Definition of AH

ah

Plural: ahs

Intj

  • An expression of relief, relaxation, comfort, confusion, understanding, wonder, awe, etc. according to uttered inflection.
  • A syllable used to fill space, particularly in music.
  • Used condescendingly, somewhat like “see?” or “I told you so”.
  • Yuck.

Noun

  • An instance of the interjection ah.

Verb

  • To give a cry of "ah".

Pron

  • Pronunciation spelling of I, most often indicating that the speaker is using a Scottish or American (particularly Southern) accent.

Particle

  • Marks a yes–no tag question prompting the listener to clarify or confirm something.
  • Reinforces a short, non-rhetorical wh-question.
  • Emphasizes the need for absolute confirmation or acknowledgment, sometimes used when asking for permission.
  • A particle indicating the topic of a sentence from its comment.
  • A confirmative final particle used to ascertain the continued attention of the listener.
  • A vocative particle, now mostly used by Chinese elders for direct address (over telephone calls, or if the addressee is far away).
  • Used as an intensifier in fixed expressions, sometimes exhortative in meaning.

Interjection

  • An exclamation of satisfaction, realization, or pleasure.

Examples

  • Ah! It's good to be back home!
  • Ah, I understand now.
  • Ah, the flowers of spring.
  • Ah, the sweet satisfaction of playing a two-letter word for 20 points.
  • Don’t drink and drive ah...
  • Hello? Joey ah?
  • Heng ah...
  • How do you delete this row ah?
  • The drilling upstairs ah, non-stop leh.
  • You’re dyslexic ah?

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English ah, aa, a (“ah”), of imitative origin, or from Old English ēa, *eah (“oh, alas”), from Proto-West Germanic *a, *ah (“ah”). Earliest recorded use is circa 1175 in the Ormulum: A, Maȝȝstre! icc wat tatt tu full wiss Arrt Godess Sune ("Ah, Master! I know for sure that thou art God's Son"). Some propose that the Middle English is borrowed from Old French a (“ah!, oh!, hey!”) (represented by modern French ah).
Compare also West Frisian a, ah (“ah”), Dutch a, ah (“ah”), Middle Low German a (“ah”), Old High German a, aa, ah (“ah, oh”) (whence modern German ah), Faroese áh (“oh, ah, alas”), Icelandic æ, ai (“ah, oh”), Latin ah (“ah”).

Synonyms

hah, hor, is it, izzit

Scrabble Score: 5

ah: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
ah: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
ah: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 4

ah: valid Words With Friends Word