Etimology
From Middle English at, from Old English æt (“at, near, by, toward”), from Proto-Germanic *at (“at, near, to”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd (“near, at”). Cognate with Scots at (“at”), North Frisian äät, äit, et, it (“at”), Danish at (“to”), Swedish åt (“for, toward”), Norwegian åt (“to”), Faroese at (“at, to, toward”), Icelandic að (“to, towards”), Gothic 𐌰𐍄 (at, “at”), Latin ad (“to, near”).
preposition
at
In, near, or in the general vicinity of a particular place.
(indicating time) Indicating occurrence in an instant of time or a period of time relatively short in context or from the speaker's perspective.
In the direction of (often implied to be in a hostile or careless manner).
Denotes a price.
Occupied in (activity).
In a state of.
Indicates a position on a scale or in a series.
Because of.
Indicates a means, method, or manner.
Holding a given speed or rate.
(used for skills (including in activities) or areas of knowledge) On the subject of; regarding.
(Ireland, stressed pronunciation) Bothering, irritating, causing discomfort to
(UK, Commonwealth, Ireland, especially finance) (also as at; before dates) On a particular date.
Examples
Caesar was at Rome
at the corner of Fourth Street and Vine
at Jim’s house
"Hirtius and Pansa, who were good men and admirers of Cicero, begged him not to desert them, and undertook to put down Antony if Cicero would remain at Rome."
sporophyte with foot reduced, the entire sporophyte enveloped by the calyptra, which is ± stipitate at the base.
Today my friend Marsha is at her friend's house. Audio
Audio
at six o’clock
at closing time
at night
Lafayette was major-general in the American army at the age of 18 […]
Other global taboos, such as sex and suicide, manifest themselves widely online, with websites offering suicide guides and Hot XXX Action seconds away at the click of a button. The UK government will come under pressure to block access to pornographic websites this year when a committee of MPs publishes its report on protecting children online.
Hi, Anne. Are you busy? — Hi, Anna. Yes. At 10 a.m. I am writing. Audio
Audio
Don't just talk at someone; really listen to what they have to say.
He threw the ball at me.
He shouted at her.
“My Continental prominence is improving,” I commented dryly. Von Lindowe cut at a furze bush with his silver-mounted rattan. “Quite so,” he said as dryly, his hand at his mustache. “I may say if your intentions were known your life would not be worth a curse.”
Come on in. I'll play the guitar at you.
3 apples at 2¢
The offer was at $30,000 before negotiations.
men at work
She is at sixes and sevens with him.
They are at loggerheads over how best to tackle the fiscal cliff.
The city was at the mercy of the occupying forces.
Sell at 90.
Tiger finished the round at tenth, seven strokes behind the leaders.
I'm offering it—just to select customers—at cost.
to laugh at a joke
mad at their comments
[...] to be sold at auction for sixty gold francs.
A few days later, on 1 October, King Hussein opened the Jordanian Parliament by speaking at length about the crisis in Syria,
It is growing at the rate of 3% a year.
Cruising along at fifty miles per hour.
The twins were both bad at chemistry.
He slipped at marksmanship over his extended vacation.
She's good at playing musical instruments, singing and dancing, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
I think 'Jesus, my back is at me'. Then I get the ball. Off you go for 10 yards and you don't feel a thing. Then you stop and think: `Jesus, it's at me again'[.]
He seems to be saying. “Ah, go on, you’re making the other lads feel bad.” But the 4th fella says, “No. Don’t be ‘at’ me. I’m just not in the form right now, I’ll stay where I am, thanks.”
balance as at 20th March 1999
noun
at (plural ats)
The at sign (@).
verb
at (third-person singular simple present ats, present participle atting, simple past and past participle atted)
(informal, neologism) Rare form of @; to reply to or talk to someone, either online or face-to-face. (from the practice of targeting a message or reply to someone online by writing @name)
Examples
If you have questions or observations on my discussion questions, feel free to reply to this email, at me on Twitter, or comment on the companion post on AMV.
pronoun
at
(Northern England, rare, possibly obsolete) Alternative form of 'at (relative pronoun; reduced form of "that" and/or "what")
Examples
Tak us t' foxes, t' little foxes at spoils t' veynes: fer our veynes hev tender grapes.
noun
at (plural ats or at)
Alternative form of att (Laos currency unit)