the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
An
King James Dictionary
or AN, a. L. unus, una, unum Gr.
One noting an individual, either definitely, known, certain, specified, or understood or indefinitely, not certain, known, or specified. Definitely, as "Noah built an ark of Gopher wood." "Paul was an eminent apostle." Indefinitely, as "Bring me an orange." Before a consonant the letter n is dropped, as a man but our ancestors wrote an man, an king. This letter represents an definitely, or indefinitely. Definitely, as "I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God." Exodus 6 . Indefinitely, as "the province of a judge is to decide controversies." An being the same word as one, should not be used with it "such an one" is tautology the true phrase is such one. Although an, a and one, are the same word, and always have the same sense, yet by custom, an and a are used exclusively as a definite adjective, and one is used in numbering. Where our ancestors wrote an, twa, thry, we now use one, two, three. So an and a are never used except with a noun but one like other adjectives, is sometimes used without its noun, and as a substitute for it "one is at a loss to assign a reason for such conduct."
AN, in old English authors, signifies if as, "an it please your honor." Gr. L. an, if or whether. It is probably an imperative, like if, gif, give.
Dictionary of Words from the King James Bible. Public Domain. Copy freely.
Material presented was supplied by Brandon Staggs and was derived from the KJV Dictionary found on his website located at av1611.com.
The unabridged 1828 version of this dictionary in the SwordSearcher Bible Software.
Entry for 'An'. King James Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/kjd/a/an.html.
