transliterate

[trans-lit-uh-reyt, tranz-]

verb (used with object)

transliterated, transliterating 

1. to change (letters, words, etc.) into corresponding characters of another alphabet or language.

   to transliterate the Greek Χ as ch.

transliterate

/ trænzˈlɪtəˌreɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to transcribe (a word, etc, in one alphabet) into corresponding letters of another alphabet

   the Greek word λογοσ can be transliterated as ``logos''

Other Word Forms

• transliteration noun
• transliterator noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of transliterate¹

First recorded 1860–65; trans- + Latin lītter(a), litter(a) letter ¹ + -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of transliterate¹

C19: _trans- + -literate , from Latin līttera _letter

Example Sentences

The city has asked translators to furnish names that are transliterated, a process that more closely approximates English pronunciations.

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There’s a word in Japanese that transliterates to “komorebi” and refers to a phenomenon for which there is no single word in English: the quality of light as it filters through foliage.

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She remembered seeing that her mother had transliterated the words in her score for Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” into Chinese, so that she could pronounce them correctly.

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In it, a verse by Grade in transliterated Yiddish alludes to both his affection and ambivalence.

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We transcribed every handwritten name on the lists into a database, transliterating them from Arabic to English.

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Related Words

• decipher 
• duplicate 
• interpret 
• reprint 
• reproduce 
• rewrite 
• translate 
• write out