Etymology Explorer › Translingual

Where does “alpha-” come from?

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

alpha- (Translingual): Used to differentiate genera of viruses

Definitions

  1. Used to differentiate genera of viruses

Ancestry of “alpha-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishalphaThe name of the first letter of the Greek...
2Ancient Greekἄλφαalpha, the name for the first letter Α, α of the...
3Phoenician𐤀𐤋𐤐thousand; bull, ox, head of cattle
4Proto-Semitic*ʔalp-—

Words derived from “alpha-”

  • Alphaproteobacteria
  • Alphacoronavirus
Every word from Proto-Semitic *ʔalp- →