Etymology Explorer › Ancient Greek

Where does “ἄλφα” come from?

ἄλφα (Ancient Greek) comes from Phoenician 𐤀𐤋𐤐, from Proto-Semitic *ʔalp-.

ἄλφα (Ancient Greek): alpha, the name for the first letter Α, α of the...

Definitions

  1. alpha, the name for the first letter Α, α of the...

Ancestry of “ἄλφα”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Phoenician𐤀𐤋𐤐thousand; bull, ox, head of cattle
2Proto-Semitic*ʔalp-—

Words derived from “ἄλφα”

  • alpha
  • alphabet
  • alphabetical
  • alphabetically
  • alphabetic
  • alphanumeric
  • alprazolam
  • alphabetize
  • nonalphabetic
  • nonalphanumeric
  • alfabeto
  • polyalphabetic
  • monoalphabetic
  • analphabetic
  • prealphabetic
  • alphabeted
  • alphabetiform
  • nonalphabetical
  • alphabetism
  • alphabetise
  • alphacypermethrin
  • alphaprodine
  • alphatron
  • alphabetizer
Every word from Proto-Semitic *ʔalp- →