From Middle English and Old English upper case letter A and split of Middle English and Old English upper case letter Æ.
* The Old English letters A and Æ replaced the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letters ᚪ (a, “āc”) and ᚫ (æ, “æsc”), derived from the Runic letter ᚫ (a, “Ansuz”), in the 7th century.
Meanings
(number, uppercase) The first numeral symbol of the English alphabet, called a and written in the Latin script.
From Middle English and Old English upper case letter A and split of Middle English and Old English upper case letter Æ.
* The Old English letters A and Æ replaced the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letters ᚪ (a, “āc”) and ᚫ (æ, “æsc”), derived from the Runic letter ᚫ (a, “Ansuz”), in the 7th century.
Meanings
(letter, uppercase) The first letter of the English alphabet, called a and written in the Latin script.
Apple starts with A.
Boxer could not get beyond the letter D. He would trace out A, B, C, D, in the dust with his great hoof […] 1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC:
et Ä (äss) (playing card) · pt A (ás) (playing card) · da E (es) (playing card) · fr A (playing card) · sv E (ess) (playing card) · nl A (aas) (playing card) · is A (playing card) · ru Т (playing card) · it A (playing card) · de A (playing card) · pl A (playing card)
A en · SYM · etymology 2
Etymology
* (highest rank, grade, music): From the initial position of the letter A in the English alphabet.
* (blood type): From A antigen
Meanings
A rank, normally the highest rank, on any of various scales that assign letters.
The only standard brassiere cup size smaller than the A cup is the AA cup.
In the UK, the highest social grade is A – upper middle class.
We assign each item inspected a rating from A through G, depending on various factors.
The highest letter grade assigned (disregarding plusses and minuses).
Darcy's pretty sharp. She pulls A's. 1999, W. Peter Iliff, Varsity Blues, spoken by Mox (James Van Der Beek):
I was so happy to get an A on that test.
A tone three fifths above C in the cycle of fifths; the sixth tone of the C major scale; the first note of the minor scale of A minor; the reference tone that occurs at exactly 440 Hz; the printed or written note A; the scale with A as its keynote.
Orchestras traditionally tune to a concert A.
A blood type that has a specific antigen that aggravates the immune response in people with type B antigen in their blood. People with this blood type may receive blood from type A or type O but cannot receive blood from AB or B.
My blood type is A negative.
Mass number.
A universal affirmative suggestion.
(abbreviation, alt-of, historical) Abbreviation of adulterer or adulteress, used as a human brand.
Hester Prynne, the historical character in The Scarlet Letter, was exposed and convicted by neighborhood gossip. [...] Gossip continues to brand some young ladies in small towns with this symbolic letter, but in our larger cities one rarely sees young ladies branded with an "A". 1966 July 30, Ralph McGill, “Today's students aim for humanistic values”, in Latrobe Bulletin, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, page 6:
Allele dominant.
(US, alt-of, alternative) Alternative spelling of A.M. and AM (“ante meridiem”).
A level (Rank or size) · grade A (Rank or size) · A-sharp ((music) tone three fifths above C) · A cup (Rank or size) · A-flat ((music) tone three fifths above C) · A1 (Rank or size) · concert A ((music) tone three fifths above C) · AB (Blood type) · straight A's (Letter grade) · triple A (Rank or size) · A major ((music) tone three fifths above C) · A-minor ((music) tone three fifths above C) · double A (Rank or size) · AAA (Rank or size) · A team (Rank or size) · A negative (Blood type) · A minus (Letter grade) · A game (Rank or size) · A-list (Rank or size) · AA (Rank or size) · A-game (Rank or size) · A positive (Blood type) · A plus (Letter grade)