2026-03-14 17:44:01
In late Middle English writing, 'a' and 'an' commonly were joined to the following noun,
if that word began with a vowel,
-- which caused confusion over how such words ought to be divided when written separately.
In 'nickname', 'newt', and British dialectal 'naunt',
the -n- belongs to a preceding indefinite article 'an' or possessive pronoun 'mine'.
My naunt for "mine aunt" is recorded from 13c.…



