Definition of "-an" []

• Of, relating to, or resembling: brachyuran. (suffix)
• One relating to, belonging to, or resembling: librarian. (suffix)
• Unsaturated carbon compound: urethan. (suffix)
• Anhydride of a carbohydrate: dextran. (suffix)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The Arab word talib, “student,” has been given a Persian suffix, -an, which is an unusual amalgam or was a mistake."
• "After all, singular genitive endings in Old English also included -e and -an."
• "The arena is full of raving fans -an heterogeneous crowd of teens to forty somethings- and if it weren't for the fact that is 2pm on a weekday, you would easily think you were in a rock concert ready to party all night long."