alp 157 alpigene 
neighboring countries, comprising the loftiest of two or more isomerous modifications of the the development of written language; notation 
mountains m Europe. same organic compound, as alpliu-Hiiplitlwl, in by means of an alphabet. 
Europe. - * - 
Nor breath of vernal air from snowy MIL distinction from beta-naplitltol. (c) In nat. MK., 
Milton, . A., ]. IKS. the first subspecies, etc. 
Hills peep o'er hills, and Alp* o n .!// arise. _ alphabet (al'fa-bet), M. [First in early mod. E. 
(earlier expressed by a-b-c, q. v.); = D. alfa- 
bet = G. alphabet = Sw. Dan. alfabet = F. al- 
phabet = Sp. Pg. alfabeto, Pg. also alphabets, 
Pope, Essay on Criticism, 1. 232. 
2. In Switzerland, a pasture on the side of a 
mountain. 
alpaca (al-pak'a), H. [Formerly also alpaca, < 
Sp. alpaca, alpaca, < Ar. al, the (see at- 2 ), + 
Peruv. paco, native name of the animal.] 1. 
It must, however, be acknowledged that the idea of 
alphabetirm may not improbably have been suggested to 
the Persians by their acquaintance with the Phoenician 
alphabet, which, as early as the Sth century B. c., was 
used in the valley of the Euphrates concurrently with the 
cuneiform writing. Isaac Taylor, The Alphabet, I. 50. 
From this [ideograph)-] men have passed to phonetic 
writing, first, apparently, in the form of syllabism, in 
It alfabeto = Kuss. alfabetu = Pol. alfabet, wniing, nrsi, auuai-ein.ijr, m me iu,... u. ,...,.,,.,., ... 
, V /,;, ,,t1>vt,,\ which each syllable of a word is regarded as an nulepcn- 
etc., < LL. alphabetiim (earlier alpha et beta), dent whole a j m , repl . t . S ented by a single sign; then from 
ar ..i ~* , thu to alphnM;sm ^ in whic . h the 8 yii a bie is no longer de- 
noted by an indivisible symbol, but is resolved into vowel 
and consonant, each with its own accepted sign. 
Jincyc. Brit., I. 602. 
. . 
alphabetised, ppr. alphabetizing. [< alphabet + 
-ize.] 1. To arrange alphabetically. 
The volume is of great value for its carefully prepared 
alphabetized list of scientific and technical periodicals of 
all nations. Amer. Jour, of Set'., 3d ser., XXX. 247. 
2. To express by alphabetic characters. 
Alpaca, or Paco (Auchtnia pacos ). 
A mammal, the Auchenia pacos, a native of the 
Andes, especially of the mountains of Chili and 
Peru. It is so closely allied to the llama that by some 
it is regarded rather as a smaller variety than as a distinct 
species. It has been domesticated, and remains also in a 
wild state. In form and size it approaches the sheep, but 
has a longer neck. It is valued chiefly for its long, soft, 
and silky wool, which is straighter than that of the sheep, 
and very strong. The fiber is small, very soft, pliable, 
and elastic, and is woven into fabrics of great beauty. The 
animal's flesh is wholesome. 
2. A fabric manufactured from the hair or wool 
of the alpaca, either wholly or in part, or made 
in imitation of this, used for clothing in warm 
climates, for coat-linings, and very largely for 
umbrellas. The material sold under the name of alpaca 
for women's dresses and other clothing contains now little 
if any alpaca- wool ; it is a fabric of cotton and wool, with 
a hard and somewhat shining surface, generally, though 
not always, dyed black. 
alpent (al'pen), a. [For alpine, prob. after G. 
alpen, as below.] Of or pertaining to the Alps ; 
alpine: as, "the Alpen snow," J. Fletcher. 
alpenglow (al'pen-glo), n. [< G. alpen (gen. 
pi. of alpe: see alp 2 ), of the Alps, + E. glow.'} 
The glow upon the Alps; a peculiar reflection 
of sunlight from their snowy heights, after the 
sun has disappeared to the valleys, or just be- 
fore daybreak ; the last or first rays of the sun 
among the Alps, casting a rich purple tint, 
an effect sometimes heightened by a certain 
amount of humidity in the atmosphere. 
The evening alpen-glow was very fine. 
Tyndall, Frag, of Science, p. 282. 
alpenhorn (al'pen-horn), n. [G., < alpen (see 
< Gr. dA^o/}!/rof , < Sd.tya + /3//ro, the names of the 
first two letters of the Greek alphabet, corre- 
sponding to a and b : see alpha and beta. Of. 
M^S^^S^^y^ alphabetize (al'fa-bet-iz), ,. ,; pret ; and pp. 
the series of letters or characters which form 
the elements of written language. See the ar- 
ticles on the different letters, A, B, C, etc. 
From the character of the alphabet employed, the science 
of Greek epigraphy professes to be able to determine ap- 
proximately the date and the place of origin of inscriptions. 
Isaac Taylor, The Alphabet, II. 3. Alpheidse (al-fe i-de), n. pi. [NL., < Alpheus + 
2. Any series of characters intended to be used -iaw.'] In zool., a family of shrimps, of which 
in writing instead of the usual letters, as the the genus Alpheus is the type. Other genera of 
series of dashes, dots, etc., used in the trans- this family are Caridina, Pontonia, a.nAAthanas. 
mission of telegraphic messages. 3. Firstele- alphenic (al-fen'ik), n. [<F. alphcnic, alfenic, 
ments ; simplest rudiments : as, not to know < Sp. alfettique = Pg. alfenim, < Ar. al-fanid, 
the alphabet of a science. < al, the, + fanid, < Pers. fanid, panid, sugar, 
In the conditions of the Eternal life, this genius had sugar-candy, > ML. penidium, F. penide, G. 
been obliged to set itself to learning thealphabet^ of^Spir- penid-zucker, panis-zucker, Dan. pande-sukker 
(as if from pande, a pan).] In med., white 
____ _J barley-sugar. It is used as a remedy for 
graphic alphabet.' See epistolographic.Koise alpha- 
bet (from its inven- 
tor, Professor S. F. B. 
Morse), in teleg., a sys- 
tem of symbols, con- 
sisting of dashes and 
itual truth. 
E. S. Phelpt, Beyond the Gates. 
A 

jr 
B 
... 

C 
. . . 
t 
J) 
_.. 
a 
X 

a 
F 
._. 
s 
e 
__. 
T 
H 
.... 
V 
i 
. . 
V 
j 
_.- . 
If 
X 
_._ 
X 
L 
^ 
r 
11 

X 
Morse Alphab 
dots, to be used iii macrurous deca- 
< ^ ^ < ^ 
'fj.<tiei6f, the chief river in the Peloponnesus, 
""J" A 1 fi -, T 
now Kuna.J 
zobl., a genus of 
.. 
recording instrument, eeans, the type 
called the indicator, is of the family Al- 
- 
employed. (See indi 
cator.) The dash an 
dot are combined in dif- 
. . pheidte. A. ruber 
cator.) The dash and ( t h e red shrimp) 
dash and three dots 
( ), B; etc. The same system can be used with instru- 
ments employing a magnetic needle (see telegraph), a right- 
hand deflection of the needle corresponding to a dash and 
a left-hand to a dot. The international alphabet, which 
is used in Europe, differs from the Morse in the formation 
of a few letters. Military signaling is often effected on the 
same principle by long or short wavings of a flag, or by 
sun-flashes by means of a heliostat, etc., the long meaning 
a dash and the short a dot. 
alphabet (al'fa-bet), v. t. [< alphabet, n.] To 
arrange ' 
ferent ways to indicate and A. affinis are 
the different letters: examples. 
thus, one dot (.) means AlpMtobiUS (al- 
an^fdtht-); A;a n-to'bi-us), n, MStatap (.,***,). 
[NL., { Gr. atyi- 
TOV, barley-meal, meal, + /3fo?, life.] A genus 
of beetles, of the family Tenebrionidce. 
The larva) of Tenebrio and Alphitolnus have been reared 
in zoological gardens as food for amphibians and insectiv- 
orous birds. Stand. Nat. Hist., II. 352. 
alphitomancyt (arfi-to-man"si), n. [< F. al- 
phitomantie (Cotgravej, < Gr. afyiT6/iavric, one 
who divines from barley-meal, < a^irmi, barley- 
meal (prob. related to cU^of, a dull-white lep- 
rosy : see alphus), + /idvric, a diviner, fiavreia, 
divination : see Mantis.] Divination by means 
[<NL. 
alphabetaryt (al' fa-bet -a-ri), a. 
:Gr. 
alpenglow) + horn = E. horn.'] A long, power- 
phabetarius, < LL." alphabetiim : see alphabet 
, * . - - and-nrw.1 Alphabetic; rudimentary, 
ful horn, curving up and widening toward its alphabe '{; ic ( a l.f a -bet'ik), a. [<F. alphabitigne 
extremity, formerly used on the Alps to convey *^ s a?/a6 v e -co = Pg. alfabetico, alphabetico = 
signals and to sound the charge m battle, but 
now employed only by cowherds. Also called 
ing like barley-meal: applied to some micro- 
scopic fungi parasitic on plants. Syd. Soc. Lex. 
alphonsin (al-fon'sin), n. A surgical instru- 
alp-horn. 
alpenstock (al'pen-stok), n. 
alpenglow) + stock, stick, =1 
long, stout staff pointed with iron, originally 
used by the Alpine mountaineers, and now gen- 
erally adopted by mountain-climbers. 
alpestrian (al-pes'tri-an), n. [< ML. alpestris, 
< L. alpes: see aZp 2 .] An alpine climber. 
It. alfabetico, < NL. alphabeticus, < LL. alpha- 
betum : see alphabet."] Pertaining to an alpha- 
bet; expressed by an alphabet; in the order jy l 
of the alphabet, or in the order of the letters as 
customarily arranged. 
ment for extracting bullets from wounds: so 
named in 1552 from its inventor, Alphonso 
Ferri of Naples. It consists of three arms, which 
:lose when a ring encircling the haft is pushed forward. 
~-fon'siu),<z. [< NL. Alphonsinus, 
Sp. Alfonso, formerly also Alphonso, = Pg. Af- 
tory 
th. 
Either of the Egyptian or of some other analogous his- f Jt Alfonso = F. Alnhonse), < G. Alfons, 
iry of alphabetic development the Phemcians inherited J"' -t n* iu*Jntn<. 
le results, and their alphabet was a simple scheme of a common personal name.] Of or pertaining 
It has become a proverb with alpeMrian* that impracti- 
cable means unattempted. Macmillan's Mag., VIII. 393. 
alpestrine (al-pes'trin), a. [< ML. alpestris, 
suitable for pasturage, prop, pertaining to alpes 
twenty-two characters, the names of which . . . began to any person of the name of Alphonso Al- 
respectively with the sound which each represented. phonsine tables, astronomical tables compiled under 
Whitney, Oriental and Ling. Studies, p. 194. the patronage of Alfonso X., king of Leon and Castile, 
The normal retention by the Greeks of the primitive completed in the year of his accession, 1252, and first 
alpluibctic order . . . renders easy the identification of printed in 1483. 
the Greek letters with their Phoenician prototypes. alp-hom (alp'horn), . Same as alpenhorn. 
_-_- Jr - Imae Taylor, The Alphabet, II. 72. a lph O st, W. Same as alphus. 
or mountains: see alp*.]' "1. Pertaining or alphabetical (al-fa-bet'i-kal), a. Of the nature alphosis (al-fo'sis), n. [< alphus + -osis.'] 
peculiar to the Alps, or other mountainous re- ot an alphabet; similar to an alphabet; in the Inpathol., whiteness, or the process of turning 
gions: as, "alpestrine diseases," Dana. [Rare.] order of the alphabet. See alphabetic. white, as of the skin in an albino. 
2 In bot., growing on mountains below the According to Grimm, the alphabetical arrangement not alphus (al'fus), n. [L., < Gr. dtyof, vitiligo, 
alpine region, that is, below the limit of tree- only facilitates reference, but makes the author's work Qri whit _ L . a lbus, white : see Z&1.] In 
-Z^^l^Allt^^IX^^A Encyc.Bnt.,\U.is , )a thol., a name formerly given to certain 
thePhen. alphabetically (al-fa-bet'i-kal-i), adv. In an f orm8 O ' f psoriasis, leprosy (lepra arabum), an4 
; _,_ , ,' 41 1 \h o I wiri/io I i n -i 11 mil 1 *u AI'I !(' nv Tno utiA nt Q.TI ...,. 
repr. by Heb. 'aleph (= Ar. 'ahj ), name 
of the first letter, meaning an ox: see a 1 .] 1. 
The first letter in the Greek alphabet (A, o), an- 
swering to A. Hence 2. The first; the begin- 
ning: as in the phrase "alpha and omega," the 
beginning and the end, the first and the last, ome- 
: an 
alphabet ; in the customary order of the letters : 
as, to arrange a catalogue alphabetically. 
From the times of the earliest known monuments the 
hieroglyphic writers possessed a sufficient number of true 
letters to enable them to write alphabetically. 
Isaac Taylor, The Alphabet, I. 88. 
n. Same as alpist. 
n. [< F. alpiou, < It. al piit, for the 
ga being the last letter of the Greek alphabet, alphabetics (al-fa-bet'iks), n. [PI. of alpha- 
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, betic : see -Jcs.] The science of the use and 
saith the Lord. Rev. i. 8. development of alphabetic writing. Ellis. 
3. As a classifier: (a) In astron., the chief alphabetism (al'fa-bet-izm), . [< alphabet + 
star of a constellation, (b) In chem., the first -ism.} The use of an alphabet as a stage in 
vitiligo. 
alpia (;i' 
alpieut, . , . . 
ad, to; il, < L. illf, that) ; piu, < L. pins, more.] 
In the game of basset, a mark put on a card to 
indicate that the player doubles his stake after 
winning. N. K. J>. 
alpigene (al'pi-jen), . [< L. alpes, alps (see 
alp%), + -(jenus, produced: see -genous.] Pro- 
duced or growing in alpine regions. [Rare.] 
