Where does “ألف” come from?

ألف (Arabic) comes from Phoenician 𐤀𐤋𐤐, from Proto-Semitic *ʔalp- — thousand.

ألف (Arabic): Name of the first letter of the Arabic alphabet;...

Definitions

  1. Name of the first letter of the Arabic alphabet;...

Ancestry of “ألف”, step by step

ألف traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Phoenician 𐤀𐤋𐤐

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

via Arabic أَلْف

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Arabicأَلْف

via Proto-Semitic ʔallip-

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Semiticʔallip-to tame, to domesticate; to familiarize, to...

Words derived from “ألف

Every word from Proto-Semitic *ʔalp-Every word from Phoenician 𐤀𐤋𐤐