: father

Pa

2 of 6

abbreviation (1)

1
pascal
2
Pennsylvania

Pa

3 of 6

symbol

protactinium
plural PAs
: public-address system
He perks up when the name of his town comes over the PA.Colson Whitehead
After they'd mustered at their tables, before saying grace, a staff sergeant read the manifest over the PA.Stewart O'Nan
Then came the announcement over the news, over the radio and over the PAs at schools: The school board had canceled school until further notice …Daniel Thigpen

PA

6 of 6

abbreviation (2)

1
Pennsylvania
2
chiefly British per annum
3
personal assistant
4
power amplifier
5
power of attorney
6
press agent
7
professional association
8
public address
… retail store services featuring … public address (PA) systems …US Fed News
9
purchasing agent

Examples of pa in a Sentence

Noun (1) Pa, can I go out? I cherish my memories of the times that I went fishing with my pa.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

short for papa

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1629, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1970, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1932, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pa was circa 1629

Dictionary Entries Near pa

Cite this Entry

“Pa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pa. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

Medical Definition

Pa

1 of 3 symbol
protactinium

PA

3 of 3 abbreviation
pernicious anemia

More from Merriam-Webster on pa

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!