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-а. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
-а, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
-а in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
-а you have here. The definition of the word
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-а, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Belarusian
Alternative forms
Etymology 1
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-ьje. Variant used after non-palatalizable consonants.
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Suffix
-а • (-a)
- Alternative form of -е (-je); used after ш, ч, ж formed as a result of the Slavic first palatalization, as well as sometimes after р.
- па- (pa-, “across, along”) + грані́ца (hraníca, “border”) + -а (-a) → паграні́чча (pahraníčča, “region along the border”)
- за- (za-) + ці́хі (cíxi, “quiet, still”) + -а (-a) → заці́шша (zacíšša, “lull, calm”)
- без- (bjez-, “without”) + даро́га (daróha, “path”) + -а (-a) → бездаро́жжа (bjezdaróžža, “impassibility”)
- па- (pa-) + ве́цер (vjécjer, “wind”) + -а (-a) → паве́тра (pavjétra, “air”)
Usage notes
- Syllable stress is usually drawn onto the syllable before the suffix.
Etymology 2
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-a, from Proto-Indo-European *-ōd, the thematic ablative ending.
Alternative forms
- -я (-ja) — used for nouns ending in -ь
Pronunciation
Suffix
-а • (-a)
- Forms the genitive singular of most masculine and neuter nouns.
- дом (dom, “building”) + -а (-a) → до́ма (dóma, “of a/the building, a/the building's”)
- крыло́ (kryló, “wing”) + -а (-a) → крыла́ (krylá, “of a/the wing, a/the wing's”)
- Forms the count form of some nouns.
Derived terms
Chuvash
Etymology 1
Suffix
-а • (-a) (front vowel variant -е)
- Forms agent nouns: -er, -or
- пӑх (păh, “to look”) + -а (-a) → пӑха (păh̬a, “supervisor”)
- Forms instrument nouns by means of which the action is performed
- пӑр (păr, “to turn”) + -а (-a) → пӑра (păra, “drill”)
- Forms resultative nouns
- вит (vit, “to cover”) + -а (-a) → вите (vit̬e, “stable”)
- Forms nouns of location
- ҫарат (śarat, “to clear”) + -а (-a) → ҫарата (śarat̬a, “meadow”)
Etymology 2
Suffix
-а • (-a) (front vowel variant -е)
- (non-productive) Forms diminutives
- ҫӳҫ (śüś, “hair”) + -а (-a) → ҫӳҫе (śüś̬e, “fringe”)
- мӑй (măj, “neck”) + -а (-a) → мӑя (măja, “necklace”)
Komi-Zyrian
Pronunciation
Suffix
-а • (-a) (soft stem variant -я)
- Used to form nouns describing the quality of an adjective; -ness
- Used to form adjectives having a characteristic of a noun; -like, -ly
- Used to form postpositions measuring the preceding noun in the quality of an adjective; as ... as
Derived terms
References
- Bubrikh, Dmitry V. (1949) Грамматика литературного коми языка [Grammar of the literary Komi language] (in Russian), Leningrad: Zhdanov Leningrad State University, page 61
Russian
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Alternative forms
- -я (-ja) — used after a soft consonant
Suffix
-а • (-a)
- Noun-forming suffix used to form diminutives of proper names; used after a hard (unpalatalized) consonant.
Etymology 2
From early Proto-Slavic *-ja.
Alternative forms
Suffix
-а • (-a)
- Noun-forming suffix used to form abstract nouns and agent nouns from prefixed stems ending in a consonant that becomes a hushing consonant (ш ж ч щ) when iotated. The final consonant of the stem is iotated before this suffix.
- по- (po-) + клад- (klad-, “to lay, to put”) + -а (-a) → покла́жа (pokláža, “load”)
- пропа́д- (propád-, “to disappear”) + -а (-a) → пропа́жа (propáža, “disappearance, loss”)
- пред- (pred-, “before”) + тек- (tek-, “to flow”) + -а (-a) → предте́ча (predtéča, “forerunner, precursor”)
- переда́т- (peredát-, “to broadcast”) + -а (-a) → переда́ча (peredáča, “broadcast”)
Declension
Etymology 3
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-a.
Alternative forms
Suffix
-а • (-a)
- Noun-forming suffix used to form abstract nouns and agent nouns from prefixed stems. The final consonant of the stem is not iotated before this suffix.
- про- (pro-) + сек- (sek-, “to cut”) + -а (-a) → про́сека (próseka, “path cleared in a forest”)
- от- (ot-) + рад (rad, “glad”) + -а (-a) → отра́да (otráda, “joy”)
Declension
Derived terms
Serbo-Croatian
Etymology 1
Suffix
-а (Latin spelling -a)
- Suffix appended to words (usually verbal stems) to create a feminine noun, usually denoting a relation or to form a proper noun.
Etymology 2
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-a, from Proto-Indo-European *-ōd, the thematic ablative ending.
Suffix
-а (Latin spelling -a)
- Forms the genitive singular of masculine and neuter nouns and indefinite adjectives.
Ukrainian
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Inherited from Old Ruthenian -а (-a), from Old East Slavic -а (-a), from Proto-Slavic *-a.
Suffix
-а • (-a)
- used to form feminine deverbal nouns denoting a result, process or an abstract concept
- загати́ти pf (zahatýty, “to dam up”) + -а (-a) → зага́та f (zaháta, “dam”)
- змогти́ pf (zmohtý, “to be able to, to manage to”) + -а (-a) → змо́га f (zmóha, “ability, possibility, opportunity”)
- сплати́ти pf (splatýty, “to pay”) + -а (-a) → спла́та f (spláta, “pay, payment”)
- послужи́ти pf (poslužýty, “to serve”) + -а (-a) → по́слуга f (pósluha, “service”)
- позичи́ти pf (pozyčýty, “to borrow, to lend”) + -а (-a) → по́зика f (pózyka, “loan”)
- used to form gender neutral nouns denoting a person characterized by the root word
- не- (ne-, “not”) + чепури́тися impf (čepurýtysja, “to smarten oneself up, to preen”) + -а (-a) → нечепу́ра gender-neutral (nečepúra, “a slovenly/unkempt person”)
- при- (pry-) + ве́ред m (véred, “whim, caprice”) + -а (-a) → привере́да gender-neutral (pryveréda, “a picky/capricious person”)
- нікче́м(ний) (nikčém(nyj), “good-for-nothing, worthless, insignificant”) + -а (-a) → нікче́ма gender-neutral (nikčéma, “good-for-nothing, looser, zero, nonentity, crumb”)
- used to form feminine counterparts of masculine nouns
- ону́к, вну́к m (onúk, vnúk, “grandson”) + -а (-a) → ону́ка, вну́ка f (onúka, vnúka, “granddaughter”)
- по- (po-) + друг m (druh, “male friend”) + -а (-a) → по́друга f (pódruha, “female friend”)
- раб m (rab, “male slave”) + -а (-a) → раба́ f (rabá, “female slave”)
Usage notes
Etymology 2
Inherited from Old Ruthenian -а (-a), from Old East Slavic -а (-a), from Proto-Slavic *-ja.
Alternative forms
- -я (-ja) — after consonants other than ч ж ш щ
Suffix
-а • (-a)
- Alternative form of -я (-ja) used after ч ж ш щ
- зада́ти pf (zadáty, “to assign, to raise (question)”) + -я (-ja) → зада́ча f (zadáča, “task, problem”)
- огороди́ти pf (ohorodýty, “to fence in, to enclose”) + -я (-ja) → огоро́жа f (ohoróža, “fence”)
- пло́ский (plóskyj, “flat”) + -я (-ja) → пло́ща f (plóšča, “square”)
- ти́хий (týxyj, “quiet, silent”) + -я (-ja) → ти́ша f (týša, “silence, quietness”)
- утекти́ pf (utektý, “to flee, to escape”) + -я (-ja) → уте́ча f (utéča, “flight, run”)
Etymology 3
Inherited from Old Ruthenian -а (-a), from Old East Slavic -а (-a), from Proto-Slavic *-ę.
Alternative forms
- -я (-ja) — after consonants other than ч ж ш щ
Suffix
-а • (-a)
- Alternative form of -я (-ja) used after ч ж ш щ
- ку́рка f (kúrka, “chicken”) + -я (-ja) → курча́ n (kurčá, “chick”)
- верблю́д m (verbljúd, “camel”) + -я (-ja) → верблюжа́ n (verbljužá, “camel calf”)
- ведмі́дь m (vedmídʹ, “bear”) + -я (-ja) → ведмежа́ n (vedmežá, “bear cub”)
Derived terms