ἄλφα

See also: άλφα

Ancient Greek

previous
letter
   
following
letter
  βῆτα  
Α α   –   English: alpha

Etymology

    Borrowed from Phoenician 𐤀 (ʾ /⁠ʾālep⁠/). The letter's name is from Phoenician 𐤀𐤋𐤐 (ʾlp, bull, ox, head of cattle).[1]

    Pronunciation

     

    Noun

    ἄλφα • (álphan (indeclinable)

    1. alpha, the name for the first letter Α (A), α (a) of the Ancient Greek alphabet.

    Adjective

    1. first

    (Can we verify(+) this sense?)

    Descendants

    • Greek: άλφα (álfa)
    • Arabic: أَلْفَا (ʔalfā)
    • Asturian: alfa
    • Bulgarian: алфа (alfa)
    • Catalan: alfa
    • Classical Syriac: ܐܠܦܐ (ʾalpā)
    • Czech: alfa
    • Dutch: alfa
    • English: alpha
    • Finnish: alfa
    • French: alpha
    • Galician: alfa
    • Ge'ez: አልፋ (ʾälfa)
    • German: Alpha
    • Hindi: अल्फ़ा (alfā) (perhaps via Arabic)
    • Hungarian: alfa
    • Italian: alfa
    • Irish: alfa
    • Latin: alpha
    • Macedonian: алфа (alfa)
    • Old Armenian: ալփ (alpʻ), այբ (ayb)
    • Polish: alfa
    • Portuguese: alfa
    • Russian: а́льфа (álʹfa)
    • Serbo-Croatian: а̏лфа (ȁlfa)
    • Slovak: alfa
    • Slovene: alfa
    • Swedish: alfa
    • Spanish: alfa
    • Ukrainian: а́льфа (álʹfa)

    References

    1. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “ἄλφα”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 76

    Further reading