aA

Aa, in European place names

Aa (ä) [from a word for "water" of the same Indo-European root as Lat. aqua], name of many small streams of N Europe and Switzerland. Aa, or a derivative of it, is a component part of hundreds of European place names.

---

aa, type of lava

aa (ä`ä): see lava.

---

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

Voluntary fellowship of people suffering from alcoholism who seek to become and stay sober through mutual self-help by meeting in local, independent groups to share their common experience. Anonymity, confidentiality, and understanding of alcoholism as a disease free members to speak frankly. Many consider AA to be the most successful method of coping with alcoholism; participation raises the chances of success of other treatments. Its 12 steps to recovery include acknowledgment of the problem, faith in a “higher power” as understood by each individual, self-examination, and a desire to change for the better and to help others recover. Begun in 1935 by two alcoholics, AA has grown to some 2 million members worldwide. Similar organizations for abusers of other substances and for habitual gamblers and debtors are based on its principles.

---

AA

(1) (Auto Answer) See modem.

(2) (Double A) A common single-cell battery used in a myriad of devices from flashlights to electronic equipment of all variety. Like its triple A (AAA) cousin, it provides 1.5 volts of DC power. When used in series, the voltage is multiplied. For example, four AA batteries yield 6 volts.

---

aA

(electricity)

abampere

---

AA

(ordnance)

antiaircraft

---

AA

Abbr. for the “Architectural Association, ” the largest school of architecture in England; address 34–36 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3ES.