ENGLISH
REFERENCE

alba

n. uncountable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈæɫbə// UK //ˈælbɐ// al·ba Archaic Literary

n. the early morning light, just before the sun rises. It is a poetic word often used in literature and songs.

n. the dawn or early morning light; the period of time immediately preceding sunrise. Literary and poetic in register; rarely used in everyday conversation.


SIMPLE

The alba broke over the quiet hills.

CONTEXTUAL

They watched the alba paint the sky in shades of pink and gold.

COMPLEX

The troubadours sang of the alba as a symbol of fleeting love and the inevitable separation of lovers at daybreak.

Etymology 1

From Romanian Alba.

Etymology 2

From Scottish Gaelic Alba, ultimately from the same origin as Etymology 1. Related to albino, Albania and Elbe. More at Albany.

Etymology 3

From Spanish Alba, ultimately from the same origin as Etymology 1 and 2.

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