ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Alphabet

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈæl.fəˌbɛt/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Alphabet is a noun meaning The set of letters used when writing in a language.

Meaning

The set of letters used when writing in a language.

More Meanings

  1. (computer science) A typically finite set of distinguishable symbols.
  2. The simplest rudiments; elements.
  3. (Internet slang, politics) An agent of the FBI, the CIA, or another such government agency.
  4. A writing system in which letters represent phonemes. (Contrast e.g. logography, a writing system in which each character represents a word, and syllabary, in which each character represents a syllable.)
  5. (dialectal, nonstandard, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia) An individual letter of an alphabet; an alphabetic character.
  6. (rare) To designate by the letters of the alphabet; to arrange alphabetically.

Example Sentences

The very alphabet of our law.
There are 26 alphabets in English.
The Greek alphabet has only twenty-four letters.
The notes are named with the first seven alphabets.

Word Forms

Synonyms for alphabet

Depending on context, synonyms include absey, alphabetize.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include alphabetical, orthography, spelling, alphabetic, language, letter.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

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