alma

Alma is a word in several Romance languages meaning "soul" or "spirit." In Spanish and Portuguese, alma denotes the immaterial essence of a person or being, and it can be used in poetic or religious contexts.

As a given name, Alma is used in many languages and has been borne by various public figures. Notable people include the Austrian-born writer Alma Mahler-Werfel (1889–1985), the American soprano Alma Gluck (1883–1938), and the English screenwriter Alma Reville (1889–1982), wife of director Alfred Hitchcock.

A number of places in the United States are named Alma, including towns in Arkansas, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Georgia.

ALMA is also an acronym for the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, a major international astronomical observatory located in the Chilean Atacama region. It comprises multiple antennas that work together to observe the cold universe, including molecular gas and dust in star-forming regions. The project began scientific operations in the 2010s, with full array operations established by the early 2010s, and it is operated by an international collaboration involving institutions from North America, Europe, and beyond. ALMA has contributed to studies of galaxy formation, star birth, and the interstellar medium, helping to map phenomena at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths.