Link Centre Dictionary

alphabet

alp·ha·bet

US/ˈæl.fəˌbɛt/ fairly common

noun

1.

a character set that includes letters and is used to write a language

2.

the elementary stages of any subject (usually plural)

  • “he mastered only the rudiments of geometry”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English alphabete, borrowed from Classical Latin alphabētum, from Ancient Greek ἀλφάβητος (alphábētos), from ἄλφα (álpha) and βῆτα (bêta), the names of the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, Α (A) and Β (B), lowercase forms α and β.

Phrases

  • alphabet agency Expressions with other terms
  • alphabet block Expressions with other terms
  • alphabet book Expressions with other terms
  • alphabet boy Expressions with other terms
  • alphabet brick Expressions with other terms
  • alphabet mafia Expressions with other terms
  • alphabet of desire Expressions with other terms
  • alphabetic(-al) → alphabetically

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Part of

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.