æ

Symbol

1. (chiefly archaic) A ligature of vowels a and e.

Usage notes

Normally used for words of either Ancient Greek or Latin origin.

Uncommon in modern times.

Often absent in American English (reduced to e) whenever it has the sound /ɛ/ (SAMPA /E/) or /iː/ (SAMPA /i:/), but sometimes retained (in this form, or as ae) when it has a different sound, as in formulæ/formulae.

Anagrams

• EA, Ea, ea, ea.