-a — English Dictionary

Suffix

1. Marks singular nouns, with a foundation in Greek or Latin, often implying femininity, especially when contrasted with words terminating in -us.

   Usage

   • morpheme

2. Changes an element or substance into an oxide.

   Usage

   • morpheme

   Examples

   magnesium + -a → magnesia

Suffix

1. Marks nouns, with a foundation in Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese, implying femininity.

   Usage

   • morpheme

   Examples

   donna

   signora

Suffix

1. Added for metrical reasons to songs, poetry and verse, or as an empty filler syllable to other speech.

   Usage

   • morpheme

   Examples

   A merry heart goes all the day Your sad tires in a mile-a

   I love to sing-a / about the moon-a and the June-a and the spring-a, / I love to sing-a / about a sky of blue-a, or a tea for two-a.

   More examples (3)

   I wanna wanna wanna wanna wanna wanna really wanna be just like the Lord So every day Im gonna gonna read the Book and rest upon-a God's own holy Word Of good in me there's none-a none-a that's okay because I'm gonna trust upon the work that's done-a on the Cross and Jesus is the one-a one-a God the Father's Son-a Son-a and my sin He cures!

   Buying bread from a man in Brussels He was six-foot-four and full of muscle I said, "Do you speak-a my language?" He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich […]

   "I'm-a tell-a you why you better be. I named you in my will, Franco."

Suffix

1. to (infinitive marker)

   Usage

   • Informal
   • morpheme

   Examples

   oughta

   wanna

   More examples (2)

   gotta

   gonna

Suffix

1. do (infinitive marker)

   Usage

   • Informal
   • morpheme

   Examples

   whatta

   Yeah, Flav, I'm tired of them dissing brothers in the P.E. out there, we got to do something about this/(What-a we do? What-a we do?)