alif

[ ah-lif ]

noun

1. the first letter of the Arabic alphabet.
2. the glottal stop consonant represented by this letter.

Word History and Origins

Origin of alif¹

From Arabic; aleph

Example Sentences

The video of the girl was just one of several pieces of child pornography investigators found on Alif Jan Adil’s phone.

From Washington Times

The female twins, named Alif and Raya, were born at Chester Zoo in January but have only just started to explore the outside world.

From BBC

Alif Jan Adil was convicted of abusive sexual contact and possession of child pornography this summer.

From Washington Times

In the reading area, Melody Strmel, who came with three friends to show their support, sat in a cushy chair digging into her two selections, a Middle-Eastern coming of age cyber-tech fantasy called “Alif the Unseen” and “Barn 8,” a satirical novel about corporate chicken farming which aligned with her environmental work in greenhouse gas emissions.

From Los Angeles Times

Mohammad's father, Alif, remembered walking through the hospital corridors hours later, wondering if his only son was alive.

From BBC