at

views updated May 21 2018

at1 / at/ • prep. 1. expressing location or arrival in a particular place or position: they live at Conway House. ∎  used in speech to indicate the sign @ in electronic mail addresses, separating the address-holder's name from their location.2. expressing the time when an event takes place: the children go to bed at nine o'clock. ∎  denoting a particular period of time: the sea is cooler at night. ∎  denoting the time spent by someone attending an educational institution, a workplace, or their home: at work, at home, or at school.3. denoting a particular point or segment on a scale: prices start at $18. ∎  referring to someone's age: at fourteen he began to work as a mailman.4. expressing a particular state or condition: placed them at a serious disadvantage. ∎  expressing a relationship between an individual and a skill: boxing was the only sport I was any good at.5. expressing the object of a look, gesture, thought, action, or plan: I looked at my watch. ∎  expressing the target of a shot from a weapon: they tore down the main street, firing at anyone in sight. ∎  emphasizing the directing of an action toward a specified object: she clutched at the thin gown.6. expressing the means by which something is done: holding a corrections officer at knifepoint.PHRASES: at allsee all.at firstsee first.at it engaged in some activity, typically a reprehensible one: the guy who faked the Hitler diaries is at it again.at lastsee last1 .at leastsee least.at mostsee most.at oncesee once.at that in addition; furthermore: it was not fog but smoke, and very thick at that.not at allsee not.where it's at inf. the fashionable place, possession, or activity: New York is where it's at.at2 / ät/ • n. a monetary unit of Laos, equal to one hundredth of a kip.

at

views updated Jun 11 2018

at OE. æt = OS. at, OHG. az, ON., Goth. at; CGmc. prep. and verbal prefix denoting position and motion towards, further rel. to L. (and Osco-Umbrian) ad to, at, AD-, OIr. ad-. Lost in s.w. Eng. dial., as in modDu. and G., and repl. by to; in Scand., on the other hand, to was lost and repl by at (e.g. with the infin.; cf. ADO).

At

views updated May 21 2018

At • symb. the chemical element astatine.

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