-a

Meaning

1. plural of -um
2. plural of -on
3. Marks singular nouns, with a foundation in Greek or Latin, often implying femininity, especially when contrasted with words terminating in -us.
4. Changes an element or substance into an oxide.
5. Marks nouns, with a foundation in Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese, implying femininity.
6. Added for metrical reasons to songs, poetry and verse, or as an empty filler syllable to other speech.
7. Alternative form of 've.
8. Clitic form of o' (contraction of of).
9. to (infinitive marker)
10. do (infinitive marker)
11. Pronunciation spelling of -er (the agent noun suffix).
12. Pronunciation spelling of -er (the colloquial clipping suffix).

Etymology / origin

Learned borrowing from Latin -a (nominative second declension neuter plural suffix), plural counterpart to -um (nominative second declension neuter singular suffix).

Related words

Sources

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