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AN

AN

7.0
A two-year college degree for people training to be nurses
  • noun
  • /eɪ ɛn/
  • Jargon
translation icon : AN
  • She earned her AN after completing a two-year nursing program.

Examples

  • Many community colleges offer AN programs for aspiring nurses.

  • To become a registered nurse, you need an AN or higher degree.

  • Would you say that there is an amount of risk?

Synonyms

associate
vsAN
  • US
29 3.7

A two-year college degree given by community colleges

is specific to nursing education and leads to professional nurse eligibility
3 3.2

A qualification that a college gives after about two years of study, shorter than a bachelor's degree

is specific to the nursing field and grants professional nurse qualification
4.3

A two-year college degree that prepares someone to be a nurse

is the shortened written form used instead of the full nursing qualification title

Idioms

105 3.5

To show that something is very surprising or impressive

50 3.3

Very quickly, in almost no time

blink of an eye
  • Informal
35 2.8

A very short moment that passes almost instantly

such an asshole
  • Offensive
19 9.9

A very rude person who treats others badly

13 5.1

Punishment that gives the same harm back to the person who did the wrong

12 6.3

In a situation where people cannot agree and nothing moves forward

To be good at noticing small details and good qualities in things

an arm and a leg
  • Informal
10 5.8

A very high cost that needs a lot of money

To show surprise or doubt by lifting one eyebrow

A strong ability to notice small things and work very carefully

8 5.3

Very noisy and upset because people are angry or worried

In a very strict and harsh way to control people

7 8.5

To act in a way that makes you look foolish in front of others

7 4.4

Separately for each person or case

4 7.9

Change plans quickly at the last minute when something goes wrong

on an island
  • Informal
4 8.4

Feeling alone and unsupported in a group or situation

In a steady, calm state and working smoothly

to lend an ear
  • Informal
3 3.2

To listen to someone and show you care

not an ounce of
  • Informal
3 4.9

There is not even a tiny bit of something

2 4.2

Offer to make peace after an argument

2 7.0

To be out of place among the people around you

to budge an inch
  • Informal
1 7.8

Refuse to change an opinion or position at all

1 7.9

To feel very tired and weak like an older person

To marry a woman, often after a romantic or sexual relationship, to make the relationship legal and respected

1 3.8

A very short time when things change suddenly

1 6.6

Without showing surprise or worry

1 6.0

Watch carefully for something you expect to see

To plan or act while thinking about a future goal

1 7.7

Not show any surprise when something unexpected happens

1 3.5

Very quickly, in an instant

wink of an eye
  • Informal
1 3.8

In a very short time

to be an arsehole
  • Offensive
1 9.9

Behave rudely and selfishly, ignoring other people's feelings

to be an ogre
  • Offensive
1 9.3

Act in a mean, selfish way that scares others

to be such an arse
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To act rudely and annoy other people

by an eyelash
  • Informal
1 7.6

Very close and almost not enough to win or pass

1 4.9

A very small feeling of being unsure about something

To remember many things easily and correctly

To do something that makes both people look foolish

half an ear
  • Informal
1 7.1

To listen without giving full attention

Something or someone that is very mysterious and hard to understand

1 8.7

To move with bent arms and a stiff posture like the dance from the song

To ignore an obvious problem and pretend it is not there

To say you are foolish in a joking way

A comment that a meeting is unnecessary because the information can be sent by email

9.7

To use the F-word to shock people

9.7

To suddenly and completely stop supporting something

To finish a very large task by doing small easy steps

To behave in a rude and annoying way

9.9

Behave in a rude and stupid way

8.6

To behave in a silly way without thinking when nervous or tired

9.9

To behave in a rude and annoying way

9.9

Behave in a rude, annoying, and foolish way toward other people

Compounds

A time that lasts 90 minutes

18 3.5

A right for someone accused of a crime to have a lawyer, including a free one if they cannot pay

13 4.3

An important time that finishes and many people remember

Facts or reasons you use to support a point

9.5

A desert in northern Saudi Arabia with red sand and strong winds

flower-of-an-hour
  • Specialized
9.9

A small plant with yellow flowers that open in the morning and fade by midday

A plant with yellow flowers that open in the morning and fade by midday

9.5

The angle that shows how tilted an orbit is to Earth's path around the Sun

The main idea that connects the points someone makes

9.9

A very unpleasant office where people dislike working

7.5

A very bad idea

Surface Forms

AN singular

Morphology

AN = A + N

This is an initialism: the letters 'A' and 'N' do not carry independent lexical meaning, so the form does not transparently reveal 'associate degree in nursing' without knowing the expansion.

Etymology

AN comes from the words 'Associate' and 'Nursing', so the A stands for 'Associate' and the N stands for 'Nursing'. So an AN is the two-year nursing degree many students earn to start a career as a nurse.