ALPHA

ALPHA, the Name of the first Letter of the Greek Alphabet. See LETTER, and ALPHABET. The Alpha, in Composition, denotes, sometimes, Privation, in the same Sense with an, without; sometimes Augmentation, as dyer, much; and sometimes Union, as aves together. It was also used as a Letter of Order, to denote the first; and of Number, to signify one; but when it was a numerical Letter, a little Stroke, or an acute Accent was drawn above it thus A', to distinguish it from the A, which was a Letter of Order. The Word is originally Hebrew, and comes from aleph Alaph, which signifies to learn; whence aleph the Leader or first of a Company. In this Sense, the Hebrews call the first Letter of their Alphabet Aleph, the Syrians Olaph, the Arabs Eliph, and the Greeks Alpha. See A. Alpha and Omega, in the Divine Writings, signify the Beginning and the End; and therefore the Hieroglyphic of God is formed of these two Letters, A and Ω.

ALPHA