Transliterated Words

When a language is transliterated, it is converted from one alphabet to another. Webster's Third New International Dictionary defines transliterate thus: "to represent or spell (words, letters, or characters of one language) in the letter or characters of another language or alphabet."

You might find page 61 of Webster's Third interesting. It is a table of five non-Roman alphabets (English uses the Roman alphabet) and the transliterations used in the etymologies found in Webster's Third.

When a Greek word is listed in the etymology section of Webster's Third, the letters we see are actually transliterated from the Greek alphabet to the Roman alphabet. Because many readers do not have access to Webster's Third and because so many of our English words have histories that go all the way back to classical Greek, I am listing the transliterations for the Greek alphabet below. You might wish to refer to this table from time to time when letters of the Greek alphabet are discussed in Carolyn's Corner.

Transliteration is a complicated process, and we will discuss it on several occasions in Carolyn's Corner. (Be sure to check out the discussion in Week 11.) It is important to keep in mind that there is not necessarily a one-for-one exchange of letters when words are transliterated. The information provided on this page might help you get started, but keep in mind that it is just the tip of the transliteration iceberg!