ana

The word “ana” means a collection of things associated with a person or place, especially a personal collection of anecdotes or conversations at table.

“Ana” is pronounced AH-nuh (/ˈæ.nə/ in IPA).

Here is “ana” used in a sentence: “The FRENCH ANAS, or Selections from the best of the French Anas, interspersed with biographical sketches. In three elegant Volumes, small 8vo. price 15s. boards.”

Depending on how it is used, “ana” can be a noun, an adverb and a name.

The word “ana” comes from Latin. Formed from the Latin suffix -ana; compare ism (from -ism), itis (from -itis), phobia (from -phobia).

“Ana” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Ana” has 9 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a collection of things associated with a person or place, especially a personal collection of anecdotes or conversations at table.

In discussions of four-dimensional space, ana and kata name the two directions along the fourth axis, by analogy with up and down in three dimensions. Ana corresponds to up and kata to down along this extra dimension.

As an adverb meaning of each or an equal quantity, ana (often abbreviated aa) historically appeared in medical and pharmaceutical recipes to indicate the same amount of each listed ingredient. It is now rare outside old prescriptions.

The noun ana, meaning a collection of memorable sayings or anecdotes about a person, is related to the suffix -ana, as in Americana or Shakespeareana, which labels collections of material associated with a subject. Both describe assembled miscellany connected to a person or place.

Ana is an informal, sometimes slang shortening of anorexia used mainly in online contexts, not a clinical term. In formal or medical writing, anorexia or anorexia nervosa is standard and should be used instead.