n. [ L. Alpes the Alps, said to be of Celtic origin; cf. Gael. alp a high mountain, Ir. ailp any huge mass or lump: cf. F. Alpes. ] 1. A very high mountain. Specifically, in the plural, the highest chain of mountains in Europe, containing the lofty mountains of Switzerland, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Nor breath of vernal air from snowy alp. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hills peep o'er hills, and alps on alps arise. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Fig.: Something lofty, or massive, or very hard to be surmounted. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The plural form Alps is sometimes used as a singular. “The Alps doth spit.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A bullfinch. Rom. of R. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Sp. alpaca, fr. the original Peruvian name of the animal. Cf. Paco. ] 1. (Zool.) An animal of Peru (Lama paco), having long, fine, wooly hair, supposed by some to be a domesticated variety of the llama. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Wool of the alpaca. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A thin kind of cloth made of the wooly hair of the alpaca, often mixed with silk or with cotton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to the Alps. [ R. ] “The Alpen snow.” J. Fletcher. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A reddish glow seen near sunset or sunrise on the summits of mountains; specif., a reillumination sometimes observed after the summits have passed into shadow, supposed to be due to a curving downward (refraction) of the light rays from the west resulting from the cooling of the air. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖n. [ G.; Alp, gen. pl. Alpen + stock stick. ] A long staff, pointed with iron, used in climbing the Alps. Cheever. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. Alpestris. ] 1. Pertaining to the Alps, or other high mountains; as, Alpestrine diseases, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) Growing on the elevated parts of mountains, but not above the timber line; subalpine. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ L. alpha, Gr. 'a`lfa, from Heb. āleph, name of the first letter in the alphabet, also meaning ox. ] The first letter in the Greek alphabet, answering to A, and hence used to denote the beginning. [ 1913 Webster ]

In am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Rev. xxii. 13. [ 1913 Webster ]

Formerly used also denote the chief; as, Plato was the alpha of the wits. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In cataloguing stars, the brightest star of a constellation in designated by Alpha (α); as, α Lyræ. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To designate by the letters of the alphabet; to arrange alphabetically. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. alphabetum, fr. Gr. &unr_; + &unr_;, the first two Greek letters; Heb. āleph and beth: cf. F. alphabet. ] 1. The letters of a language arranged in the customary order; the series of letters or signs which form the elements of written language. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The simplest rudiments; elements. [ 1913 Webster ]

The very alphabet of our law. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

Deaf and dumb alphabet. See Dactylology. [ 1913 Webster ]