الف

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See also: ألف, الق, and ألق

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology

From Arabic أَلِف (ʔalif).

Noun

الف (elif)

  1. alif
  2. something shaped like an alif

References

Persian

Etymology

From Arabic أَلِف (ʔalif).

Pronunciation

Readings
Classical reading? alif
Dari reading? alif
Iranian reading? alef
Tajik reading? alif

Noun

Dari اَلِف
Iranian Persian
Tajik алиф

اَلِف (alef)

  1. alif (the letter ا, the first letter of the Persian and Arabic abjads)
  2. (figurative) something erect and tall like the letter ا
    • c. 1390, Hafez, “Ghazal 317”, in دیوان حافظ [The Divān of Hafez]‎:
      نیست بر لوحِ دلم جز الفِ قامتِ دوست
      چه کنم حرفِ دگر یاد نداد استادم
      -nêst bar lawh-i dil-am juz alif-i qâmat-i dôst
      či kunam harf-i digar yâd na-dâd ustâd-am
      The tablet of my heart has nothing on it but the alif of my love's figure
      What can I do? My master taught me no other letter.
      (romanization in Classical Persian)

Derived terms

  • Hindustani: alif
    Hindi: अलिफ़
    Urdu: اَلِف (alif)