English word origin

Etymology of alba

First attested in 1821; borrowed from Occitan alba, ultimately from Latin albus (“white”); compare Spanish alba (“dawn”).

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 4 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A type of lyrical poetry, traditionally Provençal, about lovers who must part at dawn.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

First attested in 1821; borrowed from Occitan alba, ultimately from Latin albus (“white”); compare Spanish alba (“dawn”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionalbaoc
Derivation mentionalbusla
Cognate mentionalbaes

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "oc",
        "3": "alba"
      },
      "expansion": "Occitan alba"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "albus",
        "4": "",
        "5": "white"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin albus (“white”)"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "es",
        "2": "alba",
        "3": "",
        "4": "dawn"
      },
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    }
  ],
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    ],
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      "albus#Latin"
    ],
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      "alba#Spanish"
    ]
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A white-flowered shrub rose of the hybrid Rosa × alba. · A flower of the hybrid Rosa × alba.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionalbala

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "alba"
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    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "Rosa alba",
        "2": "species"
      },
      "expansion": "Rosa alba"
    }
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  "links": [
    [
      "alba",
      "alba#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "albus",
      "albus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "binomial nomenclature",
      "binomial nomenclature#English"
    ],
    [
      "hybrid",
      "hybrid#English"
    ],
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      "Rosa",
      "Rosa#Translingual"
    ],
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      "×",
      "×#Translingual"
    ],
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      "alba",
      "alba#Latin"
    ]
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      "glosses": [
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

plural of album

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

First attested in 1859; borrowed from Latin alba, the nominative plural form of album (“blank tablet”), whence the English album.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionalbala
Cognate mentionalbumen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "en",
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    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
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      },
      "expansion": "English album"
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

noun

Synonym of alb.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionalbala
Doublet mentionalben

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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    },
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        "2": "alb"
      },
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    ]
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Where this record stops

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Contribute located evidence for alba →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-YWxiYQ