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• al
  al

  noun

  Indian mulberry.
• 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 /

noun

1. Indian mulberry.

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Al ² American  

[al] / æl /

noun

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

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Al ³ American  

Symbol, Chemistry.

1. aluminum.

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AL ⁴ American  

abbreviation

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

2. Anglo-Latin.

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al- ⁵ American  

1. variant of ad- before l: allure.

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-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.

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-al ⁷ American  

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

   denial; refusal.

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-al ⁸ American  

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

   chloral.

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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.

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al. ¹⁰ American  

abbreviation

1. other things.

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al. ¹¹ American  

abbreviation

1. other persons.

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AL. ¹² American  

abbreviation

1. Anglo-Latin.

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a.l. ¹³ American  

abbreviation

1. autograph letter.

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A.L. ¹⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. Baseball. American League.

2. American Legion.

3. Anglo-Latin.

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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)

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-al ² British  

suffix

1. indicating an aldehyde

   ethanal

2. indicating a pharmaceutical product

   phenobarbital

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-al ³ British  

suffix

1. of; related to; connected with

   functional

   sectional

   tonal

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-al ⁴ British  

suffix

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

   rebuttal

   recital

   renewal

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Al ⁵ British  

symbol

1. aluminium

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al ⁶ British  

abbreviation

1. Albania

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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

“Ragin’ ” Al, a low-ranked fighter known for decent grappling and heavy hitting, had no business fighting for the lightweight strap.

From Slate • Jun. 14, 2026

Artan said he had been questioned by border officials over his links to Somali militant group Al Shabab and had told them he knew nothing about the organisation.

From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026

That momentum carried over into this year despite declining trading volumes, lower token prices and a shift in capital toward Al.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

Former Northwest Airlines co-chairman Al Checchi spent more than $40 million of his money on an unsuccessful gubernatorial primary campaign in 1998, which broke records at the time.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

“Uncle Al was touchy about not having a vet, and then out of blue, here you are, from an Ivy League school no less.”

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen