alba

See also: Alba, Albà, and albă

Languages (22)

English

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Asturian • Catalan • Chickasaw • Czech • Finnish • Galician • Icelandic • Indonesian • Istriot • Italian • Latin • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Old High German • Polish • Portuguese • Romanian • Sicilian • Sidamo • Spanish • Tagalog

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English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ălʹbə, IPA^(key): /ˈæl.bə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Etymology 1

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

Noun

alba (plural albas)

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

Translations

Translations

• Finnish: alba (fi)
• Polish: alba (pl) f
• Russian: а́льба (ru) f (álʹba)

Further reading

• Alba (poetry) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 2

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).

Noun

alba (plural albas)

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

Derived terms

• aquila alba
• linea alba
• magnesia alba
• phlegmasia alba dolens
• terra alba

Further reading

• List of Rosa species on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 3

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

Noun

alba pl

1. (rare) plural of album
   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:alba.

Etymology 4

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.

Noun

alba (plural albas)

2. Synonym of alb.
   • 1857, Isaac F[arwell] Holton, “Montserrate and the Boqueron”, in New Granada: Twenty Months in the Andes, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, page 217:

     On a little plot of grass near the kitchen the family were spreading out a large supply of priestly vestments—albas, casullas, capas pluviales, ornamentos, parmentos, cíngulas, estolas, frontales, etc., etc., etc.

   • 1932, Theodore Komisarjevsky, The Costume of the Theatre, page 56:

     Christ, whom they meet, must wear an alba and an amictus, be barefooted, and carry a cross on the left shoulder.

   • 1979, Yearbook, Board of Publication of the Lutheran Church in America, page 494:

     Traditional styles such as cassocks and cottas, or contemporary trends in robes and collars, choir albas, skirts, caps and acolyte vestments.

   • 2000, Ivo Hlobil, Ladislav Daniel, editors, The Last Flowers of the Middle Ages: From the Gothic to the Renaissance in Moravia and Silesia, →ISBN, page 304:

     Another canon with a biretta in his hand, wearing an alba and an upper fur mucia, is kneeling to the left of the Crucifix;

Anagrams

• AABL, Ba'al, Baal, Bala, Baʿal, LABA, baal, blaa, laab

Asturian

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *alba, from Latin albus (“white”).

Noun

alba f (plural albes)

1. dawn

Synonyms

• amanecer

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈal.βə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ˈal.bə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈal.ba]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *alba, from Latin albus (“white”).

Noun

alba f (plural albes)

1. dawn
2. (Catholicism, liturgy) the white tunic worn by priests

Alternative forms

• auba

Etymology 2

Noun

alba f (plural albes)

1. alternative form of àlber (“white poplar”)

Further reading

• “alba” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
• “alba”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “alba” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Chickasaw

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alˈba/

Noun

alba (alienable)

1. a weed
2. an uncultivated plant

Inflection

Class III Noun Possession (Alienable)

Nouns in vowel-, b-, or p-	Singular	Plural	Inclusive Tri-Plural
1st-person ("my, our")	amalba am-alba	pomalba pom-alba	hapomalba hapom-alba
2nd-person ("thy, your")	chimalba chim-alba	hachimalba hachim-alba
3rd-person ("his, her, its, their")	imalba im-alba

Derived terms

• alba balalli'
• alba haloppa'
• alba homi'
• alba ishpiya'
• alba lakna'
• alba lowak
• alba paka̱li'
• alba pishokchi'
• alba tonolli'
• albimpishokchi'
• albokchi'
• alboppolo'

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈalba]
• Rhymes: -alba

Noun

alba

1. inflection of album:
   1. genitive singular
   2. nominative/accusative/vocative plural

Finnish

Etymology

From Latin alba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑlbɑ/, [ˈɑ̝lbɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ɑlbɑ
• Syllabification^(key): al‧ba
• Hyphenation^(key): al‧ba

Noun

alba

1. An alb; a long white gown worn in various Christian ceremonies by the priest or the parishioners, especially in a confirmation by the people who are being confirmed

Declension

Inflection of alba (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		alba	albat
genitive		alban	albojen
partitive		albaa	alboja
illative		albaan	alboihin
		singular	plural
nominative		alba	albat
accusative	nom.	alba	albat
	gen.	alban
genitive		alban	albojen albain rare
partitive		albaa	alboja
inessive		albassa	alboissa
elative		albasta	alboista
illative		albaan	alboihin
adessive		alballa	alboilla
ablative		albalta	alboilta
allative		alballe	alboille
essive		albana	alboina
translative		albaksi	alboiksi
abessive		albatta	alboitta
instructive		—	alboin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of alba (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative albani albani accusative nom. albani albani gen. albani genitive albani albojeni albaini rare partitive albaani albojani inessive albassani alboissani elative albastani alboistani illative albaani alboihini adessive alballani alboillani ablative albaltani alboiltani allative alballeni alboilleni essive albanani alboinani translative albakseni alboikseni abessive albattani alboittani instructive — — comitative — alboineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative albasi albasi accusative nom. albasi albasi gen. albasi genitive albasi albojesi albaisi rare partitive albaasi albojasi inessive albassasi alboissasi elative albastasi alboistasi illative albaasi alboihisi adessive alballasi alboillasi ablative albaltasi alboiltasi allative alballesi alboillesi essive albanasi alboinasi translative albaksesi alboiksesi abessive albattasi alboittasi instructive — — comitative — alboinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative albamme albamme accusative nom. albamme albamme gen. albamme genitive albamme albojemme albaimme rare partitive albaamme albojamme inessive albassamme alboissamme elative albastamme alboistamme illative albaamme alboihimme adessive alballamme alboillamme ablative albaltamme alboiltamme allative alballemme alboillemme essive albanamme alboinamme translative albaksemme alboiksemme abessive albattamme alboittamme instructive — — comitative — alboinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative albanne albanne accusative nom. albanne albanne gen. albanne genitive albanne albojenne albainne rare partitive albaanne albojanne inessive albassanne alboissanne elative albastanne alboistanne illative albaanne alboihinne adessive alballanne alboillanne ablative albaltanne alboiltanne allative alballenne alboillenne essive albananne alboinanne translative albaksenne alboiksenne abessive albattanne alboittanne instructive — — comitative — alboinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative albansa albansa accusative nom. albansa albansa gen. albansa genitive albansa albojensa albainsa rare partitive albaansa albojaan albojansa inessive albassaan albassansa alboissaan alboissansa elative albastaan albastansa alboistaan alboistansa illative albaansa alboihinsa adessive alballaan alballansa alboillaan alboillansa ablative albaltaan albaltansa alboiltaan alboiltansa allative alballeen alballensa alboilleen alboillensa essive albanaan albanansa alboinaan alboinansa translative albakseen albaksensa alboikseen alboiksensa abessive albattaan albattansa alboittaan alboittansa instructive — — comitative — alboineen alboinensa

Further reading

• “alba”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

Galician

Alternative forms

• alva (reintegrationist)

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese alva (13th century, Cantigas de Santa Maria), from Vulgar Latin *alba, the feminine of albus (“white”). Cognate with Portuguese alva.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈalβɐ]

Noun

alba f (plural albas)

1. dawn

   Synonyms: alborada, abrente

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “alva”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “alba”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “alba”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Icelandic

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈalpa/
• Homophone: Alba

Noun

alba f (genitive singular ölbu, nominative plural ölbur)

1. alb (priestly robe)

Declension

Declension of alba (feminine)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	alba	alban	ölbur	ölburnar
accusative	ölbu	ölbuna	ölbur	ölburnar
dative	ölbu	ölbunni	ölbum	ölbunum
genitive	ölbu	ölbunnar	alba	albanna

Indonesian

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin alba (as in tunica alba (“white tunic”), vestis alba (“white garment”)), feminine of albus (“white”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈalba/ [ˈal.ba]
• Rhymes: -alba
• Syllabification: al‧ba

Noun

alba (plural alba-alba)

1. (Catholicism) alb: a long, white robe worn by priests and other ministers, underneath most of the other vestments.

Further reading

• “alba”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Istriot

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *alba, from Latin albus (“white”).

Noun

alba f

1. dawn

Italian

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *alba, from Latin albus (“white”). Compare French aube.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈal.ba/
• Rhymes: -alba
• Hyphenation: àl‧ba

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

alba f (plural albe)

1. dawn, daybreak, break of day

   Synonym: aurora

   • 1926, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Adami, Renato Simoni, “Nessun dorma”, in Turandot:

     Dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle! Tramontate, stelle! All'alba, vincerò! Vincerò! Vincerò!

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. sunrise

   Synonyms: aurora, levar del sole

   • 2017, Baby K, “Voglio ballare con te”, performed by Andrés Ceballos:

     Voglio vedere le luci dell’alba cambiare colore

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• albeggiare
• albino

See also

times of day: parti del giornoedit

• aurora
• alba
• mane
• mattino ~ mattina
• mezzogiorno
• pomeriggio
• tramonto
• crepuscolo
• sera
• vespro
• notte
• mezzanotte

Anagrams

• Baal

Latin

Pronunciation 1

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈaɫ.ba]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈal.ba]

Adjective

alba

1. inflection of albus:
   1. nominative/vocative feminine singular
   2. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural

Noun

alba f (genitive albae); first declension

1. a white precious stone, the pearl
2. (Medieval Latin) dawn

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	alba	albae
genitive	albae	albārum
dative	albae	albīs
accusative	albam	albās
ablative	albā	albīs
vocative	alba	albae

Pronunciation 2

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈaɫ.baː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈal.ba]

Adjective

albā

1. ablative feminine singular of albus

Further reading

• “alba”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• "alba", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “alba”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “alba”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin alba (“white”).

Noun

alba m (definite singular albaen, indefinite plural albaer, definite plural albaene)

1. (Christianity) alb

References

• “alba” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “alba” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin alba (“white”).

Noun

alba m (definite singular albaen, indefinite plural albaar or albaer, definite plural albaane or albaene)

1. (Christianity) alb

References

• “alba” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old High German

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *albijā, from Proto-Celtic *albiyū (“(upper) world; high mountain; alpine pasture”), from Proto-Indo-European *albʰós (“white”).

Noun

alba f

1. alpine pasture
2. alp

Polish

alba

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈal.ba/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -alba
• Syllabification: al‧ba
• Homophone: Alba

Etymology 1

Learned borrowing from Latin alba. First attested in 1528.

Noun

alba f

1. (Anglicanism, Lutheranism, Roman Catholicism) alb (long white robe worn by ministers at religious ceremonies)

   Coordinate term: komża

   białe alby ― white albs

Declension

Declension of alba

	singular	plural
nominative	alba	alby
genitive	alby	alb
dative	albie	albom
accusative	albę	alby
instrumental	albą	albami
locative	albie	albach
vocative	albo	alby

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Occitan alba. First attested in the 20th century.

Noun

alba f

1. (historical, poetry) alba (genre of Old Occitan lyric poetry)

Declension

Declension of alba

	singular	plural
nominative	alba	alby
genitive	alby	alb
dative	albie	albom
accusative	albę	alby
instrumental	albą	albami
locative	albie	albach
vocative	albo	alby

Etymology 3

Borrowed from German Halbe. First attested in the 17th century.

Noun

alba f

1. Middle Polish form of halba

Declension

Attested forms of alba

	singular	plural
nominative	alba	—
genitive	—	—
dative	—	—
accusative	albę	—
instrumental	—	—
locative	albie	—
vocative	—	—

Further reading

• alba in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• alba in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814), “alba”, in Słownik języka polskiego
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861), “alba”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “alba”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 22

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin alba (“white”). Doublet of alva. Compare French aube (“dawn”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈaw.bɐ/ [ˈaʊ̯.bɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈaw.bɐ/ [ˈaʊ̯.bɐ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈaw.ba/ [ˈaʊ̯.ba]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈal.bɐ/ [ˈaɫ.βɐ]

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -albɐ, (Brazil) -awbɐ
• Hyphenation: al‧ba

Noun

alba f (plural albas)

1. dawn, daybreak

   Synonyms: alva, aurora, alvorada, crepúsculo

Further reading

• “alba”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “alba”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Definite form of albă, from Latin alba, feminine of albus. For the sense of "dawn" or "sunrise", see Vulgar Latin *alba, whence also Spanish and Italian alba, French aube, Portuguese alva.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈal.ba/

Adjective

alba

1. definite feminine singular nominative/accusative of alb

Noun

alba f (plural albe)

1. (popular) dawn, daybreak, sunrise

   Synonyms: zori, auroră, răsărit

Sicilian

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *alba, from Latin albus (“white”).

Noun

alba f

1. dawn

Sidamo

Etymology

From Proto-Cushitic. Cognates include Gedeo አልበ (alba).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈalba/
• Hyphenation: al‧ba

Noun

alba m 

1. face
2. front
3. living room

Usage notes

• A traditional Sidamo house may combine the alba with a kitchen. The other room is called the holge.

References

• Kazuhiro Kawachi (2007), A grammar of Sidaama (Sidamo), a Cushitic language of Ethiopia, page 33
• Gizaw Shimelis, editor (2007), “alba”, in Sidaama-Amharic-English dictionary, Addis Ababa: Sidama Information and Culture department

Spanish

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *alba, from Latin albus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈalba/ [ˈal.β̞a]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -alba
• Syllabification: al‧ba

Noun

alba f (plural albas)

1. dawn

   Synonym: amanecer

   • 1915, Julio Vicuña Cifuentes, Mitos y Supersticiones Recogidos de la Tradición Oral Chilena, page 8:

     La orgía se prolongó hasta el alba.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. (Christianity, chiefly Anglicanism, Roman Catholicism) alb

Usage notes

• Before feminine nouns beginning with stressed /ˈa/ like alba, the singular definite article takes the form of el (otherwise reserved for masculine nouns) instead of the usual la: el alba. This includes the contracted forms al and del (instead of a la and de la, respectively): al alba, del alba.

This also applies to the indefinite article, which takes the form of un, which is otherwise used with masculine nouns (although the standard feminine form una also occurs): un alba or una alba. The same is true with determiners algún/alguna and ningún/ninguna, as well as for numerals ending with 1 (e.g., veintiún/veintiuna).

However, if another word intervenes between the article and the noun, the usual feminine singular articles and determiners (la, una etc.) are used: la mejor alba, una buena alba.

• In these cases, el and un are not masculine but feminine, deriving from Latin illa and una, respectively, even though they are identical in form to the corresponding masculine singular articles. Thus, they are allomorphs of the feminine singular articles la and una.
• The use of these allomorphs does not change the gender agreement of the adjectives modifying the feminine noun: el alba única, un(a) alba buena.
• In the plural, the usual feminine plural articles and determiners (las, unas, etc.) are always used.

Derived terms

• lucero del alba

Adjective

alba

1. feminine singular of albo

Further reading

• “albo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish alba, from Vulgar Latin *alba, from Latin albus. Doublet of album.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog)
  • IPA^(key): /ˈʔalba/ [ˈʔal.bɐ]
    • Rhymes: -alba
    • Homophone: Alba
  • IPA^(key): /ʔalˈba/ [ʔɐlˈba] (obsolete)
• Syllabification: al‧ba

Noun

alba (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎ᜔ᜊ)

1. daybreak; dawn

   Synonyms: liwayway, bukang-liwayway, aliwayway

2. (Christianity) alb

Derived terms

• alba-albahan

Related terms

• albino
• album
• albumen
• albumina

Further reading

• “alba”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018
• San Buena Ventura, Fr. Pedro de (1613), Vocabulario de lengua tagala. El romance castellano puesto primero. Primera, y segunda parte.‎^[2] (overall work in Early Modern Spanish and Classical Tagalog), as directed by Gov. Gen. Juan de Silva, Pila, Laguna: La noble Villa de Pila, por Tomás Pinpin y Domingo Loag., page Alba) Alba [(pc)] C. con que ſe celebra la miſſa
• Cuadrado Muñiz, Adolfo (1972), Hispanismos en el tagalo: diccionario de vocablos de origen español vigentes en esta lengua filipina, Madrid: Oficina de Educación Iberoamericana, page 21

Anagrams

• laab, bala, abla, alab, laba