A
This letter is modified from the Hebrew
(aleph = an ox), which was meant to indicate
the outline of an ox's head.
Among the Egyptians, a is
denoted by the hieroglyphic which represents the ibis. Among the
Greeks it was the symbol of a bad augury in the
sacrifices.
In logic, A is the symbol of
a universal affirmative. A asserts,
E denies. Thus, syllogisms in
bArbArA contain three universal affirmative
propositions.
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894 
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