aleph

aleph — noun

1. Aleph is the name of the first letter in the Hebrew writing system. It can refer

1.noun
Definition

Aleph is the name of the first letter in the Hebrew writing system. It can refer to the written character (א) or to the letter as a unit of the alphabet.

Example

Gabriela pointed to the letter aleph on the Hebrew alphabet chart hanging by the door.

the letter aleph — noun phrase referring to the written character

The Hebrew word for father, "av," begins with the letter aleph at the start.

begins with the letter aleph — describing word-initial position

Common collocations
  • write aleph
  • the letter aleph
  • begins with aleph
  • aleph-null

Grammar Patterns

the letter aleph

aleph + verb (singular)

Usage Note

In English, 'aleph' is a specialised term used mainly in three contexts: describing the Hebrew writing system, discussing Jewish religious texts, and (in mathematics) referring to infinite cardinal numbers such as aleph-null (ℵ₀). The plural is 'alephs'.

Common Mistakes

The alphabet starts with the letter A, called aleph.
The Hebrew alphabet starts with the letter aleph.
aleph is the Hebrew letter א, not the English letter A.
Aleph is a vowel in Hebrew.
Aleph can function as a consonant carrying a vowel sound in Hebrew, or it can be silent.
aleph is a consonant letter, not a vowel.

Word family

  • aleph-null
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Aleph refers specifically to the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, whereas 'letter' is a general term for any character in any writing system. 'Alphabet' is the whole set of letters in a language, not a single letter. The term 'aleph-null' (ℵ₀) is a specialised mathematical extension used in set theory to denote the smallest infinite cardinal number; it borrows its name from the Hebrew letter because Cantor, the mathematician, chose the symbol for its first-and-smallest connotation. In everyday English, only 'aleph' and 'letter' are common. For example: 'The Hebrew letter aleph looks different from the English letter A.'

aleph ↗alphabet ↗letter ↗aleph-null

Common collocations

Nouns

  • aleph-null
  • aleph numbers

Phrases

  • the letter aleph
  • begins with aleph

Etymology

Proto-SinaiticPhoenicianHebrewEnglish

Aleph comes from Hebrew 'אָלֶף (álef), the name of the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The letter originally developed from a Proto-Sinaitic pictograph of an ox's head, and the name 'aleph' is related to the Hebrew word for 'ox' or 'cattle'. The symbol was passed through the Phoenician alphabet before becoming the Hebrew letter we know today.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined above