an

an¹

/euhn/; when stressed /an/, indefinite article.

the form of a before an initial vowel sound (an arch; an honor) and sometimes, esp. in British English, before an initial unstressed syllable beginning with a silent or weakly pronounced h: an historian.

[bef. 950; ME; OE an ONE in a weakened sense]

Usage. See a¹.

an²

/euhn/; when stressed /an/, conj.

1. Pron. Spelling. and.

2. Archaic. if.

Also, an', 'n, 'n'.

[1125-75; ME, unstressed phonetic var. of AND]

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