Oxf. a yer] blowe An ȝunge sedes springe & growe. c1300 St. Edmund Rich (Laud) l. 48 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 432 (MED) Twie a wike oþur þrei at þe leste. c1300 St. Edmund Rich (Harl.) l. 47 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 494 Werede here here þrie a wyke, oþer tueye atte leste. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1874) V. 415 He usede twyes a wooke to sitte al day to fore þe chirche dore. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. lxi. 949 The fige tree..bereþ fruyte þries or foure siþes a ȝeere. c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 498 Ful ofte a day he swelte and seyde allas. a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) i. l. 441 Sixty tyme a day he loste his hewe. a1425 (a1382) Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Corpus Oxf.) (1850) Exod. xxiii. 17 Thries aȝeer [a1425 L.V. in the ȝeer; L. in anno] shal apere al thi maal child before the Lord thi God. ?c1450 tr. Bk. Knight of La Tour Landry (1906) 12 A good woman..that fasted .iij. tymes a woke. 1451 Memorandum of Prosecutions in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 527 A fee of xl s a yere. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. xx. f. xxvij^v A peny a daye. 1580 T. Tusser Fiue Hundred Pointes Good Husbandrie (new ed.) f. 13 Christmas comes, but once a yeere. 1584 W. Elderton New Yorks. Song sig. A1/1 And they shot for twentie poundes a Bowe. 1611 Bible (King James) Psalms cxix. 164 Seuen times a day doe I praise thee. View more context for this quotation 1617 F. Moryson Itinerary iii. ii. i. 61 Som six pence a meale. 1666 S. Pepys Diary 13 Oct. (1972) VII. 320 His hunting three times a week. 1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant i. 118 We reckoned our running to be ten miles an hour. 1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World i. 54 His Men, to whom I gave four Pieces of Eight a Man. 1755 Connoisseur No. 53. ⁋4 Every night-cellar [will] furnish you with Holland Tape, three yards a penny. 1797 R. Southey Botany Bay Eclogues in Poems 93 To be popt at like pidgeons for sixpence a day! 1861 Ld. Brougham Brit. Constit. (ed. 2) ix. 118 It is repeated seven times a-week. 1878 T. H. Huxley Physiography (ed. 2) 174 It moves at the rate of between four and five miles an hour. 1896 G. Ade Artie xii. 106 Jimmy can afford to buy wine at four bucks a throw when he's only getting three a week out o' the job. 1937 Amer. Home Apr. 134/4 (advt.) Now I smoke a Pack a Day. Smokers Acidity Goes in Jiffy with Bell-ans. 1962 ‘C. S. Forester’ Hornblower & Hotspur ix. 126 Fifteen pounds a man... That's what my Jacks were paid on account of prize money. 1964 K. Kennedy in D. How 8th Hussars i. 101 C Squadron turned out a couple of evenings a week and a couple of Sundays a month. 1985 Princeton Alumni Weekly 13 Mar. 35/3 If he works 30 weeks a year, he's driven 15,000-plus mercy miles. 2005 Independent 3 Nov. 41/2 A man or woman..who can..charge several thousand pounds a day without laughing. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online June 2022). aprep.¹ Brit. /ə/, U.S. /ə/ Forms: Old English– a, 1600s a', 1700s an (in branch II. before a vowel or h-: see note below), 1800s 'a (English regional (Suffolk)), 1800s er (U.S. regional (Georgia)), 1900s– ah (Caribbean). Origin: A variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymon: on prep. Etymology: Variant of on prep. with loss of the final consonant -n , reflecting an unstressed pronunciation of the word in proclitic use; compare an , variant of on prep., and also o , variant of on prep. Compare a- prefix³, away adv., aright adv.The loss of final -n in this word occurs early in terms of the developments described at N n. and perhaps began in fixed idioms where the word was felt to be almost a prefix; compare the parallel development represented by a- prefix³. A following consonant favoured the loss of final -n (compare discussion at N n.) and so until the 17th cent. the word was often found in complementary distribution with an , variant of on prep., which was common before vowels (with variation between the two before following h- ). The separate preposition a ceased to be used in standard English after about 1700, being replaced by the full on , in , or the various prepositions which represent them in modern idiom, surviving only in a few set uses from branch II., such as to go a begging , to set a going (occasionally, before a vowel or h- , in form an, after an, prevocalic variant of a adj.; compare quots. 1759, 1780 at sense 11b), and in temporal distributive phrases, as twice a day , once a year , where it had been early identified with the indefinite article (see a adj. 4). It also survived in a large number of combinations, where it was treated as a prefix to the governed word, and the whole as a compound adverb. Cross-references are given below to a selection of these (see senses 2, 3, 5, 6, 9). Compare a- prefix³. I. With a noun, forming a prepositional phrase. 1. Expressing position within, situation, etc.: in, with; = on prep. 7a, 13. Now English regional and Caribbean.to lay a-water: see water n. Phrases 2f. ΚΠ OE Blickling Homilies 89 Eua þagyt on bendum & o wope [MS owópe] þurhwunode.] OE tr. Chrodegang of Metz Regula Canonicorum (Corpus Cambr. 191) liv. 285 Þe willað ealle ut a felda [L. in agro rustici] and ealle æcerceorlas and ealle wineardwealas dæghwamlice tælan, gif þu angean þines hades behat wilt wunian mid wifum. lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1087 Hit wearð þam cynge cuð þet se biscop wæs afaren to ðam castele a Pefenesea. a1275 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 38 Al it lauede ablode. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 578 A þon heðene lawen [c1300 Otho In þan heþene lawe]. c1300 St. Edmund Rich (Laud) l. 382 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 442 (MED) Al þe stret a-watere orn ase it were a gret flod. a1400 Siege Jerusalem (Laud) (1932) l. 559 (MED) Baches woxen ablode a-boute in þe vale, & goutes fram gold wede as goteres þey runne. c1450 tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Bodl. Add.) iv. 52 (MED) A [?1440 Fitzw. in] gravell wol thai grow. 1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles II. ccxxxii. 721 So the bysshoppe returned and came into Almaygne, and founde the kyng a Conualence. 1607 T. Middleton Revengers Trag. v. sig. H4 Thats enow a conscience. 1620 I. C. Two Merry Milke-maids iv. iii. sig. N3 Now Gods blessing a' thy heart. 1658 J. Harrington Prerogative Pop. Govt. ii. v. 56 Which is enough a conscience. 1664 H. More Modest Enq. Myst. Iniquity 425 Those fat and fair Objects that make their mouths run a-water so. 1823 E. Moor Suffolk Words 2 'A live a hin house. 1882 E. L. Chamberlain Gloss. W. Worcs. Words 1 'E were a church o' Sunday. 1974 W. Leeds Herefordshire Speech 45 See you a church. 1996 in R. Allsopp Dict. Caribbean Eng. Usage 2/1 [Guyana] In those days your grandmother or old aunt could still manage somehow to feed you and, you know, put clothes a you back, but not today, sir. 2. Expressing motion to a position of contact with, or continued motion: in to, on to, on, upon; = on prep. 18. Also: indicating the object of mental activity; = on prep. 25b. Now English regional and Caribbean.Cf. abed adv. 3, afield adv. 1b, ashore adv.² 1. ΚΠ OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Tiber. B.iv) anno 1065 [Hi] bædon þæt hi moston habban Morkere heom to eorle, & se cyning þæs geuðæ, & sende æfter Haralde heom to..& kyðde heom þæt ilce, & heom þæt a hand sealde, & he nywade þær Cnutes lage. lOE Homily (Corpus Cambr. 302) in B. Assmann Angelsächsische Homilien u. Heiligenleben (1889) 168 Þonne cwyð drihten: Eala man, ic þe geworhte and ic for þe þrowude and ic wæs a rode ahangen. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 1148 Moni eotend ic leide dead a þene grund. c1300 St. Katherine (Harl.) l. 91 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S.-Eng. Legendary (1956) 536 [Thou] þus fele maistres of clergie: bringest & settest abenche. c1300 Ministry & Passion of Christ (Laud) 647 He tolde of a man þat a pilegrimage wende. 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 64 (MED) Hi byeþ more worse þanne þe gyewes, þet hine dede a-rode. ?1515 Hyckescorner (de Worde) sig. A.vi Ye but wente ye neuer to tyburne a pylgrymage. 1604 T. Dekker & T. Middleton Honest Whore i. i. sig. B A pox a de Horses nose. 1611 G. Chapman May-day i. i. 8 Let her meditate a my late motion. 1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. A,..3. prep., To. I be gwain in a town, i.e. in to town (always)... I be down a Minehead's vortnight. 1909 J. Masefield Trag. Nan i, in Trag. Nan & Other Plays 21 You better watch out she don't tread a thy corns. 2014 N. Y. Dennis-Benn What's for Sale in Kweli Jrnl. (Electronic ed.) 14 May Country blackie, guh back ah country! 3. a. In expressions of time: in, on, by; = on prep. 8. Now chiefly with days of the week. Now English regional, Scottish, and Irish English.Cf. aday adv. 2, adays adv. 2, a-mornings adv., amorrow adv. 1, a-night adv., a-nights adv., nowadays adv. ΚΠ OE tr. Vitas Patrum in B. Assmann Angelsächsische Homilien u. Heiligenleben (1889) 196 Comon þa a morgen iunge men on bysmor to ðam foresædon munece. OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Tiber. B.i) anno 1011 Ealle þas ungesælða us gelumpon þuruh unrædas þæt man nolde him a timan gafol beodon oþþe wið gefeohtan. ?a1200 (?OE) Peri Didaxeon (1896) 21 Etan þanne tweȝen sticcan fulle a æfen, tweȝen a morȝen, and byþ sona hæl. a1225 ( Ælfric's Homily De Initio Creaturae (Vesp. A.xxii) in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 223 God arerð eft þane licame..adomes deȝ [OE Royal on domes dæg]. a1225 (?OE) MS Vesp. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 239 (MED) Nan halege nað his fulle blisse er he underfo a domes deie his licame. c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. i. l. 99 And not to faste a Friday. a1402 J. Trevisa tr. R. Fitzralph Defensio Curatorum (Harl.) (1925) 89 (MED) Þe slowe man wolde nouȝt erye a wynter for cold, þanne he schal begge a somer. a1450 Generides (Pierpont Morgan) (1865) 1797 (MED) Sith yisterday..a eve This sekenes first did him greve. 1476 in C. L. Kingsford Stonor Lett. & Papers (1919) II. 5 He saythe he will be at Henli a Mondaye, or a Tuysdaye at þe fardyst. ?1578 W. Patten Let. Entertainm. Killingwoorth 26 A Sunday oportunely the weather brake vp again. 1721 J. Swift Epist. Corr. II. 557 Why did you not set out a Monday, like a true country parson? 1823 E. Moor Suffolk Words (at cited word) We'll go 'a Sunday. 1871 E. Eggleston Hoosier School-master xii. 108 We'll tend to his case a Christmas. 1927 in H. Kökeritz Phonol. Suffolk Dial. (1932) 220 A horse..what I bought a-Thursday. 1928 Shetland Times 14 July 3/5 Him it kens your inside hantle better as doo kens da inside o da moorit hog it doo slachtered a Foersday? 1974 W. Leeds Herefordshire Speech 45 See you a Sunday. 1996 S. Moylan Lang. Kilkenny 14 He was here a Sunday. b. With adverbs of repetition (as once, twice, many times, oft a day); now classified as the indefinite article: see a adj. 4. †4. In invocations, indicating the basis of an oath or affirmation. = on prep. 1e. Obsolete.a God's name: see god n. and int. Phrases 1b. ΚΠ OE Manumission, Exeter (Bodl. 579) in J. Earle Hand-bk. Land-charters (1888) 254 A kynstanes gewittnisse preost, and a leofsuna gewittnisse. a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 91 (MED) Blesced bie he þe comeð a godes name. a1300 ( Will of Wulfgyð (Sawyer 1535) in D. Whitelock Anglo-Saxon Wills (1930) 84 And ic yan þet land at Stistede a Godes ywithnesse and mine vrenden into Xristes cheriche. c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Physician's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 250 Dooth with your child youre wyl a goddes name. 1479 R. Cely Let. 11 Nov. in Cely Lett. (1975) 65 I loste xx s. in gowlde, a my sowll I whot not qwheyr. 1556 J. Heywood Spider & Flie lvi. sig. Aavii^v A deuils name..your chating toungs chastise. 1577 T. Vautrollier tr. M. Luther Comm. Epist. to Galathians (new ed.) f. 129 Worke on a Gods blessing. a1679 Earl of Orrery Guzman (1693) 25 Why, a Devil, should he therefore take his Wages, and not to my Work? 5. Expressing state or condition: in; = on prep. 12a. Now only in compounds (occasionally written as two words).Cf. afire adv. 1, afloat adv. 1a, ajar adv.¹, alive adj. 1, asleep adv. and adj. 1, athirst adj. 1, etc. ΚΠ OE Ælfric Homily (Corpus Cambr. 198) in B. Assmann Angelsächsische Homilien u. Heiligenleben (1889) 148 [Rihtwisnys on dome] bið forhwyrfed for gytsunge, þonne þæs deman heorte bið mid sumere mede ablend and eac forðan þe he wile ðæne unscyldigan a woh behreafian. a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Lamb.) 200 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 171 (MED) Þurh him deð com in þis middenerd..Nere namon elles ded..ac mihten libben eure ma a blisse and a hele. 1556 in J. G. Nichols Chron. Grey Friars 47 And [they] sette it alle a fyer, and went their wayes agayne. 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Estre au dessus du vent To flourish, live in prosperitie, be al a flaunt, or a hoight. 6. Expressing position above and in contact with, or on the surface of, something; = on prep. 1, 2. Now only in compounds (occasionally written as two words).Cf. abed adv. 1, aboard adv. 2a, afield adv. 1, afoot adv. 1, ahorseback adv., a-shipboard adv., ashore adv.² 2, awheel adv., etc. ΚΠ c1175 (?OE) Writ of Brother Edwin (Sawyer 1428) in S. Miller Charters of New Minster, Winchester (2001) 165 Þa aras Boia þæ ealda munuk & sæt a cneowan ætforan sancte Aþelwolde. a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Lamb.) 224 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 173 Wise men us seiden, And aboken hit writen þer [me] mei hit reden. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 12677 Þat folc..þat þer eoden a-uoten [c1300 Otho afote]. a1450 (?c1421) J. Lydgate Siege Thebes (Arun.) (1911) 2192 He, allas, was mad light a-foote. 7. Expressing position with reference to a place or thing: on, at, chiefly in a right (also left) half, a this (also that) side; = on prep. 4. Now English regional.a God's half: see half n. Phrases 1b(c). a seaboard: see seaboard n. 2. a to-side: see to adj. c. ΚΠ c1175 (?OE) Royal Charter: Æðelred II to Christ Church, Canterbury (Sawyer 1636) in N. P. Brooks & S. E. Kelly Charters of Christ Church Canterbury, Pt. 2 (2013) 982 Wite he hine silfne amansumod fram Gode, & fram eallen his halgen mid ða foreworppenen inne domusdeie a Cristes winstre hand geloged. a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 141 Þe rede see..þer stod a richt halue and a luft, alse an castel wal. 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 156 (MED) Þe kueade..byeð ase a þe left half, uor hy byþ a þe worse zide. c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) 1680 (MED) A þes half Mantrible, þe grete Citee, ys þe brigge y-set. c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 336 In the daies of princis a this side the Emperour Constantyn. 1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de la Tour-Landry Bk. Knight of Tower (1971) lv. 80 And bothe..wente, and leyd them self a bothe his sydes. 1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie clxxviii. 1108 Eft at one side and eft a tother. 1610 Carnegie Lett. 343 Tua legues a this syd off. 1719 A. Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) I. 126 I'd better been a yont side Kairn-amout. 1827 H. R. Mosse Woman's Wit & Man's Wisdom II. v. 169 We're twa as bonnie lasses as might be glinted at a this side the Tweed. 1845 H. W. Herbert Warwick Woodlands 52 As for deer, that's all a no sich thing: there arnt no deer a this side of Duck-seedar's. 1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. at A Let-n vall out a thick zide. a1919 W. B. Kendall Forness Word Bk. (Cumbria County Archives, Barrow) (transcript of MS) A, on. ‘A this side’. 1987 F. Graham New Geordie Dict. 5 A this side—on this side. 8. Expressing manner: in, with, etc. = on prep. 11. Now English regional. ΚΠ a1200 (?OE) MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 155 (MED) A swiche wise specð þe heuenliche king wið ech man. a1250 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Nero) (1952) 43 Þis is a cruel word & a grim word mid alle, þet vre louerd seið ase agrome & a scorn [?c1225 Cleo. on grome & o scharn, c1230 Corpus Cambr. o grome & o scarn]. c1300 St. Katherine (Harl.) l. 81 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S.-Eng. Legendary (1956) 536 (MED) Ich wole bet þat ȝe hire ouercome mid resouns a somme wise. c1400 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Tiber.) f. 50^v (MED) To construe here lessons & here þinges a freynsche. a1450 Generides (Pierpont Morgan) (1865) 5662 (MED) Forth he rode a goode spede Into the midow to the king. c1475 (?c1400) Apol. Lollard Doctr. (1842) 49 A color of takyng of almis. a1525 Eng. Conquest Ireland (Trin. Dublin) 90 The forme of thay preuyleges, as thay wer endyted yn the Court of Rome a latyne, ne myght I nat comly setten in Englyshe. 1533 T. More Answere Poysened Bk. iv. xi. f. ccxxiiii Els may he neuer make him self so sure, and face in [read it] out a this fashion. a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) ii. iii. 248 Why dooest thou garter vp thy armes a this fashion? View more context for this quotation 1798 T. Holcroft He's Much to Blame i. v. 13 So dry your eyes, forget your misfortunes, and, there, cock your hat, a that fashion, and try to swagger a little. 1848 E. C. Gaskell Mary Barton I. v. 69 I don't think every one would grieve a that way. a1919 W. B. Kendall Forness Word Bk. (Cumbria County Archives, Barrow) (transcript of MS) A, in. ‘A this way.’ †9. Expressing partition: in, into. = on prep. 21b. Obsolete (in later use English regional).Cf. asunder adv. 3, a-two adv. ΚΠ a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 141 And þa fouwer weren ideled a twelue. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 9000 Ac þe king henri is ost a þre [v.rr. a þreo, in þre] delde þere. ?c1335 in W. Heuser Kildare-Gedichte (1904) 111 (MED) Hir þoȝt hir hert wol a two. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. iii. xii. 99 The vertu sensible þat meueþ is departid aþre [1495, 1535 on thre, 1582 in three]. 1509 Bp. J. Fisher Wks. (1876) 55 An other sawed a two. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Acts i. C And brast a sunder in the myddes. 1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII v. iii. 74 Being torne a pieces. View more context for this quotation 1623 J. Bingham tr. Xenophon Hist. 75 Their legs and sides crushed, and broken a peeces. 1673 M. Stevenson Poems 93 His piercing Eye enlighten'd by his wit, What others tore a pieces could unknit. 1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. (at cited word) They be all a pieces. †10. Expressing position in a series: at, in. Obsolete.See also alast adv. ΚΠ ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 38 Alast [segge] hwase con Oremus. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) 13849 Þat he com a þan ende þer fæht Kinard þe stronge. II. With a verbal noun or gerund, forming part of a verbal expression. (Now usually written with a hyphen or as one word with the verbal noun.) 11. Expressing action, with a verbal noun or gerund taken actively. Now archaic and regional. a. After be (or occasionally another verb expressing state) and before a verbal noun: engaged in (some activity). Also with of and object. Cf. be v. 17a, in prep. 21c, on prep. 12b. N.E.D. (1884) states: ‘In literary English the a is omitted, and the verbal noun 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.’ ΚΠ c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) 8864 Wreoð nu wel þene king, þat he ligge a swæting. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 301 Kyne lowen whanne þey ben a bolynge, and lepen on boles. 1482 R. Cely Let. 2 Apr. in Cely Lett. (1975) 135 Whyll I am a whryttyng of thys letter. 1495 in J. G. Nichols & J. Bruce Wills Doctors' Commons (1863) 7 Also I geve to all other gentilmen that be daily a waiting in my houshold. 1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. xviii. 20 They had ben a fyghtyng with theyr ennemies. a1569 A. Kingsmill Viewe Mans Estate (1580) xv. 129 Betwixt beleevyng and not beleevyng there now lieth the whole matter a bleedyng. 1587 A. Day tr. J. Amyot Longus's Daphnis & Chloe i. sig. D3 Any others a keeping of their cattell. a1626 J. Horsey Relacion Trav. in E. A. Bond Russia at Close of 16th Cent. (1856) 163 His enyme..that was a preparinge to invade his countrys. 1660 S. Pepys Diary 2 Nov. (1970) I. 281 I was told the Queene was a-coming, so I got a sculler for sixpence to carry me thither and back again. 1683 W. Kennett tr. Erasmus Witt against Wisdom 18 She imitates me in being always a laughing. 1684 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 2nd Pt. 15 She is, as you see, a taking of her last farewel of her Country. View more context for this quotation a1732 T. Boston Memoirs (1776) x. 290 I was told that one was a-dying..little more than a stone-cast from the church. 1769 W. Robertson Hist. Charles V III. viii. 64 The tempest which had been so long a gathering was ready to break forth. 1842 C. M. Kirkland Forest Life I. xxv. 253 An old widower that's been a-marrying of a young girl. 1895 T. Hardy Jude i. ii. 9 Just now he's a-scaring of birds for Farmer Troutham. 1928 A. E. Pease Dict. Dial. N. Riding Yorks. 1/1 He was a-gannin' ower t'mooer. 1960 in Dict. Amer. Regional English (1985) I. 2/1 That's the only way you knowed where you was a-goin'. 2003 Daily Tel. 18 Nov. 23/1 The invitation has been such a long time a-coming. b. After a verb denoting or implying motion and before a verbal noun: to, into (some action). Cf. in prep. 21c, on prep. 23.to go (also have been) a begging: see begging n. 2. to go (also wade) a-fishing: see fishing n.¹ 2. to set (also keep) a-going: see set v.¹ 114c. to burst out a laughing: see laughing n. to go (also run, set) a-madding: see madding n. to go a-roguing: see roguing n. 2. to go a whoring: see whoring n. to go (also come, ride) a wooing: see wooing n. b. ΚΠ c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Cambr.) (1901) l. 781 (MED) He a kne gan falle; He sette him a knewelyng, & grette wel þe gode kyng. a1325 (c1280) Southern Passion (Pepys 2344) (1927) 2176 Ich wolle now a-ffisschyng go anon. 1455 in J. T. Gilbert Cal. Anc. Rec. Dublin (1889) I. 287 (MED) Hyt was ordeynyt that no maner beger..ne scholer walke by nyghtertall abegyn. c1475 Gregory's Chron. in J. Gairdner Hist. Coll. Citizen London (1876) 219 (MED) He..sum tyme rode a huntynge be hynde the kynge. 1533 T. More Answere Poysened Bk. i. ii. f. cxvi Lyke as yf a ryght greate man wolde wantonly walke a mummynge, and dysguyse hymselfe. 1567 A. Golding tr. Ovid Metamorphosis (new ed.) vii. sig. M.j^v She falling by and by A weeping. 1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice ii. v. 25 It was not for nothing that my nose fell a bleeding on black monday last. View more context for this quotation 1611 J. Florio Queen Anna's New World of Words Berghinellare, to gad abrode a gossoping as a pratling loue-pot woman. 1673 Gentlewomans Compan. 141 Set it a boiling in a clean scoured Skillet. 1713 Ess. Sacred Use Organs ii. 21 I hope, they'll not send them a packing to the Infernal regions. a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 551 As soon as he was taken he fell a crying. 1759 J. Newton Diary 23 Feb. in Deserted Village (1992) 12 Went an House hunting. 1780 in Narragansett Hist. Reg. (1882) Oct. 104 Went an eeling. 1872 T. Hardy Under Greenwood Tree II. v. i. 195 Mellstock Club walked the same day, and we new-married folk went a-gaying round the parish behind 'em. 1883 Daily Tel. 8 Feb. 3/2 When she had finished her song she fell a crying... She can turn the taps on at a moment's notice. 1904 I. F. Darling Songs from Silence 114 Thae trashy foreign sangs ye're skirlin', Whene'er ye meet wi' ane anither, Hae set my very teeth a-dirlin'. 1909 G. Stratton-Porter Girl of Limberlost xxi. 390 When he's afraid he just goes a-humping for Aunt Margaret. c1960 Wilson Coll. in Dict. Amer. Regional English (1985) I. 1/2 Pappy went a-visiting yesterday. 1972 Islander (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 2 Apr. 4/3 In England, the children until the recent past—and even, in some parts of the country today—still go a-shriving. 2005 Daily Tel. 20 June 9/1 Eligible bachelors..meet marriageable ladies..at a country pub to go a-courting in the Cotswolds. c. Before the gerund of a transitive verb and its object. ΚΠ 1587 A. Day tr. J. Amyot Longus's Daphnis & Chloe ii. sig. F4 Chloe was then a keeping the flockes. 1596 T. Nashe Haue with you to Saffron-Walden sig. R4 ^v If..he will needes fall a Comedizing it. 1629 T. Hobbes tr. Thucydides Eight Bks. Peloponnesian Warre ii. 113 Fall a censuring both me that counselled the Warre, and your selues. 1669 T. Allin Captures 22 Dec. (1940) II. 241 (modernized text) He being a-convoying some merchantmen westward with his ketch met six Turks men-of-war. 1764 J. Boswell Jrnl. 23 Dec. in Boswell on Grand Tour (1953) I. 271 I found..a probationer (a proposant) a-reading the Bible to the congregation. 1845 B. Disraeli Sybil III. vi. vi. 210 ‘A-dropping wages and a-raising tommy like fun,’ said Master Waghorn. 1904 St. Nicholas May 609/2 The mowers had finished a-harvesting hay. 1953 J. M. Brewer Word on Brazos 33 Ole Bud..spen' all his Sundays a huntin' an' a shootin' doves an' plovers an' rabbits. 1967 S. Marshall Fenland Chron. i. vi. 57 To think that folk like them..could really believe what they were a-telling you. 2000 O. Senior in N. Hopkinson Whispers from Cotton Tree Root 139 This fish not just moving, it dancing. A-wiggling and a-moving its tail. d. Before a gerund used as subject or object complement generally, equivalent to (and generally considered to be) a present participle. ΚΠ 1675 Ape-gentle-woman 4 The Mistris gives out..that she has a fresh Face a coming. 1708 O. Dykes Moral Reflexions Eng. Prov. 230 'Twas pleasant enough to hear two Tongue-Pads a-scolding once, and giving one another the Lie. 1731 in F. D. Price Wigginton Constables' Bk. (1971) 63 Spent a coming home. 1814 L. Hunt Feast of Poets 11 You'd have thought 'twas the Bishops or Judges a coming. 1837 C. Dickens Oliver Twist (1838) I. ii. 14 To keep the parish officers a-waiting at your garden-gate. 1871 H. B. Stowe Sam Lawson 10 He'd spend days in the woods a-loggin' and..a lumberin'. 1958 J. M. Brewer Dog Ghosts 52 A big bull frog..seed..a mockin' bird..jes' a singin' to beat de ban'. 2006 Nature 4 May p. vii/1 Male túngara frogs a-wooing produce a species-specific call to attract females. 12. Expressing process, with a verbal noun taken passively: in process of, in course of; undergoing (some process). Cf. be v. 17b, in prep. 21d, on prep. 12b. Now U.S. regional, Irish English, and in set expressions such as abuilding adj., adoing adj., and to be a-making at making n.¹ 1d(b). N.E.D. (1884) states: ‘In modern language the a is omitted and the verbal noun 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.’ ΚΠ c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. iv. 54 We haue a wyndow a worchyng. 1423 Guildhall Let.-bk. in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 107 (MED) Þe forseid Shermen of London shull fynde, at alle tymes whiles her sheres be a gryndyng or amendyng, two men to turne þe ston. 1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. cxx. 143 Ther they brake all [the bridge] to peaces that had been longe a makynge. 1600 B. Jonson Every Man out of his Humor Induct. sig. C^v A well-timberd fellow, he would ha' made a good columne and he had been thought on when the house was a building. View more context for this quotation 1611 Bible (King James) 1 Pet. iii. 20 In the dayes of Noah while the Arke was a preparing. View more context for this quotation 1653 H. More Antidote against Atheisme iii. xi. 146 The shreeks of men while they are a murdering. 1679 W. Cunningham Diary Oct. (1887) 17 In March last, 1679, my wife, finding Richard's jewell, or locket of diamonds, aselling. 1693 R. Bentley Boyle Lect. vii. 15 The state or condition of Matter before the World was a-making, which is compendiously exprest by the word Chaos. 1727 R. Wodrow Corr. (1843) III. 296 Tomorrow, all day, papers will be a-reading. 1841 C. Otway Sketches in Erris & Tyrawly 13 The tailor had a pair of breeches on his board a making for a boy that was about to make himself double. 1870 J. Nicholson Idylls o' Hame 77 Her braw bridal dress is a-makin'. 1899 S. MacManus In Chimney Corners 136 O, says the hound, it's hard for me to do anything and my throat a-cutting. 1965–70 in Dict. Amer. Regional Eng. (1985) I. 1/2 While Jesus was a-crucifyin'. 1984 Eng. World-wide 5 172 That child is a-stranglin' (being strangled by the strings of her bonnet). She was a-slayin' (being beaten and making a lot of noise). This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online December 2021). aprep.² Brit. /ə/, U.S. /ə/ Forms: early Middle English– a; English regional 1800s– er (Kent), 1800s– aa; U.S. regional (southern, chiefly in African-American usage) 1800s er, 1900s– uh. Origin: A variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymon: of prep. Etymology: Variant of of prep. with loss of the final consonant, reflecting an unstressed pronunciation (see note); compare the discussion of weak and reduced forms at that entry.Apparently this variant frequently occurred proclitically in earlier use (compare alate adv., acourse adv.², etc.: see a- prefix⁴), and enclitically in later use (compare offa prep., lotsa adj., etc.); it is also a feature of fixed idioms (compare e.g. Inn a Court, variant of Inn of Court n. at inn n. Phrases 2a(a), and variants at man-of-war n.). Originally it occurred chiefly before words with initial consonants, a position which favoured loss of the final consonant of the preposition, but in later use it occurs also before vowels (compare quot. 1860 at sense 7). The variant is recorded by the 17th-cent. orthoepists (T. Hunt, C. Cooper) as a , which is probably to be interpreted as /ə/ (compare E. J. Dobson Eng. Pronunc. 1500–1700 (ed. 2, 1968) II. §4). In constructions containing manner a followed by a plural (such as quot. ?1529 at sense 6), a adj. has probably been reinterpreted as an instance of this word (compare what manner a ——? at manner n. 1a). N.E.D. (1884) suggested that all instances of manner of (i.e. in phrases such as what manner of ——? at manner n. 1a, all manner of at manner n. 1b, etc.) as well as parallel constructions with kind n., sort n.² ultimately reflect reinterpretation of constructions with a adj., but the chronology of their respective attestations makes this impossible. When the preposition is appended to the preceding word (as frequently in later use) there is sometimes reduplication of the final consonant, as cuppa n., lotta adj., etc. Now usually as a representation of colloquial, popular, or regional pronunciation, esp. in American and Black English. 1. Representing a genitive dependent on a verb or adjective; = of prep. XI. ΚΠ c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 707 Þe king heihte his wise men þe wel cuðen a speche [c1300 Otho cuþe of speche]. 1663 in Rhode Island Court Rec. (1922) II. 21 William marble of Boston being..found guilty a Riott. 1998 J. Milne Alive & Kicking vii. 48 Let-go-a-me. 2. Indicating motion, direction, distance, or removal; = of prep. I. Cf. offa prep. ΚΠ a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 1367 Pepins..þe quilk a þe appel tre he nam. 1532 T. More Confut. Barnes in Wks. (1557) 804/2 Ye shall beare no part of that flesh foorth a dores. 1615 W. Goddard Neaste of Waspes lxxxi. sig. G Praie aske hir Foole (shee being out a sight). 1631 T. Drue Life Dutches of Suffolke iv. sig. H1^v Fox, come out a your hole. 1775 in Essex Inst. Hist. Coll. (1912) XLVIII. 61 Our men com of a Cobil jest at the don of the day. 1800 M. Edgeworth Castle Rackrent (ed. 2) 78 ‘Judy's out a luck,’ said I, striving to laugh—‘I'm out a luck,’ said he. 2003 V. O. Carter Such Sweet Thunder 523 If we gonna git out a this mess. 3. Indicating the source or starting point of action, emotion, etc.; = of prep. IV. Cf. acourse adv.² ΚΠ c1435 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Bodl. 686) (1940) l. 2014 A qualm [c1405 Hengwrt Yet saugh I..A thousand slayn and noght of qualm ystorue]. 1622 T. Dekker & P. Massinger Virgin Martir ii. i. sig. D^v Dye a the pip. 1974 W. Leeds Herefordshire Speech 45 A, of. A course. 1976 R. Bulter Shaela 1 At night whin I wis tired a playin. 4. Indicating means or instrument; = of prep. VI.In quots. after full. ΚΠ a1500 (a1450) Generides (Trin. Cambr.) l. 1150 When they came ther the[y] sawe a faire cite, As full a pepill as it cowde suffice. 1982 R. Hall Just Relations i. iii. 28 Typical religious Johnny, full a business and never knowin' what's what. 2002 A. Proulx That Old Ace in Hole (2003) iii. 25 We got people with sheds full a antiques. †5. Indicating a point or space of time; = of prep. XV. Cf. alate adv. Obsolete. ΚΠ c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 491 He..Lete sa lathely a late. 1706 Earl of Mar Let. 26 Oct. in P. H. Brown Lett. Scotl. Reign Queen Anne (1915) 176 The humour in the country against the treatie or union is much increst a late. 6. Indicating the material or substance of which something is made or consists, or following a classificatory word; = of prep. VII. Cf. cuppa n., kinda adv., sorta n. ΚΠ c1475 Mankind (1969) l. 127 (MED) I stale a leg a motun. ?1529 R. Hyrde tr. J. L. Vives Instr. Christen Woman i. ix. K.iii What maner a ones they shulde be, saynt Peter & saynt Paule..teache. 1568 ( D. Lindsay Satyre (Bannatyne) l. 1815 in Wks. (1931) II. 88 Quhat kynd a man. 1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing iii. iv. 18 Cloth a gold and cuts, and lac[']d with siluer. View more context for this quotation 1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew at Clank Tip me a rum Clank a Booz..give me a double Tankard of Drink. 1790 A. Wheeler Westmorland Dial. 28 A Pot-ful a Saur Milk. 1843 ‘R. Carlton’ New Purchase I. xii. 92 After that the path's a sort a blind. 1882 J. Robison Aald Taales 3 T'saame way a thinkin'. 1985 M. Munro Patter 6 Two boatles a ginger. 2006 G. Malkani Londonstani xv. 180 Some kind a white salwar kameez top. 7. Expressing the relationship of possession and being possessed; = of prep. X. Cf. fustianapes n.† a clock: see o'clock adv. ΚΠ c1475 Wisdom (Folger) (1969) l. 794 At the parvyse I wyll be A Powlys betwyn to ande thre. ?1577 Misogonus ii. iv, in R. W. Bond Early Plays from Ital. (1911) 210 By the motherkine a god. 1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II i. iii. 76 The name of Iohn a Gaunt. View more context for this quotation 1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII v. ii. 21 Body a me: where is it? View more context for this quotation 1631 F. Lenton Characterismi xxix. sig. F4 A yong Innes a Court Gentleman. 1667 J. Janeway Heaven upon Earth 341 'Tis not time a day for you to be sleeping or playing. 1860 J. Phizackerley Song Solomon i. 17 T'beäms a our house. 1964 C. Colter in Chicago Rev. 17 No. 2–3. 171 See that squad car?—up in fronta the drug store. 1981 Westindian World 31 July 4/1 Boss man a Root Magazine Godfrey Hope. 8. Indicating a quality or other distinguishing mark by which a person or thing is characterized, identified, or described; = of prep. XIV. ΚΠ 1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. xxxviii. 52 The cyty was strong, and well furnysshed of men a warr. 1607 T. Middleton Revengers Trag. v. sig. I^v Courtiers haue feete ath nines, and tongues ath twellues. 1631 T. Drue Life Dutches of Suffolke ii. sig. C2^v A Citizens Gowne, Ath meanest fashion. 1994 B. Gilroy Sunlight on Sweet Water 24 De roarin' sea can be a frien', but a mortal foe in the time a trouble! 9. In partitive expressions; = of prep. IX. Cf. coupla n., lotsa adj., lotta adj. ΚΠ 1602 T. Dekker Satiro-mastix sig. F2^v I am none a thy Charing-crosse. 1604 T. Dekker & T. Middleton Honest Whore i. ii. sig. B1^v To call you one a mine Aunts. 1898 E. N. Westcott David Harum 345 What do you say?.. 'll you make it a couple a hunderd. 1928 E. E. Cummings Enormous Room vii. 194 When we asked him once what he thought about the war, he replied, ‘I t'ink lotta bullsh—t.’ 1976 CRC Jrnl. July 14/1 All a we is one, all a we not the same. 1988 M. Matura Playboy of West Indies 3 Look I own three a dem fishing boat an every week de catch growing. 2002 C. Newland Snakeskin i. 8 I need you to help me out, I'm in a bit a bovva. †10. Indicating that in respect of which a quality is attributed, or a fact is predicated; = of prep. XIII. Cf. akin adj. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1629 L. Carlell Deserving Favourite i. i. sig. C3 You being the next a kin vnto the King. 1737 A. Ramsay Coll. Scots Prov. (1797) 93 Ye breed o' gude mawt, ye're lang a coming. 11. Expressing the relationship of the objective genitive; = of prep. XII. ΚΠ 1693 in R. Renwick Extracts Rec. Royal Burgh of Lanark (1893) 249 For finding a coall. 1974 Weekend Star (Kingston, Jamaica) 4 July 20 Asked how he came into possession of them, Riley said: ‘Possession a wah?’ This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022). † aconj. Forms: Middle English 1600s (1700s English regional) a, 1800s 'a (English regional). Origin: A variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymons: an conj., and conj.¹ Etymology: Variant of an conj. (or perhaps directly of and conj.¹) with loss of the final consonant (or consonant cluster), probably arising before a word beginning with a consonant.The form is not common in any period, and some of the earlier examples could instead show a transmission error for an conj. in its abbreviated form (i.e. ā, with mark of suspension). English regional in later use. Obsolete. 1. = and conj.¹ I. ΚΠ ?c1335 in W. Heuser Kildare-Gedichte (1904) 107 Seue daies a seue niȝt..Vte of heuen hi aliȝt And in to helle wer iþrow. c1475 (?c1400) Apol. Lollard Doctr. (1842) 56 He þat lettiþ not silk ȝeuing, wen he is holden a may, is strenid by þe same gilt. a1500 (?a1400) Morte Arthur (1903) 2844 (MED) Wendyth home A leue youre werryeng. 1655 W. Barton Man's Monitor f. 3 By cock a pie and Mous-foot. 1746 Exmoor Scolding* (ed. 3) 81 Chem a laced well-a-fine aready. 2. = and conj.¹ II. ΚΠ 1425 Rolls of Parl.: Henry VI (Electronic ed.) Parl. Apr. 1425 §12. m. 3 I take first God to witnesse..þat I have be at alle tymes..trewe man to yowe..and shall be agodwoll alle my lyve. a1500 (?a1400) Morte Arthur (1903) 2832 (MED) And yit, A thow woldyst nyghe me nye, Thow shalt wele wete I am not slayn. 1823 E. Moor Suffolk Words 2 I'll gi' ye a dunt i' the hid 'a ye dew so no more. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online December 2021). aint.¹ Brit. /eɪ/, /ə/, U.S. /eɪ/, /ə/ Forms: also reduplicated. Origin: Probably an imitative or expressive formation. Etymology: Probably imitative of the natural utterance. Compare O int. and ah int. and the foreign-language parallels cited at those entries. Continuations of this word (showing the result of the operation of the Great Vowel Shift) may perhaps be shown by some instances at ay int., eigh int. (see discussion at ay int., ah int.), and perhaps even by some instances at ah int. (compare E. J. Dobson Eng. Pronunc. 1500–1700 (ed. 2, 1968) II. §103).Compare rare Old English ēa (also ēaw , ēow ), interjection expressing invocation, admiration, disappointment, sorrow, etc., chiefly used emphatically in collocation with the much commoner ēalā , interjection expressing the same range of senses, and attested almost exclusively in Ælfred's translation of Boethius De Consol. Philos.:eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) xxix. 65 Eala ea, is þæt þonne forweorð[fullic] wela þæt nauþer ne mæg ne hin[e selfne g]ehealdan ne his hlaford.lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) xxxiv. 94 Ða smercode he wið min & cwæð: Eala, min cild, ea; hwæt, þu eart swiðe gesælig, & ic swiðe bliðe.Old English ēalā (also ēale , ǣla , etc.; perhaps < ēa + lā lo int.¹) survives into early Middle English. The following are some Old English and early Middle English examples of the word:OE Ælfric Gram. (St. John's Oxf.) 241 O is toclypigendlic adverbivm: o magister, doce me eala ðu lareow, tæc me. He is eac wundrigendlic: o qualis facies eala hwylc ansyn.OE Homily (Corpus Cambr. 198) in B. Assmann Angelsächsische Homilien u. Heiligenleben (1889) 146 Eala, hu earm and hu bewependlic is þære manne lif.lOE Salisbury Psalter cxiv. 4 Et nomen domini inuocaui: O domine libera animam meam: & naman drihtenes ic clypude æla drihten alys saule mine.c1175 ( Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 202 Ealæ, iseliȝe beoð þa men þe þæt rice lufiæð; and unlæde beoð þa ðe him wiðsacæð. The following example perhaps shows alteration of the reflex of ēalā after the present word:c1175 ( Ælfric's Homily on Nativity of Christ (Bodl. 343) in A. O. Belfour 12th Cent. Homilies in MS Bodl. 343 (1909) 78 A la!, ȝebroðræ, aræreð eowre heorte to ðam heofenlice Gode mid soðe ileafe for ðisse halȝæ dæȝe. N.E.D. (1884) suggested that use in sense 3 arose by the reinterpretation of final e of inflected words at the end of the line, preserved by metrical necessity in songs after it had been lost elsewhere. The date of its apparent first attestation would fit this theory. However, the practice of adding metrical padding, e.g. the insertion of a refrain, seems so common in some types of song that this use of the word is perhaps as likely to be conditioned by more general requirements of performance. Compare la int. b and also fa-la n.¹ a. †1. Expressing invocation, surprise, or admiration; (also) used to gain attention. Obsolete. ΚΠ c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 12808 A maȝȝstre icc wat tatt tu full wiss. Arrt godess sune. a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 45 A hwi wepest þu, Paul? c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 5015 A, whet wult þu Brenne? c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) 2 Cor. vi. 11 A! ȝe Corynthis, oure mouth is opyn to ȝou. a1400 R. Rolle Encomium Nominis Iesu (Harl. 1022) in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1895) I. 186 A, þat wondurful name, A, þat delytabul name! a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) l. 481 For 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.’ a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1897–1973) 129 A, gyll, what chere? †2. Expressing pain, grief, reproach, or aversion. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > sorrow or grief > lamentation or expression of grief > cry of grief > [interjection] > specific cry of grief woeeOE wellawayeOE weilac1000 wellawayOE wellaOE woe is meOE wummec1175 wia1200 outa1225 alas?c1225 walec1275 ac1300 whilec1402 ochonea1425 wellesay?1440 wannowec1450 helas1484 ah1509 ocha1522 ah me!a1547 wougha1556 eh1569 welladay1570 how1575 wellanear1581 ay me!1591 lasa1593 wella, welladay1601 good lack!1638 oime1660 pillaloo1663 wellanearing1683 lack-a-day1695 wasteheart1695 walya1724 lackadaisy1748 ochree1748 waesucks1773 well-a-winsa1774 ullagone1819 wirra1825 mavrone1827 wirrasthru1827 ototoi1877 wurra1898 c1300 St. James Great (Harl.) l. 17 in F. J. Furnivall Early Eng. Poems & Lives Saints (1862) 58 A beau frere quaþ þis oþer: strong is þi misdede. 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 92 A god hou hi byeþ foles, and more þanne a best. c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 220 He bleynte and cryde. A. As thogh he stongen weere vn to the herte. c1475 (?c1400) Apol. Lollard Doctr. (1842) 30 A ȝe vniust prestis þorow ȝor bidding þe prest of God stintiþ þe office of blessing. 1485 W. Caxton tr. Paris & Vienne (1957) 23 A veray god I am wel dyscomforted. a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (Harl. 7333) (1879) 2 A! Sir, I knowe welle that my wife is an hore. 1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. xliv. 61 A fayre uncle, your absence hath sette the frenchmen in a pride. 3. Added after the rhyme word at the end of a line in a ballad, song, etc., for metrical reasons. Cf. O int. 3. Now rare. ΚΠ a1500 in R. L. Greene Early Eng. Carols (1935) 85 (MED) Hys modyr hym bare thys yndyrs nyghght, So styll-a, And as yt was hys wyll-a. 1567 Triall of Treasure sig. Diii^v Wherein I doe delight a..To liue still in such plighte a. a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iv. iii. 124 And merrily hent the Stile-a..Your sad tyres in a Mile-a. View more context for this quotation 1654 A. Brome Cunning Lovers iii. i. 37 My lovely Mistris I espi'd as she a milking went a. 1737 Gentleman's Mag. Mar. 181/2 But when the Gallic bloods were warm, And eke their stomachs keen-a. 1884 W. S. Gilbert Princess Ida ii. 32 Would you know the kind of maid Sets my heart a-flame-a? 1911 P. A. Grainger Brigg Fair (rev. ed.) 1 It was on the fift' of August✶er [sic] the weather fine and fair. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online December 2021). aint.² Brit. /eɪ/, /ə/, U.S. /eɪ/, /ə/ Origin: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Or perhaps a borrowing from French. Etymons: a int.¹; French a. Etymology: Origin uncertain and disputed; either a specific use of a int.¹ or < Anglo-Norman and Middle French a (preposition) to, for (see a- prefix⁵; French à).It has also been suggested that this is a specific use of a adj. This appears less likely to be the origin of the word, but evidence seems to show that it was sometimes reinterpreted as a adj. already in the late 16th cent. (compare discussion by G. Langenfelt in Stud. Mod. Sprakvetenskap 19 (1956) 61–8). The three competing etymological theories are summarized and discussed in T. F. Mustanoja Middle Eng. Syntax (1960) I. 633–4. Now archaic. Prefixed to a proper name as a war cry. ΚΠ c1440 (?a1400) Morte Arthure l. 1791 Thane sir Cador þe kene, knyghttly he wyrkez, Cryez ‘A Cornewale’ and castez in fewtere. a1500 (?c1450) Merlin ii. 287 Than thei cried a Clarance with a lowde voyse. 1554 Chron. Queen Jane & Queen Mary (1850) 39 The Londoners thereupon cryed, A Wyat! A Wyat! 1611 J. Speed Hist. Great Brit. ix. xvii. 679 Iohn Clappam an Esquire and seruant to Warwicke displaied his Lords Colours with his white-beare, and from an eminent place cried a Warwicke, a Warwicke. 1808 W. Scott Marmion vi. xxviii. 357 The Border slogan rent the sky: A Home! a Gordon! was the cry. 1881 W. S. Symonds Malvern Chase iv. 56 Before we reached the courtyard we could hear the shouts of ‘A Warwick! a Warwick’ from the stentorian throats of some two hundred troopers. 1908 K. Grahame Wind in Willows xii. 284 Mole, black and grim, brandishing his stick and shouting his awful war-cry, ‘A Mole!, A Mole!’ This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online December 2021). > see also also refers to : a-prefix¹ also refers to : a-prefix² also refers to : a-prefix³ also refers to : a-prefix⁴ also refers to : a-prefix⁵ also refers to : a-prefix⁶ also refers to : -asuffix¹ also refers to : -asuffix² < n.OEpron.a1225adj.?a1160prep.¹OEprep.²c1275conj.?c1335int.¹c1175int.²c1440 see also
随便看	pholcodine pholcoid pholerite pholidolite pholidoses pholidosis pholidote pholidotous pholque phomopsis phon phonaesthematic phonaestheme phonaesthemic phonaesthesia phonaesthesis phonaesthetic phonaesthetically phonal phonascetics phonate phonated phonates phonating phonation

An.

Compounds

Initialisms

apron.

aadj.

aprep.1

aprep.2

† aconj.

aint.1

aint.2

> see also

aprep.¹

aprep.²

aint.¹

aint.²