æ

See also: Æ, æ-, -æ, ӕ, ǽ, ǣ, ᴂ, ᵆ, Appendix:Variations of "a", Appendix:Variations of "e", and Appendix:Variations of "ae"

æ U+00E6, æ LATIN SMALL LETTER AE ← å [U+00E5] Latin-1 Supplement ç → [U+00E7]

Character variations

𐞃 U+10783, 𐞃 MODIFIER LETTER SMALL AE ← 𐞂 [U+10782] Latin Extended-F 𐞄 → [U+10784]

Translingual

Pronunciation

• IPA:

  (file)

Symbol

æ

1. (IPA) a near-open front unrounded vowel.
2. (superscript ⟨𐞃⟩, IPA) [æ]-coloring or a weak, fleeting, epenthetic or echo [æ].

See also

• SAMPA equivalent: {
• æ-tensing
• ᴂ

English

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• enPR: ē, ĕ
• IPA^(key): /iː/, /ɛ/

Letter

æ (lower case, upper case Æ, plural æs or æ's)

1. (chiefly dated) The letter ash, a ligature of vowels a and e.

   Synonyms: ae, e

Usage notes

• Mostly used for words of either Ancient Greek or Latin origin, though also used when referencing Old English texts or using recently derived Old English loanwords.
• The ligature was common in words like mediæval, dæmon, etc., but became rare or archaizing by the mid 20th century. Nowadays, it is typically separated as ae in Commonwealth English, or replaced by e in American English.

Etymology 2

The ITA æ may be written as a linked a and e.

Letter

æ

1. (ITA) The FACE vowel.

Usage notes

The capital form, when used at all, is created by increasing the type size of the lowercase.

See also

• ash
• œ
• Appendix:English pronunciation

Anagrams

• .ae, EA, Ea, ea, ea.

Comox

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [æ]

Letter

æ (no case)

1. A letter of the Comox alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) a, æ, aw, ay, ɔ, č, č̓, e, ɛ, ə, əw, əy, g, gʸ, h, i, ɩ, j, k, k̓, kʷ, k̓ʷ, kʸ, k̓ʸ, l, l̓, ɬ, ƛ, ƛ̓, m, m̓, n, n̓, o, ɔy, p, p̓, q, q̓, qʷ, q̓ʷ, s, š, t, t̓, θ, tᶿ, t̓ᶿ, u, ʊ, w, w̓, ꭓ, ꭓʷ, x, xʷ, y, y̓, ʔ, ꞉

Danish

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛː/, [ɛːˀ]

Letter

æ (lower case, upper case Æ)

1. Antepenultimate letter of the Danish alphabet.

Inflection

Declension of æ

neuter gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	æ	æ'et	æ'er	æ'erne
genitive	æ's	æ'ets	æ'ers	æ'ernes

See also

• (Latin-script letters) bogstav; A a (Á á), B b, C c, D d, E e (É é), F f, G g, H h, I i (Í í), J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o (Ó ó), P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u (Ú ú), V v, W w, X x, Y y (Ý ý), Z z, Æ æ (Ǽ ǽ), Ø ø (Ǿ ǿ), Å å

References

• “æ” in Den Danske Ordbog

Etymology 2

From Old Danish thæn (Modern Danish den).

Article

æ

1. (dialectal) the (definite article)

Further reading

• “æ” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Faroese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛa/
• Homophones: a, A
• Rhymes: -ɛaː

Letter

æ (lower case, upper case Æ)

1. The twenty-eighth letter of the Faroese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) bókstavur; A a, Á á, B b, D d, Рð, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, Í í, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, Ó ó, P p, R r, S s, T t, U u, Ú ú, V v, Y y, Ý ý, Æ æ, Ø ø

French

Pronunciation

• (letter name) IPA^(key): /ø dɑ̃ l‿a/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Letter

æ (lower case, upper case Æ)

1. Ligature of the letters a and e

   Synonym: e dans l'a

German

Symbol

æ n (lower case, upper case Æ)

1. obsolete form of ä (used, alongside other graphemes, until ca. 1700, since then very rarely).

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈaiː] (letter name; context pronunciation; interjection; adverb)

Etymology 1

Letter

æ (lower case, upper case Æ)

1. The thirty-first letter of the Icelandic alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) bókstafur; A a, Á á, B b, D d, Рð, E e, É é, F f, G g, H h, I i, Í í, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, Ó ó, P p, R r, S s, T t, U u, Ú ú, V v, X x, Y y, Ý ý, Þ þ, Æ æ, Ö ö

Etymology 2

Interjection

æ

1. ah!, oh!

   Æ, já nú man ég! ― Ah, now I remember!

2. indicating annoyance

   Æ, hvað heitir lagið aftur? ― Remind me again, what that song's called?

   Æææ, ég er kominn með bólu. ― Darn it, I have a zit.

3. indicating compassion; alas

   Æ, það er leitt að heyra. ― That's sad to hear.

   Æ, því miður. ― Unfortunately not.

4. indicating affection; aww!

   Æææ, en sætt! ― Aww, how cute!

5. indicating pain; ouch!, ow!

   Synonyms: ái, áts, á

   Æ! Hann beit mig! ― Ouch! He bit me!

Usage notes

Can be arbitrarily lengthened and written as ææ, æææ and so on.

Etymology 3

Inherited from Old Norse æ.

Adverb

æ

1. always, forever

Synonyms

• ætíð
• um aldur og ævi

Derived terms

• sí og æ (“always, for ever and ever”)

Jutish

Etymology

From Old Norse ek.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æ/

Pronoun

æ

1. (Fjolde) I (first-person singular pronoun)

References

• “æ” in Anders Bjerrum and Marie Bjerrum (1974), Ordbog over Fjoldemålet, Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag.

Kawésqar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æ/

Letter

æ (lower case, upper case Æ)

1. A letter of the Kawésqar alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Latin

Letter

æ (lower case, upper case Æ)

1. Ligature of vowels a and e.

   Synonyms: ae, ę

Ligurian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛː/

Verb

æ

1. second-person singular present indicative of avéi: you have (singular)

Middle English

Noun

æ

1. (Early Middle English, Ormulum) alternative form of ee

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From the Latin ligature ⟨æ⟩, formed by joining ⟨a⟩ and ⟨e⟩. The Latin sequence ⟨ae⟩ originally represented a diphthong but later developed a monophthongal pronunciation, allowing the joined character to be associated with a single front vowel.

The character was adopted with the Latin alphabet into medieval Scandinavian writing and used to represent native front unrounded vowels. In Danish and Norwegian, ⟨Æ, æ⟩ became established as an independent letter rather than merely a typographical ligature. Swedish and German instead developed the corresponding letter ⟨Ä, ä⟩, originally formed with a small ⟨e⟩ written above ⟨a⟩.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æː
• Homophone: Æ
• Hyphenation: æ

Letter

æ (lower case, upper case Æ)

1. The twenty-seventh letter of the Norwegian Bokmål alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Noun

æ m (definite singular æ-en, indefinite plural æ-er, definite plural æ-ene)

1. The lowercase form of Æ, the twenty-seventh letter of the Norwegian Bokmål alphabet, written in the Latin script and placed between z and ø.

   Ordet skrives med liten æ. ― The word is written with a lowercase æ.

2. the front unrounded vowel sound represented by the letter, especially long /æː/ or short /æ/

   Ordet uttales med lang æ. ― The word is pronounced with a long æ sound.

   • 2000, Karin Sveen, Klassereise: et livshistorisk essay, page 188:

     mitt eget språks brede æ’er, som nå lød både fælt og bæsjete

     the broad æ sounds of my own language, which now sounded both awful and dirty

Usage notes

• Although ⟨Æ, æ⟩ originated as a ligature of ⟨A, a⟩ and ⟨E, e⟩, it is treated as a separate letter in Norwegian and is not alphabetized as ⟨AE, ae⟩.
• The letter is alphabetized after ⟨Z, z⟩ and before ⟨Ø, ø⟩.
• Before ⟨r⟩, the letter generally represents /æ(ː)/. In many other environments, its pronunciation may coincide with that of ⟨e⟩ as /ɛ/ or /eː/, although this varies between dialects.
• Danish also uses ⟨Æ, æ⟩, while Swedish and German normally use the corresponding letter ⟨Ä, ä⟩.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) bokstav; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z, Æ æ, Ø ø, Å å

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Norse ek (“I”), from Proto-Germanic *ek (“I”), from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂óm (“I”). The form represents dialectal developments in which the final consonant disappeared and the vowel developed into /æː/. The related form æg (“I”) retains the final consonant.

Compare Norwegian Nynorsk eg, Icelandic ég, Faroese eg, Swedish jag, Danish jeg, English I and German ich (“I”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æː/
• Rhymes: -æː
• Hyphenation: æ

Pronoun

æ

1. (dialectal, Trøndelag, Northern Norway, parts of Southern Norway) I; first-person singular subject pronoun

   Synonyms: jeg, eg

   • 1914, Sigrid Undset, Vaaren, page 31:

     æ vi’tte reise me’n

     I don't want to travel with him

   • 1949, Kirsten Bergh, Elisabeth Lorck, page 26:

     æ skit mæ ikke ut! skrek barnet

     “I'm not making a fool of myself!” shouted the child.

Usage notes

• The form is principally used when writing dialectal speech. Standard Bokmål normally uses jeg (“I”).
• The related form æg (“I”) occurs in some dialects, while the corresponding object form is commonly mæ (“me”) or mæg (“me”).

Etymology 3

A sound-symbolic and rhyming taunt, usually used together with bæ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æː/
• Rhymes: -æː
• Hyphenation: æ

Interjection

æ

1. (childish, usually humorous) a teasing exclamation expressing schadenfreude at another person's mistake or misfortune, or triumph at having been proved right

   æ bæ! — a mocking or triumphant “ha-ha!”

   Synonyms: bæ, erta berta

   • 1847–1868, Halfdan Kjerulf, Av hans efterladte papirer, page 76:

     Asbjørnsen giver en bog til juul, og deri komme ogsaa nogle ting av mig – fra Island – æ bæ!

     Asbjørnsen is publishing a book for Christmas, and it will also contain some things by me—from Iceland—ha-ha!

   • 1969, Glåmdalen, number 57, page 4, column 7:

     foreløpig kan hyttebåteierne peke æ-bæ og lang nese til de som laget og vedtok strandloven

     for the time being, the owners of cabin boats can mock those who drafted and passed the Shore Act

Etymology 4

A sound-symbolic utterance; a spelling variant of æh.

Alternative forms

• æh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æː/
• Rhymes: -æː
• Homophone: æh
• Hyphenation: æ

Interjection

æ

1. an exclamation expressing open-mouthed surprise or astonishment; huh, ah
   • 1918, Sigrid Undset, De kloge jomfruer, page 98:

     Julius maapet … «Æh –». Julius flyttet sig i sætet. Han blev mørkerød i hodet. «Aa det naa» – sa han fort

     Julius stared open-mouthed … “Huh—”. Julius shifted in his seat. He turned dark red. “Oh, that,” he said quickly.

2. a hesitation sound expressing uncertainty or difficulty finding the appropriate words; uh, um

   Synonyms: eh, ehm, øh

   • 1914, Sigrid Undset, Vaaren, page 213:

     De tok et aldeles ufornuftig hensyn til Deres kones – æ – blufærdighet eller hvad jeg skal kalde det

     You showed a completely unreasonable consideration for your wife's—uh—modesty, or whatever I should call it.

   • 1996, Dag Solstad, Professor Andersens natt:

     «Og hvor er det fotografiet nå?» «Æh, det vet jeg ikke.»

     “And where is that photograph now?” “Uh, I don't know.”

3. an exclamation expressing pleasure, enjoyment or satisfaction; ah
   • 1919, Rocambole Pedersen, Den forsvundne pølsemaker, page 10:

     jeg [hørte] et skap … i min mands værelse bli aapnet og umiddelbart efter et klunk i en flaske, efterfulgt av et velbehageligt «æh!»

     I heard a cupboard … in my husband's room being opened and immediately afterwards a gulp from a bottle, followed by a contented “ah!”

References

• “æ” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “æ” in Norwegian Academy Dictionary (NAOB).
• “æh” in Norwegian Academy Dictionary (NAOB).
• “jeg” in Norwegian Academy Dictionary (NAOB).
• “Æ (bokstav)”, Store norske leksikon

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æː/

Etymology 1

Letter

æ (lower case, upper case Æ)

1. The twenty-seventh letter of the Norwegian Nynorsk alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) bokstav; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z, Æ æ, Ø ø, Å å

Noun

æ m (definite singular æ-en, indefinite plural æ-ar, definite plural æ-ane)

1. the letter Æ

Etymology 2

Ultimately from Old Norse ek. In some cases, from earlier æg (which is also still used).

Pronoun

æ (accusative mæ, genitive masculine min, genitive feminine mi, genitive neuter mett or mitt)

1. (dialectal, Trøndelag) alternative form of eg (“first-person singular personal pronoun”)

   - Æ e i A.
   - Å, æ e i A æ å!

   - I am in the A (school classroom).
   - Oh, I am in A too!

Usage notes

This pronoun is used sporadically along the whole coast of Norway in several coastal villages, and, besides it, æ is used in central parts of Trøndelag: Trondheim, Fosen, Hitra, Orkanger, Stjørdal and Steinkjer. In some areas of Trøndelag it has replaced æg, which is native to the same areas, while in some villages or families, æ and æg' are used interchangeably depending on context. Because of such central distribution, it has become a common stereotype that æ is the main form in the Trøndersk dialect. Despite this misconception, æ(g) is not common in southern and northern parts of Middle Norway, where other forms of the pronoun are used: Selbu, Tydal, Meldal, Rennebu, Støren, Oppdal, Kvikne, Surnadal, Tingvoll and Tustna are using e; Røros and Singsås are using je; Overhalla, Grong, Namsskogan and Røyrvik use eig; and Snåsa, Lierne, Romsdal and Sunndal use i.

References

• “æ” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
• A. Dalen; J. R. Hagland; S. Hårstad; H. Rydving; O. Stemshaug (2008), Trøndersk språkhistorie: Språkforhold i ein region

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æː/
• Rhymes: -æː

Etymology 1

Letter

æ (lower case, upper case Æ, Runic equivalent ᚫ)

1. The twenty-fourth and last letter of the Old English alphabet (Byrhtferð's (1011) version), called æsċ (“ash tree”) and written in the Latin script.

Etymology 2

From Proto-West Germanic *aiwi. Cognate with Old Frisian and Old High German ēwa ~ ē, Old Saxon ēo.

Alternative forms

• ǣw, eaw, eau, eu, a
• ǣwe

Noun

ǣ f

1. law

   Synonym: dōm

   • c. 1122–1124 (Textus Roffensis) [c. 679–695 CE], “The Laws of Hlothhere and Eadric”, in F[rederick] L[evi] Attenborough, M.A., ed. and transl., The Laws of the Earliest English Kings, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1922, page 18:

     Þis syndon þā dōmas ðe Hloþhære ⁊ Ēadrīc, Cantwara cyningas, asetton. Hloþhære ⁊ Ēadrīc, Cantwara cyningas, ēcton þā ǣ, þā ðe heora aldoras ǣr ġeworhten, ðyssum dōmum þe hȳr efter sæġeþ.

     These are the laws that Hlothhere and Eadric, kings of Kent, laid down. Hlothhere and Eadric, kings of Kent, added these laws listed hereafter to the laws their ancestors created.

   • c. 989–992 CE, Ælfric of Eynsham, edited and translated by Benjamin Thorpe, F.S.A., The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church, volume II, London: Richard and John E. Taylor, published 1846, page 84:

     Witodlīċe þis fēowertiġfealde fæsten wæs āsteald on ðǣre Ealdan Gėcyðnysse, ðāðā sē heretoga Moyses fæste fēowertiġ daga and fēowertiġ nihta tosamne, tō þȳ þæt hē moste Godes ǣ underfōn.

     Truly, this fortyfold fast was established in the Old Testament, where the leader Moses fasted for forty days and forty nights, so that he could be allowed to receive God's law.

2. marriage
3. rite

Declension

	singular	plural
nominative	ǣ	ǣ
accusative	ǣ	ǣ
genitive	ǣ	ǣa
dative	ǣ	ǣwum

Derived terms

• ǣbōc
• ǣwbryċe
• ǣwlīċ
• ǣwnian
• rihtǣw
• tungolǣ

Descendants

• Middle English: æw, eaw, e, æ, eu
  • English: ea (purist)

Etymology 3

Noun

ǣ f

1. alternative form of ēa: river, running water

Old Norse

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *aiwi (“forever”), *aiwaz. Cognate with Old English ā, āwa, ǣ, Old Saxon eo, io, ia, Old High German eo, io.

Alternative forms

• ei, ey

Adverb

æ (not comparable)

1. ever, eternally, at any time
   • Vǫluspá, verse 19, lines 7-8, in 1867, S. Bugge, Norrœn fornkvæði: Sæmundar Edda hins fróða. Christiania, page 4:

     […] stendr æ yfir grœnn / Urðar brunni

     […] stands ever green, over / the well of Urd

Descendants

• Icelandic: æ
• Old Swedish: ē, ǣ
  • Swedish: ä, e, e-
• Old Danish: e, æ
  • Danish: i, i- (archaic)
• → Middle English: aye, ai, agg
  • English: aye

Etymology 2

Verb

æ

1. inflection of æja:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Old Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [æː]

Letter

æ (lower case, upper case Æ)

1. a letter of the Old Swedish alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Verb

æ

1. second-person present imperative of vara

Swedish

Letter

æ (lower case, upper case Æ)

1. Historical Swedish letter, now obsolete and rarely used, replaced by a, e and ä.

See also

• Category:Swedish terms spelled with Æ
• Aͤ, aͤ
• Œ, œ