alpha and omega

English

Alternative forms

• Alpha and Omega

Etymology

From alpha and omega, first and final letters of the Greek Alphabet, from Revelation 1:8, see quotations. Translation of Ancient Greek τὸ ἄλφα καὶ τὸ ὦ (tò álpha kaì tò ô).

Noun

alpha and omega (usually uncountable, plural alphas and omegas)

1. The first and last; the beginning and end.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Revelation 1:8:

     I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

   • 1831, John Herschel, A Preliminary Discourse on the Study of Natural Philosophy:

     the alpha and omega of science

   • 1847 October 16, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], Jane Eyre. An Autobiography. […], volume III, London: Smith, Elder, and Co., […], →OCLC:

     That I merited all I endured, I acknowledged—that I could scarcely endure more, I pleaded; and the alpha and omega of my heart’s wishes broke involuntarily from my lips in the words—‘Jane! Jane! Jane!’

   • 1850 May 1, Thomas Carlyle, “No. V. Stump-Orator.”, in Latter-Day Pamphlets, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, pages 155–156:

     We spoke once of vital lungs for Society: and in fact this question always rises as the alpha and omega of social questions, […]

Translations

the first and the last

• Arabic: اَلْأَلْف وَالْيَاء (al-ʔalf wa-l-yāʔ)
• Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܐܵܠܲܦ ܘܬܲܘ (ālap w-taw)
• Belarusian: а́льфа і аме́га (álʹfa i amjéha)
• Czech: alfa a omega f
• Danish: alfa og omega
• Finnish: A ja O
• French: l’alpha et l’oméga (fr) m
• Georgian: ალფა და ომეგა (alpa da omega), ანი და ჰოე (ani da hoe), თავი და ბოლო (tavi da bolo)
• German: A und O (de)
• Greek: άλφα και ωμέγα (álfa kai oméga)
• Hebrew: האלף והתו (haalfs vhatv)
• Hungarian: az alfa és az ómega, a kezdet és a vég, (figuratively) alfája és ómegája
• Icelandic: upphaf og endir
• Indonesian: alfa dan omega
• Japanese: 阿吽 (ja) (Aun)
• Macedonian: а́лфа и о́мега (álfa i ómega)
• Polish: alfa i omega (pl) f
• Portuguese:

  Brazilian: alfa e ômega (pt) m

  European: alfa e ómega m

• Romanian: alfa și omega
• Russian: а́льфа и оме́га (ru) (álʹfa i oméga)
• Sanskrit: अहूँ (ahūm̐)
• Spanish: alfa y omega
• Swedish: a och o (sv)
• Ukrainian: а́льфа і оме́га (uk) (álʹfa i oméha)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} alfa i omega

See also

• from A to Z
• Thesaurus:completely

Interjection

alpha and omega

1. An exclamation denoting surprise.
   • 1994, Sharon Creech, Walk Two Moons, page 14:

     "Alpha and Omega, will you look at that!"