Latin alphabet

noun

: an alphabet that was used for writing Latin and that has been modified for writing many modern languages

Examples of Latin alphabet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The trouble was, the Latin alphabet now had no letter for this sound. Literary Hub, 25 June 2026 Some symbols look similar to the modern Latin alphabet used in English, Spanish and several other languages. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 12 June 2024 Though many Indigenous languages are primarily oral, Portuguese colonizers transcribed them using the Latin alphabet in the 16th century. Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Mar. 2024 New learners, including Chinese children, pick up character pronunciation using Pinyin, which uses the Latin alphabet to spell out sounds of Standard Chinese characters. Jamie Dickman, Popular Science, 11 Apr. 2023 Part of the reason for the confusion is that Hebrew, unlike English, doesn't use the Latin alphabet, meaning words are often subject to less-than-perfect translations. Justin Klawans, The Week, 18 Dec. 2022 Unlike the Latin alphabet of romance languages, Greek letters are indecipherable for English speakers, making the language more difficult to learn than Romance languages such as Spanish, Italian, and French. Karen I. Chen, Travel + Leisure, 1 Mar. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Latin alphabet was in 1823

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Cite this Entry

“Latin alphabet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Latin%20alphabet. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

Latin alphabet

noun
: an alphabet that was used for writing Latin and that has been modified for writing many modern languages (as English)

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