If someone has an alias, what does that imply? This guide will teach you all there is to know about the meaning of alias.
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Kevin
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February 21, 2022
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Do you have a pen name, an AOL username, or a go-to name for chat rooms? If you find yourself using the same fake name over and over again, you might have discovered an alias. If you’re unfamiliar with this word — or only know it from the amazing Jennifer Garner TV series from the 00s — read on to learn alias’s definition and more!
What Does the Word Alias Mean?
According to Dictionary, the word alias can either be used as a noun or an adverb to refer to a false name or assumed name used to conceal a person or entity’s identity.
This term is also used to refer to an e-mail address that can forward an incoming e-mail to a different address or an abbreviation used in place of in-game commands to reduce typing during video games. Alias is three syllables (al-i-as), and the pronunciation of alias is ˈeɪlɪəs.
Different mail providers can use aliases, including the popular services Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail, and more. Many of these are very user-friendly and make setting up an alias easy.
The term alias is also used in telecommunications. It refers to a false signal in telecommunication links that occurs during beats between the signal frequency and the sampling frequency.
Finally, an alias is used in law to refer to a further writ that is issued when a first writ expires without effect.
What Is the Etymology of Alias?
According to Your Dictionary of the English Language, the word alias is Latin, from the Latin aliās or alias meaning otherwise, at another time, or in the post-Augustan period. This word is the feminine accusative plural of alius. This feminine accusative plural has Indo-European roots.
What Are Translations of the Word Alias?
To discuss the word alias or a concealed identity in another language, you can memorize these translations!
You might notice that several of these translations of alias look and sound quite similar to the word alias itself. This can happen when words in different languages both come from the same root. Learning the roots of different words can also help you better understand their meanings.
- Spanish: alias (masc.), seudónimo (masc.)
- Mandarin: 別名, 别名 (biémíng), 化名 (huàmíng)
- Japanese: 偽名 (ぎめい, gimei), 異名 (いみょう, imyō), エイリアス (eiriasu), 雅号 (がごう, gagō), 別名 (べつめい, betsumei) (about references in programming)
- Finnish: alias
- Portuguese: pseudónimo (masc.) (Portugal), pseudônimo (masc.) (Brazil), cognome (masc.)
- Catalan: àlies (masc.)
- French: pseudonyme (masc.)
- Ido: pseudonimo, alias
- Bulgarian: псевдоним (masc.), прозвище (neut.)
- Oriya: ଓରଫ୍
- Swedish: alias, pseudonym (common), öknamn (neut.), tillnamn (neut.)
- German: Pseudonym (neut.), Deckname (masc.)
- Russian: псевдони́м (masc.), про́звище (neut.), кли́чка (fem.), вы́мышленное и́мя (neut.)
How Can We Use the Word Alias in a Sentence?
An alias can be used in a sentence as an adverb or noun. To get comfortable using the word alias in sentences of your own, take a look at these example sentences. You can practice using the word alias in sentences that you write yourself. Once you’re comfortable, you can use it in a conversation!
Belli Simpson — alias Smith — kept his true name a secret so that it wouldn’t be included in police files in the state of Texas.
Jack Rubenstein went by the name of Jack Ruby as his alias. He didn’t need anyone knowing where his secret resting spot was.
Dylan used the alias Simpson to prevent identification in court for the indictment. He didn’t want everyone around him to treat him like trash once they knew his real name.
She utilized the useful feature of having an alias as her e-mail. This way, people could e-mail her wrapper e-mail and not her personal e-mail, but they would all go to the same place. She loves electronics!
What Are Synonyms of the Word Alias?
Power Thesaurus lists many different words that can describe a person’s alternate names. If someone doesn’t know what you mean by an alias, you can turn to one of these synonyms to further explain what you mean. You can also use a synonym if you’ve repeated the word alias numerous times or if you’re looking for a word that has a different feeling than the word alias:
- additional name
- agnomen
- aka
- aliases
- allonym
- also called
- also known as
- anonym
- another name
- appellation
- assumed name
- byname
- code name
- code-named
- cognomen
- epithet
- false identity
- false name
- family name
- fictitious name
- first name
- handle
- incognito
- label
- last name
- moniker
- name
- named
- nickname
- nom de guerre
- nom de plume
- otherwise
- otherwise known as
- pen name
- pen-name
- penname
- pet name
- professional name
- pseudonym
- sobriquet
- soubriquet
- stage name
- street name
- surname
- title
What Are Antonyms of the Word Alias?
There are also plenty of words that have the opposite definition of the word alias, which are known as antonyms. By studying this list of antonyms of the word alias from Power Thesaurus, you can grow your vocabulary! Which of these antonyms of alias would you use?
- appellation
- behalf
- big name
- bigwig
- celeb
- celebrity
- character
- denomination
- designation
- dignitary
- distinction
- epithet
- fame
- handle
- heading
- hotshot
- label
- lion
- luminary
- moniker
- name
- nickname
- notability
- notable
- personage
- personality
- public figure
- reputation
- repute
- sake
- signature
- somebody
- standing
- star
- superstar
- surname
- tag
- term
- title
- VIP
- worthy
Conclusion
Overall, the word alias generally refers to a name that is used to conceal the identity of a person or an entity. There are several reasons why a person might choose to use an alias, such as a celebrity with a reservation at a restaurant or a hotel. This word has several use cases and is very versatile.
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