View source for Transliterate

To '''transliterate''' is to rewrite a word written in the letters of one [[alphabet]] (e.g., the Greek, [[Roman alphabet|Roman]], [[Cyrillic alphabet|Cyrillic]], or Arabic [[alphabet]]) in the corresponding letters of another [[alphabet]]. Thus the Greek word φιλία (friendship) is transliterated in the [[Roman alphabet]] as 'philia' and the Russian word перестройка (reconstruction, reorganisation)  as 'perestroika', while the English word 'computer' is transliterated into Arabic as ﻛﻤﺒﻴﻮﺗﺮ ('kumbutir').

The [[noun]] ''''transliteration'''' may refer either to the act of transliterating - as in ''''Transliteration''' is not always a straightforward matter' - or to what has been transliterated - as in 'Mimesis is a '''transliteration''' of the ancient Greek word μίμησις'.

The word ''''transliterate'''' comes from the [[Latin]] ''littera'' (a letter of the alphabet) and the prefix 'trans-' (across, through, beyond).

Do not confuse ''''transliterate'''' and 'translate' or ''''transliteration'''' and 'translation'.


[[Category:Disambig]][[Category:Etymology]]
[[Category:typos]]