alphabet Hear it!

alphabet definition

al·pha·bet (al′fə bet′)

noun

  1. the letters of a language, arranged in a traditional order
  2. a system of characters, signs, or symbols used to indicate letters or speech sounds
  3. the first elements or principles, as of a branch of knowledge

Etymology: LL(Ec) alphabetum < LGr alphabētos < Gr alpha + bēta, the first two letters of the Greek alphabet

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.
Related Discussions (4)
TopicRepliesLatest Post
The Latin alphabet is the Greek Chalcidian alphabet with minor changes12 weeks ago
Alphabet Characters411 month ago
The "alpha" in alphabet?92 months ago
Learn Arabic Alphabet17 months ago

Browse Forums