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  • al
    al
    noun
  • Al
    Al
    noun
    a first name, form of Albert, Alfred, Aloysius.
  • AL
    AL
    abbreviation
    Alabama (approved especially for use with zip code).
  • al-
    al-
    variant of ad- before l: allure.
  • -al
    -al
    a suffix with the general sense “of the kind of, pertaining to, having the form or character of” that named by the stem, occurring in loanwords from Latin (autumnal; natural; pastoral ), and productive in English on the Latin model, usually with bases of Latin origin (accidental; seasonal; tribal ). Originally, -al1 was restricted to stems not containing an -l- (cf. -ar); recent lapses in this rule have produced semantically distinct pairs, as familiar and familial.
  • Al-
    Al-
    a word in Arabic names meaning “family” or “the house of ”.
  • al.
    al.
    abbreviation
    other things.
  • AL.
    AL.
    abbreviation
    Anglo-Latin.
  • a.l.
    a.l.
    abbreviation
    autograph letter.
  • A.L.
    A.L.
    abbreviation
    American League.

al

1 American  
[ahl] / ɑl /

Al 2 American  
[al] / æl /

noun

  1. a first name, form of Albert, Alfred, Aloysius.


Al 3 American  
Symbol, Chemistry.
  1. aluminum.


AL 4 American  

abbreviation

  1. Alabama (approved especially for use with zip code).

  2. Anglo-Latin.


al- 5 American  
  1. variant of ad- before l: allure.


-al 6 American  
  1. a suffix with the general sense “of the kind of, pertaining to, having the form or character of” that named by the stem, occurring in loanwords from Latin (autumnal; natural; pastoral ), and productive in English on the Latin model, usually with bases of Latin origin (accidental; seasonal; tribal ). Originally, -al1 was restricted to stems not containing an -l- (cf. -ar); recent lapses in this rule have produced semantically distinct pairs, as familiar and familial.


-al 7 American  
  1. a suffix forming nouns from verbs, usually verbs of French or Latin origin.

    denial; refusal.


-al 8 American  
  1. Chemistry. a suffix indicating that a compound contains an aldehyde group.

    chloral.


Al- 9 American  
  1. a word in Arabic names meaning “family” or “the house of ”.

    Al-Saud, or the members of the house of Saud.


al. 10 American  

abbreviation

  1. other things.


al. 11 American  

abbreviation

  1. other persons.


AL. 12 American  

abbreviation

  1. Anglo-Latin.


a.l. 13 American  

abbreviation

  1. autograph letter.


A.L. 14 American  

abbreviation

  1. Baseball. American League.

  2. American Legion.

  3. Anglo-Latin.


AL 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. Alabama

  2. Anglo-Latin

  3. (in the US and Canada) American League (of baseball teams)

  4. Albania (international car registration)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

-al 2 British  

suffix

  1. indicating an aldehyde

    ethanal

  2. indicating a pharmaceutical product

    phenobarbital

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

-al 3 British  

suffix

  1. of; related to; connected with

    functional

    sectional

    tonal

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

-al 4 British  

suffix

  1. the act or process of doing what is indicated by the verb stem

    rebuttal

    recital

    renewal

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Al 5 British  

symbol

  1. aluminium

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

al 6 British  

abbreviation

  1. Albania

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of al1

From the Hindi word āl

Origin of -al6

< Latin ālis, -āle; often replacing Middle English -el < Old French

Origin of -al7

< Latin -āle (singular), -ālia (plural), nominalized neuter of -ālis -al 1; often replacing Middle English -aille < Old French < Latin -ālia

Origin of -al8

Presumed to be short for aldehyde

Origin of Al-9

From the Arabic word āl family

Origin of al.10

From the Latin word alia

Origin of al.11

From the Latin word aliī


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The New York taco shop opened in 2013, earned a devoted following for its al pastor and handmade tortillas, and eventually grew to nine locations.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

Hilton bit into of one of his three al pastor tacos with gusto.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Barabak: I wouldn’t mind kicking it with Elvis, Tupac, et al.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The U.S. captured the 9/11 plotters, chased the Taliban who had protected Osama from Afghanistan, and diminished al Qaeda’s ability to attack again.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

She'd considered taking a shower in the locker room at school, but that might be even more dangerous, Tina et al.

From "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell

Meanwhile, the group Al Otro Lado provides legal assistance.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

The Al Jazeera report said its undercover journalist approached Ross in 2022 with a fictitious situation of a family business at risk of being taken over by a criminal gang.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

Melvin reluctantly participated in a quick coronation during Thursday’s broadcast as fellow anchors Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker and Carson Daly announced his victory in People magazine’s latest Sexiest Man Alive Readers’ Choice Poll.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Iranian attacks in March forced Emirates Global Aluminium-owned by Mubadala, an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, and the government of Dubai—to shut its Al Taweelah facilities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

Uncle Al shouts, spreading his arms wide in jubilation.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

The worst team at challenges was Cleveland at minus-13.4, yet the Guardians won the AL Central.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Those screams you hear are coming from New York, where Yankees fans are annoyed that their team finished with the second-best record in the AL and still could be eliminated in two or three days.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

They’re the best team in the AL, overcoming their low payroll to emerge as a powerhouse.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

The AL Central, with the White Sox and Cleveland Guardians engaged in a sad war of attrition, isn’t much better than the West.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

But vain was valor—vain the flower Of KERMAN, in that deathful hour, Against AL HASSAN'S whelming power.—

From The Complete Poems of Sir Thomas Moore Collected by Himself with Explanatory Notes by William Michael Rossetti

I went there a lot in 2015, to negotiate the terms of an interview with Bashar al- Assad.

From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2024

This illustration from al-Biruni’s fourteenth-century history called al-Athar al- Baqiyah depicts the prophet Abraham destroying idols that were being worshipped instead of the one God.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

“All Arab countries felt the joy for us and helped us feel the joy,” Yassin al- Youssfi, said as he poured Moroccan tea wearing the team’s bright red shirt.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 5, 2022

The United States, too, has carried out airstrikes against Islamic State fighters and al- Qaeda-linked militants in Syria.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 28, 2016

His job was less flighty than that of district attorney, al- most as permanent and dignified as superior court judge.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

The names for aldehyde and ketone compounds are derived using similar nomenclature rules as for alkanes and alcohols, and include the class-identifying suffixes -al and -one, respectively:

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

Ses′amoid, -al, denoting certain small bones found in the substance of the tendons at the articulations of the great toes, and in other parts of the body.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

Tyran′nic, -al, Tyr′annous, pertaining to or suiting a tyrant: unjustly severe: imperious: despotic.—advs.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

Unhistoric, -al, un-his-tor′ik, -al, adj. not historic, not mentioned in history: not in accordance with history.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

Triglyph′ic, -al, consisting of, or pertaining to, triglyphs: containing three sets of characters or sculptures.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

Power often rested in the hands of local governors, who exploited regional tensions or weaknesses to establish their own dynasties and even their own rival caliphates, as in Al- Andalus.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

MBC Group, the Middle East's largest media company, and Al- Sharq News, a newly created television news channel, have also internally discussed plans to move to Riyadh, the sources said.

From Reuters ● Sep. 3, 2021

“Our main concern should be for this drought in Ethiopia not to degenerate into a famine,” said the humanitarian envoy, Ahmed Al- Meraikhi.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 10, 2017

The aid would be aimed at developing infrastructure and housing, Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al- Khalifa said on his Twitter account.

From BusinessWeek ● Mar. 11, 2011

Cordelia likes June Al- lyson, but she also likes Frank Sinatra and Betty Hutton.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

And Shannon and Narducy et. al. manifest all of this onstage.

From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026

They can be technically proficient, maybe even a little funny, but there is always an underlying cadence of the uncanny valley that I still doubt Suno v6 pro et al. or whatever has totally overcome.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

Former Disney head honcho Bob Iger, et al., owning the Lakers?

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

Madison, Hamilton, et al. would wonder at our credulous view of human nature.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

In 1993, a study by Rauscher et al. was published, which looked at the possible correlations between listening to different types of music and intelligence.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

AL. šitim, šidim = idinnu is usually written with the sign GIM, Poebel, PBS.

From Sumerian Liturgies and Psalms by Stephen Langdon

Projected videos of rushing rivers and roiling seas mix effortlessly with disparate photographs of human gender fluidity, which marks the people in A.L.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2024

He went into play leading A.L. rookies in homers, RBIs, runs and was tied for first place in hits.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 29, 2023

Still, I studied Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe in graduate school back in the 1970s; remember when A.L.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 5, 2023

Yankees survive: The Bronx will be buzzing tonight for a deciding Game 5 of the A.L.

From New York Times ● Oct. 17, 2022

All doubts however were set at rest when between four and half-past four on Monday afternoon Mr. A.L.

From The Transvaal from Within A Private Record of Public Affairs by Sir Percy Fitzpatrick

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