Al

¹

[ al ]

noun

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

-al

²

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- ( -ar ¹ ); recent lapses in this rule have produced semantically distinct pairs, as familiar and familial.

al.

³

abbreviation for

1. other things.

Al

⁴

Symbol, Chemistry.

1. aluminum.

-al

⁵

1. a suffix forming nouns from verbs, usually verbs of French or Latin origin:

   denial; refusal.

al.

⁶

abbreviation for

1. other persons.

-al

⁷

1. Chemistry. a suffix indicating that a compound contains an aldehyde group:

   chloral.

al

⁸

[ ahl ]

noun

1. Indian mulberry.

AL

⁹

abbreviation for

1. Alabama (approved especially for use with zip code).
2. Anglo-Latin.

al-

¹⁰

1. variant of ad- before l: allure.

Al-

¹¹

1. a word in Arabic names meaning “family” or “the house of ”:

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

AL.

¹²

abbreviation for

1. Anglo-Latin.

a.l.

¹³

abbreviation for

1. autograph letter.

A.L.

¹⁴

abbreviation for

1. Baseball. American League.
2. American Legion.
3. Anglo-Latin.

AL

¹

abbreviation for

1. Alabama
2. Anglo-Latin
3. (in the US and Canada) American League (of baseball teams)
4. Albania (international car registration)

-al

²

suffix forming nouns

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

   renewal

   recital

   rebuttal

al

³

the internet domain name for

1. Albania

-al

⁴

suffix forming adjectives

1. of; related to; connected with

   tonal

   sectional

   functional

Al

⁵

the chemical symbol for

1. aluminium

-al

⁶

suffix forming nouns

1. indicating an aldehyde

   ethanal

2. indicating a pharmaceutical product

   phenobarbital

Word History and Origins

Origin of Al¹

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

Origin of Al²

From the Latin word alia

Origin of Al³

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

Origin of Al⁴

From the Latin word aliī

Origin of Al⁵

Presumed to be short for aldehyde

Origin of Al⁶

From the Hindi word āl

Origin of Al⁷

From the Arabic word āl family

Word History and Origins

Origin of Al¹

via Old French -aille, -ail, from Latin -ālia, neuter plural used as substantive, from -ālis -al ¹

Origin of Al²

from Latin -ālis

Origin of Al³

shortened from aldehyde

Example Sentences

The influential al Qaeda propagandist, who was born in New Mexico, died in a U.S. drone strike later that year.

From The Daily Beast

The al Qaeda-linked gunmen shot back, but only managed to injure one officer before they were taken out.

From The Daily Beast

According to a Yemeni intelligence source, Saïd met with the notorious U.S. preacher Anwar al Awlaki.

From The Daily Beast

Two witnesses outside the Charlie Hebdo office building quoted the Kouachi brothers claiming they were members of al Qaeda.

From The Daily Beast

There is a particular focus in the magazine on attacking the United States, which al Qaeda calls a top target.

From The Daily Beast

When the exact sense was lost, the suffix -al seemed to be adjectival, and the word dismal became at last an adjective.

From Project Gutenberg

The Provençal has not even the formal distinction of the nouns in al, which in French make their plural in aux.

From Project Gutenberg

The emphatic al places the alchemist as much above the ordinary chemist as the gold which he obtains is superior to other metals.

From Project Gutenberg

So also:—'Tempest thee nat thus with al thy fortune'; Boeth.

From Project Gutenberg

"No al fresco dining tonight," said John, as the darkening sky was veined by a sudden spray of blue-green light.

From Project Gutenberg