الله

Where it comes from

Widely theorized to be a contraction of الٱِلَٰه (al-ilāh, “God”), from الإِلَٰه (al-ʔilāh, “the deity”) with loss of initial hamza after the definite article ال (al-). Others suggest it is a variant spelling of the more ancient أَلَّٰه (ʔallāh), the extra ل (l) serving as an emphatic marker to emphasize distinction, first attested in the Mecca and Taif region, and later in the Quran. Both proposed roots were current in pre-Islamic usage, particularly الإِلَٰه (al-ʔilāh) in Nabataean macaronic Arabic-Aramaic usage from which the singular use has presumably spread. Ultimately from Proto-Semitic *ʔil-. Cognate with Classical Syriac ܐܰܠܳܗܳܐ (ʾalāhā), Assyrian Neo-Aramaic ܐܲܠܵܗܵܐ (allāhā), Aramaic אֱלָהָא (ʾĕlāhā), Hebrew אֱלוֹהַּ (ʾelōah), and Old South Arabian 𐩱𐩡𐩠 (ʾlh).