alba
English
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ălʹbə, IPA(key): /ˈæl.bə/
Audio (US) (file)
Etymology 1
First attested in 1821; borrowed from Occitan alba, ultimately from Latin albus (“white”); compare Spanish alba (“dawn”).
Noun
alba (plural albas)
Further reading
Alba (poetry) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Etymology 2
First attested in 1848; borrowed from Latin alba (the feminine form of albus (“white”)) in the now-disused species name of binomial nomenclature Rosa alba (it is now considered a hybrid and is accordingly called Rosa × alba).
Noun
alba (plural albas)
- A white-flowered shrub rose of the hybrid Rosa × alba.
- A flower of the hybrid Rosa × alba.
Further reading
List of Rosa species on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Etymology 3
First attested in 1859; borrowed from Latin alba, the nominative plural form of album (“blank tablet”), whence the English album.
Etymology 4
Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin alba (“alb”), from Latin alba (as in tunica alba (“white tunic”), vestis alba (“white garment”)), feminine of albus (“white”). Doublet of alb.
Noun
alba (plural albas)
- Synonym of alb
- 1857, Isaac F[arwell] Holton, “Montserrate and the Boqueron”, in New Granada: Twenty Months in the Andes, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, page 217:
- On a little plot of grass near the kitchen the family were spreading out a large supply of priestly vestments—albas, casullas, capas pluviales, ornamentos, parmentos, cíngulas, estolas, frontales, etc., etc., etc.
- 1932, Theodore Komisarjevsky, The Costume of the Theatre, page 56:
- Christ, whom they meet, must wear an alba and an amictus, be barefooted, and carry a cross on the left shoulder.
- 1979, Yearbook, Board of Publication of the Lutheran Church in America, page 494:
- Traditional styles such as cassocks and cottas, or contemporary trends in robes and collars, choir albas, skirts, caps and acolyte vestments.
- 2000, Ivo Hlobil, Ladislav Daniel, editors, The Last Flowers of the Middle Ages: From the Gothic to the Renaissance in Moravia and Silesia, →ISBN, page 304:
- Another canon with a biretta in his hand, wearing an alba and an upper fur mucia, is kneeling to the left of the Crucifix;
Catalan
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Inherited from Vulgar Latin *alba, from Latin albus (“white”).
Alternative forms
Further reading
- “alba” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
- “alba”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
- “alba” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
Chickasaw
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /alˈba/
Inflection
Nouns in vowel-, b-, or p- | Singular | Plural | Inclusive Tri-Plural |
---|---|---|---|
1st-person ("my, our") | amalba am-alba | pomalba pom-alba | hapomalba hapom-alba |
2nd-person ("thy, your") | chimalba chim-alba | hachimalba hachim-alba | |
3rd-person ("his, her, its, their") | imalba im-alba |
Derived terms
- alba balalli'
- alba haloppa'
- alba homi'
- alba ishpiya'
- alba lakna'
- alba lowak
- alba paka̱li'
- alba pishokchi'
- alba tonolli'
- albimpishokchi'
- albokchi'
- alboppolo'
Czech
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈalba]
- Rhymes: -alba
Finnish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɑlbɑ/, [ˈɑ̝lbɑ̝]
- Rhymes: -ɑlbɑ
- Syllabification(key): al‧ba
Noun
alba
- An alb; a long white gown worn in various Christian ceremonies by the priest or the parishioners, especially in a confirmation by the people who are being confirmed
Declension
Inflection of alba (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
nominative | alba | albat | ||
genitive | alban | albojen | ||
partitive | albaa | alboja | ||
illative | albaan | alboihin | ||
singular | plural | |||
nominative | alba | albat | ||
accusative | nom. | alba | albat | |
gen. | alban | |||
genitive | alban | albojen albainrare | ||
partitive | albaa | alboja | ||
inessive | albassa | alboissa | ||
elative | albasta | alboista | ||
illative | albaan | alboihin | ||
adessive | alballa | alboilla | ||
ablative | albalta | alboilta | ||
allative | alballe | alboille | ||
essive | albana | alboina | ||
translative | albaksi | alboiksi | ||
abessive | albatta | alboitta | ||
instructive | — | alboin | ||
comitative | See the possessive forms below. |
Possessive forms of alba (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Further reading
- “alba”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02
Galician
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old Galician-Portuguese alva (13th century, Cantigas de Santa Maria), from Vulgar Latin *alba, the feminine of albus (“white”). Cognate with Portuguese alva.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈalβɐ]
References
- “alva” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006–2022.
- “alba” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
- “alba” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.
Icelandic
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈalpa/
- Homophone: Alba
Italian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈal.ba/
- Rhymes: -alba
- Hyphenation: àl‧ba
Audio (file)
Noun
alba f (plural albe)
- dawn, daybreak, break of day
- Synonym: aurora
- 1926, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Adami, Renato Simoni (lyrics and music), “Nessun dorma”, in Turandot:
- Dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle! Tramontate, stelle! All'alba, vincerò! Vincerò! Vincerò!
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- sunrise
- Synonyms: aurora, levar del sole
- 2017, Baby K (lyrics and music), “Voglio ballare con te”, performed by Andrés Ceballos:
- Voglio vedere le luci dell’alba cambiare colore
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Derived terms
See also
- (times of day) parte del giorno; aurora, alba, mattino/mattina, mezzogiorno, pomeriggio, tramonto, crepuscolo, sera, notte, mezzanotte (Category: it:Time) [edit]
Anagrams
Latin
Pronunciation
- alba: (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈal.ba/, [ˈäɫ̪bä]
- alba: (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈal.ba/, [ˈälbä]
- albā: (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈal.baː/, [ˈäɫ̪bäː]
- albā: (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈal.ba/, [ˈälbä]
Etymology 1
From albus (“white”).
Declension
First-declension noun.
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
Nominative | alba | albae |
Genitive | albae | albārum |
Dative | albae | albīs |
Accusative | albam | albās |
Ablative | albā | albīs |
Vocative | alba | albae |
References
- “alba”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- alba in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
- alba in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
- “alba”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Adjective
alba
- inflection of albus:
- nominative/vocative feminine singular
- nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural
Norwegian Bokmål
Norwegian Nynorsk
Noun
alba m (definite singular albaen, indefinite plural albaar or albaer, definite plural albaane or albaene)
References
- “alba” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Old High German
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *albijā, from Proto-Celtic *albiyū (“(upper) world; high mountain; alpine pasture”), from Proto-Indo-European *albʰós (“white”).
Polish

Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈal.ba/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -alba
- Syllabification: al‧ba
- Homophone: Alba
Noun
alba f
- (Anglicanism, Lutheranism, Roman Catholicism) alb (long white robe worn by ministers at religious ceremonies)
- Coordinate term: komża
- białe alby ― white albs
Declension
Declension
Declension
References
- Mirosław Bańko, Lidia Wiśniakowska (2021) “alba”, in Wielki słownik wyrazów obcych, →ISBN
- Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “alba”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
- Witold Doroszewski, editor (1958–1969), “alba”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), Warszawa: PWN
- Teresa Sokołowska (30.07.2012) “ALBA”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century]
Further reading
- alba in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- alba in Polish dictionaries at PWN
- Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814) “alba”, in Słownik języka polskiego
- Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861) “alba”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
- J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “alba”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 22
Portuguese
Romanian
Etymology
Definite form of albă, from Latin alba, feminine of albus. For the sense of "dawn" or "sunrise", see Vulgar Latin *alba, whence also Spanish and Italian alba, French aube, Portuguese alva.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈal.ba/
Sidamo
Etymology
From Proto-Cushitic. Cognates include Gedeo አልበ (alba).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈalba/
- Hyphenation: al‧ba
Usage notes
References
- Kazuhiro Kawachi (2007) A grammar of Sidaama (Sidamo), a Cushitic language of Ethiopia, page 33
- Gizaw Shimelis, editor (2007), “alba”, in Sidaama-Amharic-English dictionary, Addis Ababa: Sidama Information and Culture department
Spanish
Etymology
From Vulgar Latin *alba, from Latin albus.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈalba/ [ˈal.β̞a]
Audio (Colombia): (file) - Rhymes: -alba
- Syllabification: al‧ba
Usage notes
Derived terms
Further reading
- “albo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
Tagalog
Pronunciation
- (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ˈʔalba/ [ˈʔal.bɐ]
- Rhymes: -alba
- Syllabification: al‧ba
- Homophone: Alba