Where does “Alphabet” come from?
Alphabet (German) comes from Latin alphabētum, from Byzantine Greek ἀλφάβητον, from Ancient Greek ἀλφάβητος, from Ancient Greek ἄλφα, from Phoenician 𐤀𐤋𐤐, from Proto-Semitic *ʔalp-.
Alphabet (German): alphabet
Ancestry of “Alphabet”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | alphabētum | — |
| 2 | Byzantine Greek | ἀλφάβητον | accusative singular of ἀλφάβητος; alphabet |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἀλφάβητος | alphabet |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἄλφα | alpha, the name for the first letter Α, α of the... |
| 5 | Phoenician | 𐤀𐤋𐤐 | thousand; bull, ox, head of cattle |
| 6 | Proto-Semitic | *ʔalp- | — |
Words derived from “Alphabet”