Question

abecedarian adjective The history of "abecedarian" is as simple as ABC-literally. The term's Late Latin ancestor, "abecedarius" (which meant "of the alphabet"), was created as a combination of the letters A, B, C, and D, plus the adjective suffix "-arius"; you can hear the echo of that origin in the pronunciation of the English term (think "ABC-darian"). In its oldest documented English uses in the early 1600s, "abecedarian" was a noun meaning "one learning the rudiments of something"; it specifically referred to someone who was learning the alphabet. The adjective began appearing in English texts around 1665. 1 a : of or relating to the alphabetb : alphabetically arranged2 : rudimentary

Accepted Answer

January 1, 2014 ay-bee-see-DAIR-ee-un The children recited an abecedarian chant, beginning with "A is for apple" and ending with "Z is for zebra."   "'The Future of Terror' and 'Terror of the Future' are abecedarian poems, which is to say that they follow a particular scheme through the alphabet." - From a poetry review by David Orr in The New York Times, February 17, 2008

Word	abecedarian
Date	January 1, 2014
Type	adjective
Syllables	ay-bee-see-DAIR-ee-un
Etymology	The history of "abecedarian" is as simple as ABC-literally. The term's Late Latin ancestor, "abecedarius" (which meant "of the alphabet"), was created as a combination of the letters A, B, C, and D, plus the adjective suffix "-arius"; you can hear the echo of that origin in the pronunciation of the English term (think "ABC-darian"). In its oldest documented English uses in the early 1600s, "abecedarian" was a noun meaning "one learning the rudiments of something"; it specifically referred to someone who was learning the alphabet. The adjective began appearing in English texts around 1665.
Examples	The children recited an abecedarian chant, beginning with "A is for apple" and ending with "Z is for zebra." "'The Future of Terror' and 'Terror of the Future' are abecedarian poems, which is to say that they follow a particular scheme through the alphabet." - From a poetry review by David Orr in The New York Times, February 17, 2008
Definition	1 a : of or relating to the alphabet b : alphabetically arranged 2 : rudimentary

Abecedarian Adjective English Learning January Ay Bee See Dair Ee Un History Simple