abecedary

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English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English abscedary, from Medieval Latin abecedārium (“alphabet, ABC primer”), from Late Latin abecedārius (“of the alphabet”), formed from the first four letters of the Latin alphabet + -ārius.[1] Doublet of abecedarium.

Noun

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abecedary (plural abecedaries)

  1. (rare) The alphabet, written out in a teaching book, or carved on a wall; a primer; abecedarium. [from 1350 to 1470][1]
    • 2014 July 18, Caity Weaver, “My 14-Hour Search for the End of TGI Friday's Endless Appetizers”, in Gawker‎[1], archived from the original on 16 May 2022:
      I finish writing the alphabet on both napkins. There's room for more abecedaries, but […]
  2. One that teaches or learns the alphabet or the fundamentals of any subject; abecedarian. [from late 16th century][1]
Translations
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Etymology 2

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From Late Latin abecedārius.[2] Doublet of abecedarius.

Adjective

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abecedary (not comparable)

  1. Referring to the alphabet; alphabetical; related to or resembling an abecedarius; abecedarian. [First attested in 1580.][2]
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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “abecedary”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 3.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 “abecedary, adj. and n.2”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
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