الف

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

• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “الف”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[1], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 187

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic أَلِف (ʔalif).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ʔa.lif]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔä.lɪf]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔä.lɪf]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʔä.lɪf]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʔä.lif]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔæ.lef]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔä.lif]

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)
   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume I, verse 1514:

     ما که‌‌ایم اندر جهان پیچ پیچ
     چون الف او خود چه دارد هیچ هیچ

     mâ ke-im andar jahân-e pič-pič
     čun alef u xod če dârad hič hič

     Who are we? In this tangled world
     What [thing other than He] indeed hath He [who is single] like alif? Nothing, nothing.

2. (figurative) something erect and tall like the letter ا
   • c. 1390, Hafez, “Ghazal 317”, in دیوان حافظ [The Divān of Hafez]‎^[2]:

     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 [written] 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:

  Hindi: अलिफ़ (alif)

  Urdu: اَلِف (alif)

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian الف (alif), from Arabic أَلِف (ʔalif).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /ə.lɪf/

Noun

الِف • (alif) m (Hindi spelling अलिफ़)

1. name of the first letter of the Urdu alphabet; alif

Declension

Declension of الف
	singular	plural
direct	الِف (alif)	الِف (alif)
oblique	الِف (alif)	الِفوں (alifō̃)
vocative	الِف (alif)	الِفو (alifō)

References

• Platts, John T. (1884) “الف”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.