Etymology Explorer › Latin

Where does “alpha” come from?

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

alpha (Latin): alpha

Definitions

  1. alpha

Ancestry of “alpha”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekἄλφαalpha, the name for the first letter Α, α of the...
2Phoenician𐤀𐤋𐤐thousand; bull, ox, head of cattle
3Proto-Semitic*ʔalp-—
Every word from Proto-Semitic *ʔalp- →