"A" Word Origins

alma mater

Latin

From Latin, literally "nourishing mother" — originally a title for goddesses, later applied to the institution that educated you.

almah

Origin

Ultimately from Arabic عَالِمَة (ʕālima, “singer”), originally a feminine adjective meaning ‘learned, knowledgeable’, from عَلِمَ (ʕalima, “to know”).

almanac

Medieval Latin

From Old French almanach, ultimately traced back through Medieval Latin to an Arabic word for "climate" or "calendar".

Almeida

Portuguese

Borrowed from Portuguese Almeida.

almeyda

Origin

Variant spelling of Almeida.

almighty

Old English

From Old English ælmihtiġ, built from al- ("all") + might + -y.

almond

Ancient Greek

From Old French almande/amande, tracing back through Latin amygdala to Ancient Greek amygdálē.

almost

Old English

From Old English eallmæst, built from all + most.

alms

Ancient Greek

From Old English ælmesse, borrowed ultimately from Ancient Greek eleēmosúnē, "pity, mercy" — the same root that gives "eleemosynary".

almsless

Origin

From alms + -less.

almsman

Origin

From Middle English allmsman, almosman, almesmann, from Old English almesmann, equivalent to alms + man.

almswoman

Origin

From alms + woman.

aloe

Ancient Greek

From Latin aloe, from Ancient Greek alóē, tracing back to Hebrew and ultimately a Tamil word for the plant.

aloft

Old Norse

From Old Norse á lopti, literally "in the sky/loft".

aloha

Origin

Borrowed from Hawaiian aloha, "love, affection", from an earlier Polynesian root.

alon

Origin

Two main origins: * Borrowed from Hebrew אַלּוֹן (alon, “oak tree”). * Borrowed from Tagalog Alon; this surname is predominantly found in Bangsamoro region.

alone

Old English

From Middle English al one, literally "all one" — contracted from Old English eall ān.

aloneness

Origin

From Middle English alonnesse; equivalent to alone + -ness.

along

Old English

From Old English andlang, from and- ("opposite") + lang ("long").

alongside

Origin

Formed from along + side.

aloof

Origin

Originally a nautical term meaning to keep a ship's bow pointed into the wind, away from the shore — the literal sense of "keeping clear" became the figurative sense of emotional distance.

aloud

Middle English

From Middle English a loude, formed from a- + loud.

alow

Origin

From Middle English alowe, equivalent to a- + low.

Aloysius

Latin

A Latinized form of the Occitan name Aloys, itself a variant of Louis.

alp

Origin

Late Middle English, back-formation from alps pl, via French from Latin Alpes (“high mountains, especially those of Switzerland”). Compare Old Saxon elbon (“Alps”), Old High German Alpūn (“Alps”); Old High German alba (“alp, mountain”)).

alpaca

Spanish

Borrowed via Spanish from Aymara allpaqa.

alpha male

Greek

From alpha, the first letter of the Greek alphabet, used in animal behaviour studies to label the top-ranking individual in a group.

alphabet

Latin

From Latin alphabetum, formed from alpha and beta, the first two letters of the Greek alphabet — themselves borrowed from the Phoenician letter names aleph ("ox") and beth ("house").

alphabetic

Origin

Partly from French alphabétique and partly from its etymon Latin alphabēticus. By surface analysis, alphabet + -ic.

alphabetical

Origin

From alphabet + -ical.

alphabetically

Origin

From alphabetical + -ly.

alphanumeric

English

A blend of alphabetic and numeric, from Greek alphabētos and Latin numerus 'number'.

Alphonse

French

From French Alphonse, ultimately from a Germanic compound meaning roughly "noble and ready".

alphonso

Origin

Anglicized form of Italian or Spanish Alfonso.

alpine

Latin

From Latin Alpinus, from Alpes, "the Alps".

Alps

Latin

From Latin Alpes, via Old French and Old English forms.

already

Middle English

From Middle English alredy, formed from al- ("completely") + ready.

alright

Origin

A one-word run-together spelling of "all right".

Alsace

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin Alsatia, ultimately from Old High German words meaning "inhabitant of the other (bank of the Rhine)".

Alsatian

Origin

Formed from Alsace + -ian.

also

Old English

From Old English eallswā, built from all + so, literally "just like".

alt

Latin

From Latin altus, "high" — the same root as "altitude" and "alto".

altadena

Origin

From Spanish alta (“high”) + dena of Pasadena, itself of Ojibwe origin.

altar

Latin

From Old English altar and Old French auter, both from Latin altāre — likely linked to a word meaning "burning place," and later shaped by altus, "high."

altcoin

English

A compound of alternative and coin, meaning a coin offered as an alternative to Bitcoin.

alter

Medieval Latin

From Old French alterer, from Medieval Latin alterare ("to make other"), ultimately from Latin alter, "the other."

alteration

Medieval Latin

From Old French alteracion, from Medieval Latin alteratio — built from alter, "other," plus the ending -ation.

altercation

Latin

Borrowed from Latin altercatio, a term for a heated verbal dispute.