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