A in Latin and law Latin

Anglo-American law abounds in Latin and French words and phrases, and the use of A in these languages is important to the English-speaking lawyer.

In Latin "A" was used both as an abbreviation and as a symbol. For example "A" was an abbreviation for "Aulus," a praenomen, or the first of the usual three names of a person by which he was distinguished from others of the same family;

also for "ante" in "a.d.," ante diem (before the day), and for "anno" (year) in A.U.C., anno urbis conditae (the year of the building of the city) and in anno ab urbe condita (from the year of the building of the city). As a preposition, the form was either A, AB or ABS. A was used before consonants; ab was usually used before vowels, but sometimes before consonants, whereas abs was used before "c" or "t." The meaning was "from," "away from," "on the side of," "at," "after," "since," "by," "by means of," "out of," "with reference to," "in regard of," "near by," and "along."

For example,

a fronte in front;

ab tergo, from behind;

a puertitia, from youth;

ab sole orbe, from or at sunrise;

ab intestate, without a will, intestate.

In law Latin, "a" means "by," "with," "from," "in," "of," and "on," and ab means "by," "from," and "in"