Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • At once; immediately; anon.
  • An interrogative particle signifying that one has not heard or comprehended what has been said.
  • [In this sense formerly, and still dialectally, much used in replying to questions or commands, to gain a slight delay, though originally implying “I will attend to you at once”; hence, with an interrogative tone, it came to imply that the question or command was not understood. It is the same word as anon.]

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • interjection obsolete An expression equivalent to What did you say? Sir? Eh?

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • Mai taught me that "anan" means cloud in Hebrew, while we were reading Kofi Anan's bio in the book of the Forum's constituents.

    What happens in Davos, happens in the world Raquel Helen Silva 2011

  • Also, no one here said anything about anan "armedrevolution."

    Confronting Two Big Lies: A Strategy for Democratic Revival 2009

  • Liber Linteus; anan is not the 3pp pronoun "they" because of its inanimate genitive plural anancveś, and the absurd list of claims goes on and on and on.

    Liber Linteus and religious formulae, part 2 2007

  • Liber Linteus; anan is not the 3pp pronoun "they" because of its inanimate genitive plural anancveś, and the absurd list of claims goes on and on and on.

    Archive 2007-10-01 2007

  • Ye gads anan, do you really expect a man to wear a belt while he's mowing his own lawn?

    as beautifully dressed as birds - A Dress A Day 2007

  • November 29, 2005 11: 38 PM bibliobibuli said ... anan - can see you'd be a real joy to interview. just don't get famous.

    Mistaken Identity Sharon Bakar 2005

  • Did you see the way the lebanese were hugging and thronging anan from the UN the other day on tv?

    Think Progress » From Hype To Hysteria: Fox News Selling Preemptive War Against Iran 2006

  • County Monachan, whereat samething is rivi-sible by nighttim, may be involted into the zeroic couplet, palls pell inhis heventh glike noughty times ì, find, if you are not literally cooefficient, how minney combinaisies and per-mutandies can be played on the international surd! pthwndxrclzp!, hids cubid rute being extructed, taking anan illitterettes, ififif at a tom.

    Finnegans Wake 2006

  • And their coast was from Heleph, from Allon to Za-anan'nim, and Ad'ami, Nekeb, and Jab'neel, unto Lakum; and the outgoings thereof were at Jordan: and then the coast turneth westward to Aznoth–ta'bor, and goeth out from thence to Hukkok, and reacheth to Zeb'ulun on the south side, and reacheth to Asher on the west side, and to Judah upon Jordan toward the sunrising.

    Joshua 19. 1999

  • Pheko also criticised the constitution, which he said marginalised African traditional leaders anan culture and values in general.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 1996

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