transliterate

American

[trans-lit-uh-reyt, tranz-] / trænsˈlɪt əˌreɪt, trænz- /

verb (used with object)

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

to transliterate the Greek Χ as ch.

transliterate British

/ trænzˈlɪtəˌreɪt /

verb

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

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

"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

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Etymology

Origin of transliterate

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

Explanation

To transliterate is to rewrite something in a different alphabet. When you transliterate the name Пётр from Russian into English, it's generally spelled Peter. Transliterate comes from two Latin roots, trans, or "across," and littera, "letter or character." It's related to translate, with an important distinction: when you translate something, you interpret its meaning and put that in a different language. When you transliterate, you're simply changing the alphabet in which a word is written, so that it can be read or pronounced in a different language.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Dodson decided to essentially transliterate the line, despite the grammatical awkwardness it introduces in English: “In the depths of the virgin-forest was born Macunaíma, hero of our people.”

From New York Times • Apr. 7, 2023

The best an English translation can do is to transliterate the Greek letters—“Ototototoi”—or go with something like “Woe is me!” or “Alas!”

From The New Yorker • Jan. 7, 2019

Maybe there was too much internal debate on how to best transliterate it.

From The Guardian • Feb. 19, 2013

Though most of the world’s languages have no written form, people are beginning to transliterate their mother tongues into the alphabet of a national language.

From New York Times • Dec. 9, 2011

In 1901, there had been a reform of the German spelling system, changing "th" into "t" in all words where it does not transliterate the Greek letter theta.

From My Life and My Efforts by Olesch, Gunther

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023