proprietary name of a natural mineral water from southern France, attested in English by 1904.

"Polynesian inhabitant of New Zealand," 1843, native name, said to mean "normal, natural, ordinary, of the usual kind." As an adjective by 1849.

first letter of the Roman alphabet, based on Greek alpha (see alpha). In music from c. 1600 as the name of the sixth note of the natural scale; it is the note given by a fixed-tone instrument (usually oboe or organ) to which all the instruments of an orchestra are tuned. As a blood type, 1926, denoting A agglutinogens. The A side of a two-sided record (by 1962, see side (n.)) held the material chosen for promotion. A-bomb, short for atom bomb, was in newspaper headlines by Aug. 8, 1945.

allusive use for man-made monsters dates to 1838, from Baron Frankenstein, character in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel "Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus." Commonly taken (mistakenly) as the proper name of the monster, not the creator, and thus franken- extended 1990s as a prefix to mean "non-natural." The German surname is probably literally "Franconian Mountain," stein being used especially for steep, rocky peaks, which in the Rhineland often were crowned with castles. The Shelleys might have passed one in their travels. The German surname also suggests "free stone."

Frankenstein is the creator-victim; the creature-despot & fatal creation is Frankenstein's monster. The blunder is very common indeed -- almost, but surely not quite, sanctioned by custom. [Fowler]

by 1862, in sporting jargon (curling), "to play (a match) again," from re- "again" + play (v.). Of sound recordings (later video, etc.), "reproduce what has been recorded," by 1912. Related: Replayed; replaying.

The noun is from 1895 as "a replayed match" in sports. The meaning "action of replaying" a sound recording, film, later also video, etc., is by 1953.