Alba

//ˈæl.bə// name, noun

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A county of Transylvania, Romania.
  2. 2
    Scotland, especially referring to the Kingdom of Alba, Scotland, between 900 and 1286. historical, poetic, rare
  3. 3
    A female given name from Spanish alba (“dawn”), of modern usage.
  4. 4
    A habitational surname from place names of obscure origin.
Noun
  1. 1
    A type of lyrical poetry, traditionally Provençal, about lovers who must part at dawn.
  2. 2
    A white-flowered shrub rose of the hybrid Rosa × alba.
  3. 3
    plural of album form-of, plural, rare

    "For quotations using this term, see Citations:alba."

  4. 4
    Synonym of alb.

    "On a little plot of grass near the kitchen the family were spreading out a large supply of priestly vestments—albas, casullas, capas pluviales, ornamentos, parmentos, cíngulas, estolas, frontales, etc., etc., etc."

  5. 5
    A flower of the hybrid Rosa × alba.

Etymology

Etymology 1

First attested in 1821; borrowed from Occitan alba, ultimately from Latin albus (“white”); compare Spanish alba (“dawn”).

Etymology 2

First attested in 1848; borrowed from Latin alba (the feminine form of albus (“white”)) in the now-disused species name of binomial nomenclature Rosa alba (it is now considered a hybrid and is accordingly called Rosa × alba).

Etymology 3

First attested in 1859; borrowed from Latin alba, the nominative plural form of album (“blank tablet”), whence the English album.

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin alba (“alb”), from Latin alba (as in tunica alba (“white tunic”), vestis alba (“white garment”)), feminine of albus (“white”). Doublet of alb.

Etymology 5

From Romanian Alba.

Etymology 6

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

Etymology 7

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

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