Word.ws English Dictionary

-a-

-a- interfix: connective interfix used in forming compounds, often no longer carrying a distinct meaning.

Interfix

-a-

  1. Connective interfix used in forming compounds, often no longer carrying a distinct meaning.
    Synonyms:
    o'

Conjunction

-a-

  1. And
    • Chem a laced well-a-fine aread1746, Exmoor Scolding, 3rd edition, section 81
    Synonyms:
    an', n'

Infix (1)

-a-

  1. Connective infix encountered in loanwords and phrases, generally no longer carrying a distinct meaning.

Infix (2)

-a-

  1. Replacing carbon, especially in a ring.

Infix (3)

-a-

  1. A monoclonal antibody derived from a rat.

Synonyms of -a-

Forms of -a-

alternative formà
alternative form-à-

Origin of -a-

From of a (as in half-a-crown) or of (as in jack-a-napes from Middle English Jak of Naples). Some terms have fully incorporated the use, as ragamuffin and jackanape(s); others arise from mistaken assimilation to the form, as all-a-gog and cock-a-leekie.

From earlier a (attested by the 14th c.), as a contraction of and and its various Middle English forms.

From French à (“various prepositions”) and related prepositions in other Romance languages. Also from related misunderstandings, as all-a-mort from French à la morte.

Words formed from -a-

Questions about -a-

What does -a- mean?
-a- means connective interfix used in forming compounds, often no longer carrying a distinct meaning.
What part of speech is -a-?
-a- can be an interfix, a conjunction or an infix.

Words near -a- in the dictionary

  1. -0r
  2. -2
  3. -30-
  4. -4j
  5. -a
  6. -a-
  7. -a-palooza
  8. -a-sauras
  9. -a-saurus
  10. -a-thon
  11. -ab

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: -a- (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “-a-.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/-a-. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.