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Nifty > Word of the Day: Abecedary, Abecedarian

Relating to the alphabet, alphabetical order, and the ABCs. Various references have additional definitions for abecedary and abecedarians.

Merriam-Webster

Main Entry: 1abe·ce·dar·i·an Pronunciation: "A-bE-(")sE-'der-E-&n Function: noun Etymology: Middle English abecedary, from Medieval Latin abecedarium alphabet, from Late Latin, neuter of abecedarius of the alphabet, from the letters a + b + c + d : one learning the rudiments of something (as the alphabet)

Dictionary.com:

Abecedarian \A`be*ce*da"ri*an\, Abecedary \A`be*ce"da*ry\, a. Pertaining to, or formed by, the letters of the alphabet; alphabetic; hence, rudimentary.

Abecedarian psalms, hymns, etc., compositions in which (like the 119th psalm in Hebrew) distinct portions or verses commence with successive letters of the alphabet. --Hook.

Dictionary of Difficult Words:

n. book arranged in alphabetical order; elementary text-book. abecedarian, n. member of 16th-century German Anabaptist sect who refused to learn to read. a. alphabetically arranged.