alphabetical

From Latin alphabēticus +‎ -al.^[1] By surface analysis, alphabet +‎ -ical.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌæl.fəˈbɛt.ɪ.kəl/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˌælfəˈbɛtɪkəl/, [ˌælfəˈbɛɾɪkəl]

  • Audio (California):

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˌæl.fəˈbet.ɪ.kəl/, [ˌæl.fəˈbeɾ.ɪ.kəl]
• Hyphenation: al‧pha‧bet‧ic‧al

alphabetical (not comparable)

1. Pertaining to, furnished with, or expressed by letters of the alphabet.

   Synonym: alphabetic

   • 1986, Arthur Hilary Armstrong, A. A. Armstrong, Classical Mediterranean Spirituality: Egyptian, Greek, Roman, page 486:

     Paul, who talks about what the magical papyri do, has in his first letter to the Corinthians described basic aspects of alphabetical language.

2. According to the sequence of the letters of the alphabet.

   All names were placed into an alphabetical list.

3. (obsolete) literal
   • 1644, John Milton, The Doctrine & Discipline of Divorce‎^[2], page 31:

     But if an alphabeticall servility must be still urged, it may so fall out,

• alphabet
• alphabetize

alphabetical (plural alphabeticals)

1. (crosswording) Ellipsis of alphabetical jigsaw.
   • 2015 March 13, Hugh Stephenson, “A to Z”, in The Guardian‎^[3]:

     We used to publish two, or sometimes three, alphabeticals a year and I am proposing to resume the same sort of frequency.