-a

I

aff. a plural ending of nouns borrowed from Greek and Latin:

phenomena; criteria; data

II

-a

cvb aff. a feminine singular ending of nouns borrowed from Latin and Greek, also used in New Latin coinages to Latinize bases of any origin, and as a Latin substitute for the feminine ending -ē of Greek words:

cinchona; pachysandra

III

-a

cvb aff. a suffix occurring in the names of oxides of the chemical element denoted by the stem:

alumina; thoria

•

Etymology: prob. < -a of magnesia