'alliterative' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'alliteratio,' where 'ad-' meant 'to' and 'littera' meant 'letter.'

'alliteratio' transformed into the English word 'alliterative,' and eventually became the modern English word 'alliterativeness.'

Initially, it meant 'the repetition of the same letter or sound,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.