The older and fuller form of a, now retained only before a vowel sound, as an orator, an honor, an x, an ‘M.P.’; also by most writers before h, and by some even before eu, ū (= yū), in unaccented syllables, as an hyæna, an euphonic change, though many writers, and most speakers, now use a in such positions. An originated as a lighter or stressless pronunciation of the numeral án ‘one’; see above: already by 1150, in midl. dial. it was reduced before a cons. to a; but in the south, the fuller an, even retaining part of its earlier inflected cases, is found as late as 1340. An was often retained before w and y in 15th c., as an wood, an woman, an yere, such an one, and was regular before h down to 17th c., as an house, an happy, an hundred, an head (1665). Its history thus shows a gradual suppression of the n before consonants of all kinds, and in all positions. For illustrations, and signification, see A adj.2
