Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The first letter of the Persian (Arabic) alphabet, consisting of a single stroke: hence, a mere letter; a jot.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The first letter of the Arabic alphabet: ا ('álif).

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Arabic ألف (alif).

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Examples

  • This usage occurs only at the beginning of a word, since within a word alif always sounds like the long vowel "aa."

    Yahoo! Answers: Latest Questions 2010

  • This usage occurs only at the beginning of a word, since within a word alif always sounds like the long vowel "aa."

    Yahoo! Answers: Latest Questions 2010

  • They govern the first letter of the alphabet, the alif, which is basically a straight vertical stroke.

    Lightly Toasted 2010

  • Her name, Elif, is actually the Turkish word for alif or aleph, the first letter of the Arabic and Hebrew alphabets.

    Review of The Possessed by Elif Batuman 2010

  • I learned to write alif, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet.

    Nomad Ayaan Hirsi Ali 2010

  • I learned to write alif, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet.

    Nomad Ayaan Hirsi Ali 2010

  • I learned to write alif, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet.

    Nomad Ayaan Hirsi Ali 2010

  • Just as the ` alif elongates the fatHa and the waaw elongates the damma, the yaa 'elongates the kasra.

    Arabic for Dummies Bouchentouf, Amine 2006

  • Even though saafara has four consonants instead of the usual three, it's nevertheless considered to be a regular verb because the fourth consonant, the ` alif, is actually a consonant that acts as a long vowel elongating the siin.

    Arabic for Dummies Bouchentouf, Amine 2006

  • Here are a few examples to help you get your head around this long-vowel process: To create a long vowel form of a fatHa, you attach an ` alif to the consonant that the fatHa is associated with.

    Arabic for Dummies Bouchentouf, Amine 2006

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    Found on: www.spinal-cord.org/classification-terminology.htm

    May 19, 2008