different between clef vs alef

English

Alternative forms

• cleff, cliff (both obsolete)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French clef, from Latin cl?vis (“a key”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -?f

Noun

clef (plural clefs)

1. A symbol found on a musical staff that indicates the pitches represented by the lines and the spaces on the staff [from 16th c.]

Derived terms

Related terms

• clave

Translations

French

Etymology

See clé.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kle/
• Rhymes: -e
• Homophones: clé, clefs, clés

Noun

clef f (plural clefs)

1. Alternative spelling of clé (“key”)
2. (music) clef
3. (heraldry) key; the device as shown on a coat of arms

Derived terms

Further reading

• “clef” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French clef.

Noun

clef f (plural clefs)

1. key

Adjective

clef m or f (invariable)

1. key (vitally important)

Descendants

• French: clef, clé

Old French

Etymology

From Latin cl?vis, cl?vem (“a key”).

Noun

clef f (oblique plural cles, nominative singular clef, nominative plural cles)

1. key

Descendants

• English: clef
• Middle French: clef
  • French: clef, clé
• Gallo: tié
• Norman: clié

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???.l?f/

Noun

alef (plural alefs)

1. Alternative form of aleph

Anagrams

• Lafe, Leaf, feal, flea, leaf

Catalan

Noun

alef f (plural alefs)

1. The Hebrew letter ??.

Finnish

Noun

alef

1. aleph (first letter of the Hebrew and Phoenician scripts and the Northwest Semitic abjad)

Declension

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Hebrew ??????? (?lep?).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?a.lef/
• Hyphenation: à?lef

Noun

alef m (invariable)

1. aleph, specifically:
   1. The name of the Phoenician-script letter ????
   2. The name of the Hebrew-script letter ?

Related terms

• alfa

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• álef, aleph

Etymology

Borrowed from Hebrew ?????. Doublet of alfa.

Noun

alef m (plural alefs)

1. aleph (first letter of the Hebrew alphabet)

Spanish

Noun

alef m (plural alefs)

1. Alternative form of álef