What is the origin of the word alphabet?

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  • Alphabet derives from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha and beta. 
  • The English word alphabet came into Middle English from the late Latin alphabetum
  • Alphabetum from  ἀλφάβητος (alphabētos). 
  • Alpha and beta ultimately trace back to the first two letters  of the Phoenician alphabet. These originally meant ox and house  Source