Etymologically
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alpha

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈæl.fə/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin alpha, from Ancient Greek ἄλφα (álpha),[2][3][4] from a Phoenician word akin to Modern Hebrew אָלֶף (ʾālep̄, “ox”), the name of the first letter (see aleph).[2][3][4] The Greeks added -a because Greek words cannot end in most consonants.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first letter of the Greek alphabet: probably about 1200, in the Ormulum, in Barnhart;[2] about 1300 in Etymonline.[3]

Semantic evolution

The beginning of anything, often paired with omega as the alpha and omega, is from the late 14th century, 1382 in the OED.[3][5][6] First in a series is from the 1620s.[3] In astronomy alpha marks the brightest star of a constellation, a use beginning with Bayer's atlas (1603).[3][7] Alpha radiation is from 1899.[5] In Britain alpha is a top mark in an examination.[7] The alpha male was used by about 1960 by scientists studying animals, and of humans from about 1992.[3] An early test version of software is an alpha, from 1955 in MWU.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 1200 – the Greek letter.[2]
  • 1382 – the beginning; alpha and omega.[5]
  • 1603 – in star names, from Bayer.[3]
  • 1899 – alpha radiation.[5]
  • c. 1960 – alpha male.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The first letter of the Greek alphabet (Α, α).
  2. The first of anything; the beginning.
  3. (astronomy) The brightest star in a constellation.
  4. (British) The highest grade in an examination.

Adjective

  1. Dominant in a group: an alpha male.
  2. Of or relating to alpha particles or alpha radiation.

Word family

  • Alpha Centauri
  • alpha test
  • alphabet
  • aleph
  • beta
  • omega
  • alphanumeric

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins