al-

the

Forms

al-
el- — Reflects regional pronunciation or a different transliteration of the Arabic article.
a- — In some borrowed forms, the l is absorbed into the following consonant, reflecting Arabic pronunciation.

Arabic al-, the definite article; its deeper Semitic ancestry is disputed.

English often borrowed the article as part of the word, even though Arabic treats it as a separate grammatical element.

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noun

uh-LEM-bik/əˈlɛmbɪk/

A vessel used to distill liquids.

Etymology

The “cup” element developed into the name of a vessel used for distillation. The Greek word’s deeper origin is unknown, possibly Semitic.