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transliterate

[trans-lit-uh-reyt, tranz-]
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verb (used with object), trans·lit·er·at·ed, trans·lit·er·at·ing.
  1. to change (letters, words, etc.) into corresponding characters of another alphabet or language: to transliterate the Greek Χ as ch.
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Origin of transliterate

1860–65; trans- + Latin līter(a) letter1 + -ate1
Related formstrans·lit·er·a·tion, nountrans·lit·er·a·tor, noun
Can be confusedtranslate transliterate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for transliterate

Historical Examples

  • The 114 author is apparently unable to transliterate properly the Old English names.

    The Translations of Beowulf

    Chauncey Brewster Tinker

British Dictionary definitions for transliterate

transliterate

verb
  1. (tr) to transcribe (a word, etc, in one alphabet) into corresponding letters of another alphabetthe Greek word λογοσ can be transliterated as ``logos''
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Derived Formstransliteration, nountransliterator, noun

Word Origin

C19: trans- + -literate, from Latin līttera letter
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 transliterate

v.

"to write a word in the characters of another alphabet," 1861, apparently coined by German philologist Max Müller (1823-1900), from trans- "across" (see trans-) + Latin littera (also litera) "letter, character" (see letter).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper