from A to B

A diagram of a vector from A to B

Possibly from the common practice of labelling points using letters of the alphabet, and then referring to motion from one point to another as “from A to B”, and so on.[1]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /fɹəm ˈeɪ tə ˈbiː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /fɹəm ˈeɪ tə ˈbiː/, /fɹəm ˈeɪ ɾə ˈbiː/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

from A to B

1. From one point to the next; from the beginning of a trip to the end.
   • 1997, Daniela Bertol, David Foell, “A Few Hypotheses for Reconstructed Architecture”, in Designing Digital Space: An Architect’s Guide to Virtual Reality, New York, N.Y., Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 303:

     While in our actual world we identify architecture with elements related by permanent relations, in virtual worlds space is a constant function of time. For example, if I have to ascend a stair to get from A to B, I will not necessarily have to descend to get back from B to A. Virtual spaces can hold many surprises.

   • 1999, Sara Clifford, Anna Herrmann, “Unit Three: Devising the Show”, in Making a Leap – Theatre of Empowerment: A Practical Handbook of Drama and Theatre Work with Young People, London, Philadelphia, Pa.: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, →ISBN, page 133:

     At Leap we have found that, when working with a large group, it is not appropriate to create a traditional play with a story that follows one central character from A to B. Instead, we create a piece of theatre that can employ a large cast, follow several characters' stories in parallel and draw on several styles, especially popular forms.

   • 1999, M. James C. Crabbe, “Preface”, in M. James C. Crabbe, editor, From Soul to Self, London, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page x:

     It is a journey travelled both by individuals and by societies made up of those individuals. It is not, however, a simple journey, a progression from A to B, starting with the soul and ending at the self.

   • [2017 February 23, Katie Rife, “The Girl With All The Gifts tries to put a fresh spin on overripe zombie clichés”, in The A.V. Club‎, archived from the original on 10 September 2017:

     The zombie scenes are reminiscent of what you might see on a show like The Walking Dead, short bursts of extreme violence and gore punctuating expository dialogue scenes where the survivors try to figure out how they’re going to get from point A to point B.]

• from A to Z

• from A to B (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Christine A. Lindberg, editor (2002), “from A to B”, in The Oxford College Dictionary, 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: Spark Publishing, →ISBN, page 1.
• Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “from A to B”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 1.