alphabet

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: al=pha=bet

CIDE DICTIONARY

alphabet, n. [L. alphabetum, fr. Gr. + , the first two Greek letters; Heb. āleph and beth: cf. F. alphabet.].

•  The letters of a language arranged in the customary order; the series of letters or signs which form the elements of written language.  [1913 Webster]
•  The simplest rudiments; elements.  [1913 Webster]

  "The very alphabet of our law."  [1913 Webster]

Deaf and dumb alphabet. See Dactylology.

alphabet, v. t. 

 To designate by the letters of the alphabet; to arrange alphabetically.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

alphabet, n.
1 the set of letters used in writing a language (the Russian alphabet).
2 a set of symbols or signs representing letters.

Etymology

LL alphabetum f. Gk alpha, beta, the first two letters of the alphabet

THESAURUS

alphabet

IPA, ITA, Initial Teaching Alphabet, International Phonetic Alphabet, alphabetics, art, basics, beginning, blueprint, charactering, characterization, chart, choreography, commencement, conventional representation, dance notation, delineation, demonstration, depiction, depictment, diagram, drama, drawing, elements, exemplification, figuration, first principles, first steps, fundamentals, futhark, grammar, graphemics, hieroglyphic, hornbook, iconography, ideogram, illustration, imagery, imaging, induction, letter, letters, limning, logogram, logograph, map, musical notation, notation, outlines, outset, paleography, pictogram, picturization, plan, portraiture, portrayal, prefigurement, presentment, primer, principia, principles, printing, projection, realization, rendering, rendition, representation, rudiments, runic alphabet, schema, score, script, start, syllabary, symbol, tablature, writing, writing system

ROGET THESAURUS

alphabet

Letter

N letter, character, hieroglyphic, type, capitals, digraph, trigraph, ideogram, ideograph, majuscule, minuscule, majuscule, minuscule, alphabet, ABC, abecedary, christcross-row, consonant, vowel, diphthong, triphthong, mute, liquid, labial, dental, guttural, syllable, monosyllable, dissyllable, polysyllable, affix, suffix, spelling, orthograph, phonography, phonetic spelling, anagrammatism, metagrammatism, cipher, monogram, anagram, doubleacrostic, literal, alphabetical, abecedarian, syllabic, majuscular, minuscular, uncial.

Beginning

N beginning, commencement, opening, outset, incipience, inception, inchoation, introduction, alpha, initial, inauguration, debut, le premier pas, embarcation, rising of the curtain, maiden speech, outbreak, onset, brunt, initiative, move, first move, narrow end of the wedge, thin end of the wedge, fresh start, new departure, origin, source, rise, bud, germ, egg, rudiment, genesis, primogenesis, birth, nativity, cradle, infancy, start, inception, creation, starting point, dawn, evolution, title-page, head, heading, van, caption, fatihah, entrance, entry, inlet, orifice, mouth, chops, lips, porch, portal, portico, propylon, door, gate, gateway, postern, wicket, threshold, vestibule, propylaeum, skirts, border, first stage, first blush, first glance, first impression, first sight, rudiments, elements, outlines, grammar, alphabet, ABC, beginning, initial, initiatory, initiative, inceptive, introductory, incipient, proemial, inaugural, inchoate, inchoative, embryonic, rudimental, primogenial, primeval, primitive, primordial, aboriginal, natal, nascent, first, foremost, leading, maiden, begun, just begun, at the beginning, in the beginning first, in the first place, imprimis, first and foremost, in limine, in the bud, in embryo, in its infancy, from the beginning, from its birth, ab initio, ab ovo, ab incunabilis, ab origine, let's get going!, let's get this show on the road!, up and at 'em!, aller Anfang ist schwer, dimidium facti qui coepit habet, omnium rerum principia parva sunt.