again

English Online Dictionary. What means again‎? What does again mean?

English

Alternative forms

• agen, againe, agayne, ageyne (all obsolete)
• agin, ag'in (colloquial, dialectal or humorous)
• 'gain (colloquial, dialectal or poetic)

Etymology

From Middle English agayn, from Old English onġēan (“against, again”), from Proto-West Germanic *in gagin, from Proto-Germanic *in gagin. Cognate with German entgegen (“contrary to”), North Frisian ijen (“against”), Danish igen (“again”), Swedish igen (“again”), and Norwegian Bokmål igjen (“again”), and Icelandic í gegnum (“through”). By surface analysis, on- +‎ gain (“against”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈɡɛn/, /əˈɡeɪn/, (dated) /eɪˈɡeɪn/
• (regional US, pin–pen merger) IPA^(key): [əˈɡɪn]
• Hyphenation: a‧gain
• Rhymes: -eɪn, -ɛn

Adverb

again (not comparable)

1. Another time; once more. [from 14^thc.]
   • 1931, Robert L. May, Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Montgomery Ward (publisher), draft:

     He tangled in tree-tops again and again / And barely missed hitting a tri-motored plane.

   • 1979, Charles Edward Daniels et al., “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” (song), Million Mile Reflections, Charlie Daniels Band, Epic Records:

     Johnny said, “Devil, just come on back if you ever want to try again / I done told you once, you son of a bitch, I’m the best that’s ever been.”
2. Over and above a factor of one. [from 16^thc.]
3. Used metalinguistically, with the repetition being in the discussion, or in the linguistic or pragmatic context of the discussion, rather than in the subject of discussion. [from 16^thc.]
   1. Tell me again, say again; used in asking a question to which one may have already received an answer that one cannot remember.

   2. I ask again, I say again; used in repeating a question or statement.

   3. Here too, here also, in this case as well; used in applying a previously made point to a new instance; sometimes preceded by "here".
4. (obsolete) Back in the reverse direction, or to an original starting point. [10^th–18^thc.]
5. Back (to a former place or state). [from 11^thc.]
6. (obsolete) In return, as a reciprocal action; back. [13^th–19^thc.]
7. (obsolete) In any other place.
8. (obsolete) On the other hand.
9. Moreover; besides; further.

Synonyms

• (once more): once more, re-, ana-

Derived terms

Translations

Preposition

again

1. (obsolete or dialectal) Against.
   • 2003, Glasgow Sunday Herald, page 16, column 2:

     You may think you are all on the same side, agin the government.

References

Anagrams

• AAing, Gaian, Ganai, Giana, Nagai

Scots

Alternative forms

• agen, agin, agane, agayne, agyen
• agean (southern)

Etymology

From Middle English agayn, again, ayain, ayen, anȝen, from Old English āġēan, onġēan, onġeġn (“towards, against, opposite to, contrary to, against, in exchange for, opposite, back, again, anew, also”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈɡen/, /əˈɡɛn/, /əˈɡɪn/
• (southern) IPA^(key): /əˈɡɪən/

Adverb

again

1. back, in the opposite direction
2. again, anew

Preposition

again

1. opposite, facing
2. against, opposed to (literally or figuratively)

Conjunction

again

1. In preparation for, in advance of

References

• “again, adv., prep., conj.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.