How to read the letter "A"

Thought of the day: Professionals are predictable; the world is full of dangerous amateurs.

Q. What does a Native American, a farmer, and a slave have in common?
A. They were removed from their lands by force and cheated by the government.

The Meaning of "A":

Some of us like reading law books or items that most folks would not read normally; however, regardless of your reading preference learning something new everyday is worth while, now according to Black’s Law Dictionary the “A” has many interpretation, which if you read law books, statues, etc., occasionally or by chance because something caught your eye on an issue…or even watch the Congressional channel and listen to them talk, having this definition of the letter “A” might help you understand the lingo.

A. The first letter in the English and most other alphabets derived from the Roman or Latin alphabet, which was one of several ancient Italian alphabets derived from the Greek, which was an adaptation of the Phoenician. The first letter in the Phoenician alphabet was called aleph, meaning “ox”, which is also the meaning of the first letter in the Greek alphabet, alpha. Alpha and the second letter of the Greek alphabet, beta, were combined to form “alphabet,” which is largely the same in different languages.

A in Latin and law Latin. Anglo-American law abounds in Latin and French words and phrases, and the use of A in these languages is important to the English-speaking lawyer. In Latin “A” was used both as an abbreviation and as a symbol. For example “A” was an abbreviation for “Aulus”, a praenomen, or the first of the usual three names of a person by which he was distinguished from others of the same family; also for “ante” in “a.d.”, ante diem (before the day), and for “anno” (year) in a.U.c, anno urbis conditae (the year of the building of the city) and in anno ab urbe condita (from the year of the building of the city). As a preposition, the form was either Á, ĂB or ABS. A was used before consonants; ab was usually used before vowels, but sometimes before consonants, whereas abs was used before “c” or “t”. The meaning was “from”, “away from”, “on the side of”, “at”, “after”, “since”, “by”, “by means of”, “out of”, “with reference to”, “in regard of”, “near by”, and “along”. For example, A fronte in front; ab tergo, from behind; a puertitia, from yourth; ab sole orbe, from or at sunrise; ab intestato, without a will, instestate. In law Latin, “a” means “by,” “with,” “from,” “in,” “of,” and “on,” and AB means “by,” “from,” and “in”.

A in French and law French. In French A is a preposition, the meaning of which largely depends on context. It is usually translated as “into,” “at,” “to,” “in,” "by,” “of,” with,” “on,” “from,” “for,” “under,” “till,” “within,” “between,” etc. it also changes into au and aux when combined with “the.” A is also the third person, singular number, present tense, indicative mood of the verb avoir, (to have): Il a (he has). In law French “a” is used as a preposition meaning “at,” “for,” “in,” “of,” “on,” “to,” and “with.”

The word “a” has varying meanings and uses. “A” means “one” or “any,” but less emphatically than either. It may mean one where only one is intended, or it may mean any one of a great number. It is placed before nouns of the singular number, denoting an individual object or quality individualized. The article “a” is not necessarily a singular term; it is often used in the sense of “any” and is then applied to more than one individual object…..So under a statute providing that the issuance of “a” certificate to one carrier should not bar a certificate to another over the same route, a certificate could be granted to more than two carriers over the same route……Also, article “a” in statue making it a crime for a person to have in his possession a completed check with intent to defraud includes plural……But the meaning depends on context. For example, in Worker’s Compensation Act, on, or in or about “a” railway, factory, etc., was held not to mean any railway, factory, etc., but the railway, factory, etc., of the employer. Where the law required the delivery of a copy of notice to husband and a copy to wife, the sheriff’s return that he had delivered “a copy” to husband and wife was insufficient…..

(retyped from Black’s Law Dictionary, 6th edition, minus reference to case laws and replaced with “…..”)

Now that you know the “true definition” of the “A”, you might be able to understand the lingo of congress when they speak and the reading of a law text or statue – yeah right.