ALPHA AND OMEGA

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does alpha and omega mean? 

• ALPHA AND OMEGA (noun)
  The noun ALPHA AND OMEGA has 2 senses:

1. the first and last; signifies God's eternity

2. the basic meaning of something; the crucial part

  Familiarity information: ALPHA AND OMEGA used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ALPHA AND OMEGA (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The first and last; signifies God's eternity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Hypernyms ("alpha and omega" is a kind of...):

eternity; infinity (time without end)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The basic meaning of something; the crucial part

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("alpha and omega" is a kind of...):

crux; crux of the matter (the most important point)

 Context examples 

That I merited all I endured, I acknowledged—that I could scarcely endure more, I pleaded; and the alpha and omega of my heart's wishes broke involuntarily from my lips in the words—'Jane! Jane! Jane!'

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)