alphabetikos

Alphabetikos is an adjective of Greek origin meaning related to the alphabet or to alphabetical order. In English-language scholarship, the transliterated form alphabetikos is used mainly when discussing Greek philology or linguistic classification, while the more common equivalents are alphabetic or alphabetical.

Etymology traces the word to the Greek noun alphabetos, the system of letters, together with the suffix -ikos, which yields the sense “pertaining to.” The English term alphabet derives from Greek alphabētos via Latin alphabētus, and the direct Greek adjective alphabetikos similarly conveys the idea of belonging to or organized by the alphabet.

Usage in English is limited. Alphabetikos commonly appears in discussions that quote Greek terms or analyze Greek textual traditions, but everyday English prefers alphabetic or alphabetical. In Greek itself, forms derived from alphabetos function as standard adjectives meaning “of the alphabet” or “alphabetical,” with transliteration variations reflecting different spelling conventions. The phrase alphabetikos taxis may be encountered in scholarly works addressing ordering by letters in classical or linguistic contexts.

See also: alphabet, alphabetical order, Greek alphabet, abjad.