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• al
  al

  noun

  Indian mulberry.
• Al
  Al

  noun

  a first name, form of Albert, Alfred, Aloysius.
• AL
  AL

  abbreviation

  Alabama (approved especially for use with zip code).
• al-
  al-

  variant of ad- before l: allure.
• -al
  -al

  a suffix with the general sense “of the kind of, pertaining to, having the form or character of” that named by the stem, occurring in loanwords from Latin (autumnal; natural; pastoral ), and productive in English on the Latin model, usually with bases of Latin origin (accidental; seasonal; tribal ). Originally, -al1 was restricted to stems not containing an -l- (cf. -ar); recent lapses in this rule have produced semantically distinct pairs, as familiar and familial.
• Al-
  Al-

  a word in Arabic names meaning “family” or “the house of ”.
• al.
  al.

  abbreviation

  other things.
• AL.
  AL.

  abbreviation

  Anglo-Latin.
• a.l.
  a.l.

  abbreviation

  autograph letter.
• A.L.
  A.L.

  abbreviation

  American League.

al

¹ American  

[ahl] / ɑl /

noun

1. Indian mulberry.

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Al ² American  

[al] / æl /

noun

1. a first name, form of Albert, Alfred, Aloysius.

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Al ³ American  

Symbol, Chemistry.

1. aluminum.

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AL ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. Alabama (approved especially for use with zip code).

2. Anglo-Latin.

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al- ⁵ American  

1. variant of ad- before l: allure.

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-al ⁶ American  

1. a suffix with the general sense “of the kind of, pertaining to, having the form or character of” that named by the stem, occurring in loanwords from Latin (autumnal; natural; pastoral ), and productive in English on the Latin model, usually with bases of Latin origin (accidental; seasonal; tribal ). Originally, -al1 was restricted to stems not containing an -l- (cf. -ar); recent lapses in this rule have produced semantically distinct pairs, as familiar and familial.

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-al ⁷ American  

1. a suffix forming nouns from verbs, usually verbs of French or Latin origin.

   denial; refusal.

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-al ⁸ American  

1. Chemistry. a suffix indicating that a compound contains an aldehyde group.

   chloral.

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Al- ⁹ American  

1. a word in Arabic names meaning “family” or “the house of ”.

   Al-Saud, or the members of the house of Saud.

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al. ¹⁰ American  

abbreviation

1. other things.

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al. ¹¹ American  

abbreviation

1. other persons.

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AL. ¹² American  

abbreviation

1. Anglo-Latin.

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a.l. ¹³ American  

abbreviation

1. autograph letter.

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A.L. ¹⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. Baseball. American League.

2. American Legion.

3. Anglo-Latin.

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AL ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. Alabama

2. Anglo-Latin

3. (in the US and Canada) American League (of baseball teams)

4. Albania (international car registration)

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-al ² British  

suffix

1. indicating an aldehyde

   ethanal

2. indicating a pharmaceutical product

   phenobarbital

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-al ³ British  

suffix

1. of; related to; connected with

   functional

   sectional

   tonal

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-al ⁴ British  

suffix

1. the act or process of doing what is indicated by the verb stem

   rebuttal

   recital

   renewal

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Al ⁵ British  

symbol

1. aluminium

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al ⁶ British  

abbreviation

1. Albania

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Etymology

Origin of al¹

From the Hindi word āl

Origin of -al⁶

< Latin ālis, -āle; often replacing Middle English -el < Old French

Origin of -al⁷

< Latin -āle (singular), -ālia (plural), nominalized neuter of -ālis -al ¹; often replacing Middle English -aille < Old French < Latin -ālia

Origin of -al⁸

Presumed to be short for aldehyde

Origin of Al-⁹

From the Arabic word āl family

Origin of al.¹⁰

From the Latin word alia

Origin of al.¹¹

From the Latin word aliī

Example Sentences

During warmer months, the patio offers an excellent spot for al fresco dining.

From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026

Tossed with olive oil, tomatoes, jalapeño, feta and Parmesan cheese, the expertly al dente Rustichella rigatoni is not your everyday mac ‘n’ cheese dinner.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

The ad giant ferried clients and potential clients by private speedboats to the secluded Saint-Honorat Island, where they enjoyed an al fresco paella and zucchini-flower lunch.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Brass bands will roam the city's streets, al fresco jazz hosted in the craft Village, while Guildhall Square's Gay McIntyre stage will host open air jazz for the next three days.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

‘Only my uncle, Caliph Haroun al Rashid,’ the Sultan said.

From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl