# Pa

**Pa** is an English colloquial word for father, first recorded in 1804 as a shortening of **papa**.<sup>[1](https://www.etymonline.com/word/pa)</sup> In capitalized form, **PA** serves as a separate set of abbreviations, including Pennsylvania, a public-address system, and a personal assistant.<sup>[2](https://etymologically.com/en/pa)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First record of "pa" | 1804, as a colloquial shortening of papa<sup>[1](https://www.etymonline.com/word/pa)</sup> |
| Source of "papa" | Attested from the 1680s, from French *papa*, from Latin *papa*, originally a reduplicated child's word<sup>[1](https://www.etymonline.com/word/pa)</sup> |
| Related Greek forms | Greek *pappa* (vocative) "o father," *pappas* "father," *pappos* "grandfather"<sup>[1](https://www.etymonline.com/word/pa)</sup> |
| Earlier native word | The native English word for father was "daddy"; *papa* was first used in courtly speech as a continental affectation and was not used by common folk until the late eighteenth century<sup>[1](https://www.etymonline.com/word/pa)</sup> |
| Capitalized uses | PA abbreviates Pennsylvania, a public-address system, and a personal assistant<sup>[2](https://etymologically.com/en/pa)</sup> |
| Extended formations | Grandpa (1814), grandpappy (1853), grandpop (1860)<sup>[1](https://www.etymonline.com/word/pa)</sup> |

## Origin and history

The word *pa* entered written English in 1804 as an informal clipping of *papa*.<sup>[1](https://www.etymonline.com/word/pa)</sup> The longer form *papa* is attested from the 1680s and was borrowed through French from Latin *papa*, a reduplicated nursery word of the kind children produce naturally, comparable to Greek *pappa* (vocative) "o father," *pappas* "father," and *pappos* "grandfather."<sup>[1](https://www.etymonline.com/word/pa)</sup>

According to the [Oxford English Dictionary](https://www.edgepedia.org/oxford-english-dictionary) as reported by Etymonline, *papa* first appeared in courtly speech as a continental affectation; common folk did not use it until the late eighteenth century, the native familiar word being *daddy*, itself a colloquial diminutive of *dad* attested from about 1500.<sup>[1](https://www.etymonline.com/word/pa)</sup> The family of clipped forms expanded in the nineteenth century: *grandpa* is recorded from 1814 as a shortening of *grandpappa* (1753), with *grandpappy* from 1853 and *grandpop* from 1860.<sup>[1](https://www.etymonline.com/word/pa)</sup>

## Sound-symbolic relatives

*Pa* belongs to a wider group of nursery words built from simple repeated syllables. *Dada*, for example, entered English in 1920 from French *dada* "hobbyhorse," a child's nonsense word that the Romanian poet [Tristan Tzara](https://www.edgepedia.org/tristan-tzara) (1896–1963), leader of the Dada movement, selected in 1916 for its resemblance to meaningless babble.<sup>[1](https://www.etymonline.com/word/pa)</sup>

## Capitalized forms

The capitalized abbreviation **PA** is unrelated to the nursery word. It commonly stands for Pennsylvania, a public-address system, and a personal assistant.<sup>[2](https://etymologically.com/en/pa)</sup>

## References

1. [Pa – Etymology, Origin & Meaning, Online Etymology Dictionary](https://www.etymonline.com/word/pa)
2. [Pa: etymology, origin and meaning, Etymologically](https://etymologically.com/en/pa)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › History and archaeology › Historical methods and broad narratives › Historiography: method and theory*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license