aleph

[ah-lif; Hebrew ah-lef]

noun

the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
the glottal stop consonant or, alternatively, long vowel represented by this letter.

Origin of aleph

1250–1300; Middle English < Hebrew āleph, akin to eleph ox

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for aleph

Contemporary Examples of aleph

Daneri is using the Aleph to write a terrible poem that minutely and pointlessly describes everything on earth.
Is Dave Eggers’ ‘The Circle’ Our Generation’s ‘1984’?
Stefan Beck
October 2, 2013

Historical Examples of aleph

Commonly referred to under the symbol , the Hebrew letter, Aleph.
Lectures on Bible Revision
Samuel Newth
The first begins with Aleph, the second with Beth, and so on, the second verse of each pair not being counted in the scheme.
The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, Vol. 1
A. Maclaren
Each short clause begins with Aleph; each makes the same fervid resolve.
The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, Vol. 1
A. Maclaren

British Dictionary definitions for aleph

aleph

noun

the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet (א) articulated as a glottal stop and transliterated with a superior comma (`)

Word Origin for aleph

Hebrew: ox

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

Word Origin and History for aleph

Hebrew and Phoenician letter, c.1300, from Semitic languages, pausal form of eleph "ox" (the character might have developed from a hieroglyph of an ox's head); also see alphabet.