-a

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /É‘/, /É™/
• GenAm IPA: /É‘/, /É™/

From the homographic Grammatical case endings of the nominative, accusative, and vocative forms of numerous Latin nouns.

Suffix

suffix

1. Plural of -um
2. Plural of -on

Usage notes

Because the regular pluralization in English involves adding -s or -es, English words derived from a Latin where the Latin would pluralize from -on or -um to -a do not always do so in English. Usage of -a instead of -s differs between words: sometimes the two are interchangeable (e.g. memorandums/memoranda, polyhedrons/polyhedra), sometimes one is far more common than the other (e.g. neurons over neura, automata over automatons), and sometimes one is completely absent from usage (e.g. bacteria over bacteriums, dendrons over dendra)

Derived terms

Pronunciation

• GenAm IPA: /æ/
• RP IPA: /æ/

Possibly due to the propensity in some non-rhotic dialects to pronounce words ending in -er as if they ended in an -a.

Full definition of -a

Suffix

1. (Geordie) Same as -er in Standard English.me fatha was a corka burna doon the shipyard — “My father was a corker burner at the shipyard.”
2. (slang) Used to replace -er in nouns.gangsta — “gangster”brotha — “brother”

Pronunciation

• RP enPR: É™, IPA: /É™/
• GenAm IPA: /É™/

Representing the nominative singular case ending of Latin feminine nouns.

Suffix

1. Marks singular nouns, with a foundation in Greek or Latin, often implying femininity, especially when contrasted with words terminating in -us.

Synonyms

• -ess
• -ette
• -euse
• -or
• -rix
• she-

Derived terms

• incuba

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /É™/
• GenAm IPA: /É™/

From Latin -a.

Suffix

1. Changes an element or substance into an oxide.magnesia

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /É™/
• GenAm IPA: /É™/

Shortened version of verb have.

Suffix

1. (slang) Alternative form of -'ve

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /É™/
• GenAm IPA: /É™/

Representing Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish feminine nouns.

Suffix

1. Marks nouns, with a foundation in Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese, implying femininity.

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /É™/
• GenAm IPA: /É™/

Added to lines of poetry and verse to maintain metrics.

Suffix

1. Added for metrical reasons to poetry and verse

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /É™/
• GenAm IPA: /É™/

Shortened version of preposition of.

Suffix

1. (slang) Form of clitic form

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /É™/
• GenAm IPA: /É™/

Shortened version of verb to.

Suffix

1. (informal) To.oughta