pa
a person’s father (informal)
A father, especially when spoken to or about in an old-fashioned or informal way.
a job: a person who helps a boss with work tasks
A personal assistant; someone whose job is to help a manager or professional with tasks such as scheduling, email, and organizing.
speakers and a microphone for announcements
A public address system: equipment (microphones and loudspeakers) used to make announcements to a crowd.
short form of Pennsylvania (a US state)
The abbreviation for the US state of Pennsylvania, used especially in addresses.
each year (used with numbers)
Per year; used with numbers to mean ‘each year’, especially in salaries, interest rates, and statistics.
a medical worker who treats patients with a doctor
A physician assistant: a licensed medical professional who examines patients, diagnoses conditions, and provides treatment, usually working with a doctor.
- Base: pa
- Plural: pas
ma and pa
1one’s parents
mother and father
- I’m going to visit my ma and pa this weekend.
- His ma and pa live a few towns over.
- She brought her ma and pa to the graduation.
- My ma and pa are here.
ma-and-pa
1small family-run (business)
owned and run by a family
- We ate at a ma-and-pa restaurant on the corner.
- The town is full of ma-and-pa shops, not big chains.
- They’re trying to keep ma-and-pa businesses alive downtown.
- It is a ma-and-pa store.
over the pa
1via the loudspeaker system
using the loudspeakers to speak to everyone
- They called my name over the PA.
- The principal spoke over the PA before classes started.
- Please don’t joke over the PA during an emergency.
- They made an announcement over the PA.