How old is the letter A?
The letter A is derived from the Phoenician letter aleph—a western Semitic word referring to the aforementioned beast of burden. Aleph can be traced back to the Middle Bronze Age and the Proto-Sinaitic script found in parts of Egypt and Canaan from around 1850 BCE (Before the Common Era).
Why are there two lowercase A's?
“The TL;DR is that it's basically a historical accident: There were loads of variations of the letter 'a' and one became standard in printing while a less fancy one became standard in handwriting, presumably because people are lazy when they have to do things by hand,” writes Reddit user F0sh.
What is special about letter A?
It is similar in shape to the Ancient Greek letter alpha, from which it derives. The uppercase version consists of the two slanting sides of a triangle, crossed in the middle by a horizontal bar. The lowercase version can be written in two forms: the double-storey a and single-storey ɑ.
What language has æ?
Æ (lowercase: æ) is a character formed from the letters a and e, originally a ligature representing the Latin diphthong ae. It has been promoted to the status of a letter in some languages, including Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese. It was also used in Old Swedish before being changed to ä.
What is the a called?
A with tilde (majuscule: Ã, minuscule: ã) is a letter of the Latin alphabet formed by addition of the tilde diacritic over the letter A. It is used in Portuguese, Guaraní, Kashubian, Taa, Aromanian, and Vietnamese.
What is the fancy G called?
It's like the G in the Arial font, and the researchers call this one “opentail.” The other one, called “looptail,” is the kind you see in a font like Times New Roman: two circles, connected by a line on the left side.
Whats the letter A stand for?
As the first letter in the English alphabet, the letter A has become associated with beginnings. In the symbolism of vowels, it's regarded as a symbol of affirmation and beginnings, with the belief that the alphabet is a structure comparable to the universe itself.
How popular is the letter A?
The frequency of the letters of the alphabet in EnglishE11.1607%15.36A8.4966%15.31R7.5809%12.59I7.5448%10.56O7.1635%9.248 more rows
Who invented the letter A?
Back to the Phoenicians The Phoenicians lived near what we now call the Middle East. They invented an alphabet with 22 consonants and no vowels (A, E, I, O or U). Vowels only became part of the alphabet much later.
What is the Ü symbol called?
U-umlautU-umlaut. A glyph, U with umlaut, appears in the German alphabet. It represents the umlauted form of u, which results in [yː] when long and [ʏ] when short. The letter is collated together with U, or as UE.
What language uses Ü?
Pronouncing the umlaut Ü The last umlaut in the German language is the Ü. Similar to the Ö, there is no sound in the English language which is the equivalent of this umlaut.
What is a called?
Angstrom/circle (å) The symbol Å or å is a letter that appears in the alphabets of some Scandinavian languages, such as Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian. In English, this symbol is used to represent the angstrom, a unit of measurement named after Swedish physicist Anders Jonas Ångström.
What are the two types of lowercase a called?
(The letter “A” also has two lower case forms: The so-called one-story a, or a circle with a vertical line on its right side, and the two-story a, or a lower loop with a leftward pointing arch atop it. It's that one that is commonly used in printed text.
Is a same as a?
It represents the umlauted form of a [aː] ([a] when short), resulting in [ɛː] (or [eː] for many speakers) in the case of the long [aː] and [ɛ] in the case of the short [a]. In German, it is called Ä (pronounced [ɛː]) or Umlaut-A.
What is this symbol called a?
The Letter Ä With Two Dots Is an Umlaut. If you've ever wondered what those two dots above an “ä” are about, they're generally called umlauts. Particularly common in German, they're used to modify the suggested pronunciation of the letter a.
Which lowercase a is correct?
To answer your question simply: The proper (or at least normal) way to write "a" in handwriting is to write it "ɑ" without the arc above the loop. The two ways to write lower-case a are called double-storey A (a) and single-storey A (ɑ). Single-storey is used for italics in most fonts.
What is the initial of azole?
perhaps from -a- in ring compounds such as thiazole (in which -a- is the initial of azole)
What does "h" mean in the dictionary?
h —used before the name of a person (such as a famous artist) when the name is being used to refer to something (such as a painting) created by that person Her violin is a Stradivarius. i —used before a family name to show that someone is a member of that family To be a Kennedy is to lead two lives …. — Margaret Carlson.
What does "I" mean before a family name?
i —used before a family name to show that someone is a member of that family To be a Kennedy is to lead two lives … — Margaret Carlson
What type of letter is A?
Typographic variants. Different glyphs of the lowercase letter A. During Roman times, there were many variant forms of the letter "A". First was the monumental or lapidary style, which was used when inscribing on stone or other "permanent" media.
What does capital A mean in geometry?
are used to denote segments, lines, rays, etc. A capital A is also typically used as one of the letters to represent an angle in a triangle, the lowercase a representing the side opposite angle A.
What is the Roman form?
The Roman form is used in most printed material; it consists of a small loop with an arc over it ("a"). Both derive from the majuscule (capital) form. In Greek handwriting, it was common to join the left leg and horizontal stroke into a single loop, as demonstrated by the uncial version shown.
What is the first letter of the alphabet?
t. e. A, or a , is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet. Its name in English is a (pronounced / ˈeɪ / ), plural aes. It is similar in shape to the Ancient Greek letter alpha, from which it derives.
Who invented the convention of representing unknowns in equations by x, y, and z?
Moreover, in 1637, René Descartes "invented the convention of representing unknowns in equations by x, y, and z, and knowns by a, b, and c", and this convention is still often followed, especially in elementary algebra. In geometry, capital A, B, C etc. are used to denote segments, lines, rays, etc.
What is italic script?
The Italic form, also called script a, is used in most current handwriting and consists of a circle and vertical stroke.
What does "a" mean in a sentence?
any spoken sound represented by the letter A or a, as in bake, hat, father, or small.
What is a reduced, unstressed form of auxiliary?
a reduced, unstressed form of auxiliary have following some modals, as might, should, could, would, and must (usually written as part of a single, unhyphenated word): We shoulda gone.
What is the word before a consonant sound?
Before a consonant sound, a is used; before a vowel sound, an : a book, a rose; an apple, an opera. Problems arise occasionally when the following word begins with a vowel letter but actually starts with a consonant sound, or vice versa.
What does "grade" mean in music?
the first in order or in a series. Sometimes a . (in some grading systems) a grade or mark, as in school or college, indicating the quality of a student's work as excellent or superior. (in some school systems) a symbol designating the first semester of a school year. Music.
What is the first letter of the English alphabet?
the first letter of the English alphabet, a vowel. any spoken sound represented by the letter A or a, as in bake, hat, father, or small. a written or printed representation of the letter A or a. a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter A or a.
What is the meaning of "a major blood group"?
a major blood group, usually enabling a person whose blood is of this type to donate blood to persons of group A or AB and to receive blood from persons of O or A.Compare ABO system.
What does "indefinitely" mean?
indefinitely or nonspecifically (used with adjectives expressing number): a great many years; a few stars.
What does "a" mean in the dictionary?
Not to be confused with Å (disambiguation). Look up A in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. A is the first letter of the Latin and English alphabet. A may also refer to:
Who is the author of A?
Books. "A", a major poem by twentieth century author Louis Zukofsky. a, A Novel, by twentieth century artist Andy Warhol. A, the name of the Fourth Raikage, the leader of Kumogakure in the Naruto manga series. A ( Pretty Little Liars), the main antagonist in the Pretty Little Liars book and TV series.
What is the romanized name of the Hiragana syllable?
A (cuneiform), the romanized name of a cuneiform sign. A (Cyrillic) (A or а), the first letter of the Cyrillic alphabet. A (kana) (or a), the romanized name of the Hiragana syllable letter あ and of the Katakana syllable letter ア used in Japanese, which may also be used to represent Asia.
What is a Ford Model A?
Ford Model A, a name used by two separate cars produced by the Ford Motor Company: Ford Model A (1903–04) Ford Model A (1927–31) Geometry A, an electric mid-size sedan by Geely Auto.
What is the name of the TV show with the character A?
A, the main antagonist and unknown character of the show Pretty Little Liars. "A" ( The Walking Dead), an episode of the television series The Walking Dead. A, code name of Ange, the main protagonist of the anime show Princess Principal.
What is the name of the short film about a Buddhist sect called?
A (1998 Kannada film), an Indian movie directed by Upendra. A (1998 Japanese film), a documentary film about a Buddhist sect called "A". A (2002 film), a British documentary film.
What is the symbol for Mills' constant?
Universal affirmative, one of the four types of categorical proposition in logic. Mills' constant is represented by the symbol A . Glaisher–Kinkelin constant is also often represented by the symbol A.
Definition and Usage
The <a> tag defines a hyperlink, which is used to link from one page to another.
Tips and Notes
Tip: If the <a> tag has no href attribute, it is only a placeholder for a hyperlink.
Overview
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the modern English alphabet and the ISO basic Latin alphabet. Its name in English is a , plural aes. It is similar in shape to the Ancient Greek letter alpha, from which it derives. The uppercase version consists of the two slanting sides of a triangle, crossed in the middle by a horizontal bar. The lowercase version can be written in two forms: the double-storey a and single-storey ɑ. The latter is commonly used in handwriting and fonts base…
History
The earliest certain ancestor of "A" is aleph (also written 'aleph), the first letter of the Phoenician alphabet, which consisted entirely of consonants (for that reason, it is also called an abjad to distinguish it from a true alphabet). In turn, the ancestor of aleph may have been a pictogram of an ox head in proto-Sinaitic script influenced by Egyptian hieroglyphs, styled as a triangular head with two …
Use in writing systems
In modern English orthography, the letter ⟨a⟩ represents at least seven different vowel sounds:
• the near-open front unrounded vowel /æ/ as in pad;
• the open back unrounded vowel /ɑː/ as in father, which is closer to its original Latin and Greek sound;
Other uses
In algebra, the letter a along with various other letters of the alphabet is often used to denote a variable, with various conventional meanings in different areas of mathematics. Moreover, in 1637, René Descartes "invented the convention of representing unknowns in equations by x, y, and z, and knowns by a, b, and c", and this convention is still often followed, especially in elementary algebra.
Related characters
• Æ æ : Latin AE ligature
• A with diacritics: Å å Ǻ ǻ Ḁ ḁ ẚ Ă ă Ặ ặ Ắ ắ Ằ ằ Ẳ ẳ Ẵ ẵ Ȃ ȃ Â â Ậ ậ Ấ ấ Ầ ầ Ẫ ẫ Ẩ ẩ Ả ả Ǎ ǎ Ⱥ ⱥ Ȧ ȧ Ǡ ǡ Ạ ạ Ä ä Ǟ ǟ À à Ȁ ȁ Á á Ā ā Ā̀ ā̀ Ã ã Ą ą Ą́ ą́ Ą̃ ą̃ A̲ a̲ ᶏ
• Phonetic alphabet symbols related to A (the International Phonetic Alphabet only uses lowercase, but uppercase forms are used in some other writing systems):
Use as a number
In the hexadecimal (base 16) numbering system, A is a number that corresponds to the number 10 in decimal (base 10) counting.
External links
• History of the Alphabet
• Texts on Wikisource: