/ əˌlɪtəˈreɪʃn; NAmE / noun
[ U ] ( technical ) the use of the same letter or sound at the beginning of words that are close together, as in sing a song of sixpence
► al·lit·era·tive / əˈlɪtrətɪv; NAmE əˈlɪtəreɪtɪv/ adjective
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WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent.: from medieval Latin alliteratio(n-) , from Latin ad- (expressing addition) + littera letter.