Word origin
[‹ NL (Linnaeus), equiv. to
a- a-6 + L
jug(
um)
yoke +
-a -a2]-a is a feminine singular ending of nouns borrowed from Latin and Greek, also used inNeo-Latin coinages to Latinize bases of any origin, and as a Latin substitute forthe feminine ending -ē of Greek words. Other words that use the affix -a include: anabaena, cinchona, pachysandra