Common Semitic noun *ʾalp- ‘ox’, first letter of Phœnician ʾāleph ‘ox, leader’, name of the first letter of the Phœnician alphabet, originally formed from the hieroglyph of an ox’s head ().
Also root of Hebrew ʾāleph (א), Arabic ʾalif (ا), Greek alpha (Α, α), and of Latin and Cyrillic A and a, the first letter of their respective alphabets.