pa

1 of 6

noun (1)

ˈpä  ˈpȯ 

: father

Pa

2 of 6

abbreviation (1)

1

pascal

2

Pennsylvania

Pa

3 of 6

symbol

protactinium

PA

4 of 6

noun (2)

(ˌ)pē-ˈā 

: physician assistant

PA

5 of 6

noun (3)

(ˌ)pē-ˈā 

plural PAs

: public-address system

He perks up when the name of his town comes over the PA.

—Colson Whitehead

After they'd mustered at their tables, before saying grace, a staff sergeant read the manifest over the PA.

—Stewart O'Nan

Then came the announcement over the news, over the radio and over the PAs at schools: The school board had canceled school until further notice …

—Daniel Thigpen

PA

6 of 6

abbreviation (2)

1

Pennsylvania

2

chiefly British per annum

3

personal assistant

4

power amplifier

5

power of attorney

6

press agent

7

professional association

8

public address

… retail store services featuring … public address (PA) systems …

—US Fed News

9

purchasing agent

Synonyms of pa

Noun (1)

• dad
• father
• daddy
• papa

Examples of pa in a Sentence

Noun (1)

Pa, can I go out?

I cherish my memories of the times that I went fishing with my pa.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Emerald City Comic Con welcomed 90,000 fans at the Seattle Convention Center, and Sci-Fi Valley Con attracted upwards of 10,000 attendees at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona, PA. — Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Anyway, Mack usurped the starting catcher role upon arrival in Miami, maintaining the same 26 HR per 600 PA pace achieved over his last two seasons of MiLB ball. — John Laghezza, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Surgeons removed the gel inside one of Catherine’s eyes and injected healthy copies of the BBS10 gene into the retina, the Press Association (PA) reported, per a release obtained by PEOPLE. — Adam England, PEOPLE, 24 July 2026

Joshua Kerry, 28, allegedly entered Widdecombe’s house in the village of Haytor Vale on July 8, Prosecutor Kashif Malik told Westminster Magistrates’ Court, according to UK news agency PA Media. — Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 21 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

short for papa

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1629, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1970, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1932, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pa

• ma-and-pa

Rhymes for pa

• aah
• ah
• ahh
• aw
• awe
• bah
• blah
• bra
• caw
• claw
• craw
• daw

Kids Definition

pa

noun

ˈpä  ˈpȯ 

: father entry 1 sense 1a

Medical Definition

Pa

1 of 3 symbol

protactinium

PA

2 of 3 noun

ˌpē-ˈā 

: physician assistant

PA

3 of 3 abbreviation

pernicious anemia