English
analphabet
Analphabet comes from Late Latin analphabetus ‘unable to read and write’, from Ancient Greek ἀναλφάβητος ‘illiterate’, and ultimately from ἀλφάβητος ‘alphabet’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀλφάβητοςalphábētos‘alphabet’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἀναλφάβητοςanalphábētos‘illiterate’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEanalphabetus‘unable to read and write’
- Englishearliest quotation 1686analphabet
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀλφάβητοςalphábētos‘alphabet’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἀναλφάβητοςanalphábētos‘illiterate’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEanalphabetus‘unable to read and write’
- Englishearliest quotation 1686analphabet
Earliest quotation: 1686, Richard Lassels, The Description and Voyage of Italy: “[…] Vincentius Pinelli’s Books, which after his death, being…”
The story
The English word was probably influenced by cognate words in other languages such as French analphabète (adjective), German Analphabetus, Analphabet (nouns), analphabeten (adjective), Italian analfabeta (adjective, noun), analfabeto (adjective, noun), Portuguese analfabeto (adjective, noun), Spanish analfabeto (adjective, noun).
Every English word from Ancient Greek ἀλφάβητος
Today it means
noun A person who does not know the letters of the alphabet; a partly or wholly illiterate person.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek ἀλφάβητος / analphabet