A to Z

noun

¦ā-tə-ˈzē 

variants or less commonly A-Z

1

or less commonly A to Z's : the full range of fundamental knowledge relating to some subject or activity

They learn the A to Z of life, or at least work, on a farm, including agricultural mechanics, carpentry, building, welding, surveying, soil sampling and fertilizing.

—William Labbee, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 1989

… attendees will have an opportunity to speak with angel investors, learn the A to Z's of raising capital, watch two deal reviews and learn what it takes to get investor attention.

—Business Wire, 24 Sept. 2008

Learn the A-Z of buying a home.

—Asheville Citizen-Times, 15 Dec. 2003

2

: a book or similar resource containing comprehensive information on a particular subject arranged usually in alphabetical order

The book is an A to Z of baseball.

Written as an A-to-Z manual, it covers topics from acne and eczema to sun protection and vitiligo.

—Julia Chance, Essence, July 2004

… an interactive A-Z for pensions, with the aim of creating the "most useful source of pension links and definitions anywhere to be found on the web."

—Pensions Week, 17 May 2010

Phrases

from A to Z

1

: from beginning to end

At seven, I also make a vow to become a ballerina, to read every page of the Encyclopædia Britannica from A to Z, to ice-skate, and to meet the Bay City Rollers.

—Monique Truong, Gourmet, September 2008

… planning a vacation from A to Z on the Internet can be daunting and time-consuming, since there are a multitude of sites devoted to travel.

—Diane Bair et al., Parenting, June/July 2000

: including everything

From A to Z, it took seven years to do.

—David Brinkley, in U.S. News & World Report, 25 Apr. 1988

2

: in every particular : in every way : in all aspects

The new health care reform act will affect how Medicare operates from A to Z.

—Mike Smith, Benefits Selling, May 2010

This just seems a year when the Red Sox are mismatched from A to Z.

—Kevin Kernan, New York Post, 18 May 2010

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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