Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “alphabet” come from?

Alphabet comes from Late Latin alphabetum, derived from Ancient Greek ἀλφάβητος, a compound of Ancient Greek ἄλφα and Proto-Semitic ʾalp-.

alphabet (English): The set of letters used when writing in a...

Definitions

  1. The set of letters used when writing in a...

Ancestry of “alphabet”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishalphabete—

Words derived from “alphabet”

  • alphabetical
  • alphabetically
  • alphabetic
  • alphanumeric
  • alphabetize
  • nonalphabetic
  • nonalphanumeric
  • polyalphabetic
  • monoalphabetic
  • analphabetic
  • prealphabetic
  • alphabeted
  • alphabetiform
  • nonalphabetical
  • alphabetism
  • alphabetise
  • alphabetizer
  • alphabetiser
  • alphabets
  • nonalphabetically
  • alphabeticity
  • multialphabet
  • alphabetitis
  • alphabetlike
Every word from Middle English alphabete →