Aaliyah

Aaliyah is the feminine form of the Arabic word aliy, meaning high, exalted or sublime. It is closely related to Ali, the masculine name borne by the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. The spelling with a doubled initial vowel reflects an English transliteration of the long Arabic sound at the start of the word. The American singer and actress Aaliyah Haughton performed under her first name alone and brought this spelling to wide attention in the English-speaking world. Related spellings such as Aliyah and Aliya appear in both Arabic and Hebrew contexts, though the Hebrew word aliyah, meaning ascent, has a separate root.