An

1. An, called the indef. article, is the old Eng. form of the nvun. adj. one. As early as lloO the n is found dropped before a consonant, and at the date of the AV the usage had become general to employ a before a consonantal sound (incluclmg « and eu pronounced yu), and an before a vowel sound (including sUent k). Some hesitation is found when the art. precedes a word beginning with ich. Thus we find 'an whole m Nu lU (ed of 1611), but 'a whole' in Nu 11-"; an whore- in Pr'23^ (ed. 1611). 2 Ea 16« (ed. 1611) but ' a whore ' elsewhere. Agam, the ed. of lb 1 gives 'such an one' in Job If, Sir 6 ^lO' 20' , 2 Mac 6"; but 'such a one' in Gn 41'"', Ku 4 , Ps 50=' 68=', Sir 26^, 1 Co 5»- ", 2 Co 10" 12=- », Gal 6', PhUem ». Later edd. give 'such an one in all these passages. More varied is the usage when the art. precedes h In the ed. of 1611 (the later edd. have m;ule many changes) we find ' a habitation, Jer ii ', but 'an hab!' in Ex 15', Is 22'" 34'» and other hve places ; 'a hair' in 1 K 1» Lk 2V^ but 'an hair in Dn 3=', Mk 21i«, Ac 27» ; ' a hairy,' Gn 2/", but 'an hairy,' Gn 25=», 2 K I'; 'a hammer, Jer 23- , but ' an hammer,' Jg 4" ; and so with many other words. The explanation of this inconsistency prob- ably is, not that the usage for a or an wa,s not fixed, but that there was no fixed pronunciation of h. On the whole, an is found more frequently than a before words beginning with A. 2. In 'an hungered' ('a hungered is not 'ouml in AV 1611), winch occurs Mt 4= 12'- » 25-»- «■ ^^- ". Mk 2> Lk 6^ the an is not the indef. art., but the prep, an or on. See A». J. Hastings.