abecedarian
Americannoun
-
a person who is learning the letters of the alphabet.
-
a beginner in any field of learning.
adjective
-
of or relating to the alphabet.
-
arranged in alphabetical order.
noun
adjective
Etymology
Origin of abecedarian
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Medieval Latin abecedāriānus; see abecedary, -an
Explanation
Say abecedarian and you will notice something peculiar — it sounds like a-b-c-d, and that’s not a coincidence. It means either a novice — a person just learning the ABCs of something — or it can describe something arranged alphabetically. The word comes from the Latin abecedarius, which means "alphabetical," based on the names of the first letters of the Latin alphabet. The word alphabetical, too, is based on the names of the first letters of the alphabet — but the Greek alphabet, which begins "alpha, beta." Abecedarian can also mean rudimentary. Sherlock Holmes might have said, “Abecedarian, my dear Watson.”
Vocabulary lists containing abecedarian
Power Suffix: -arian
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Reference Works - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For example, while Perry seemed to reduce arrests and increase high-school graduation rates, Abecedarian had no impact on either.
From New York Times • Jan. 9, 2018
At age 21, the Abecedarian children were half as likely to have been teenage parents and 2.5 times more likely to have enrolled in college than the control group, who did not attend preschool.
From New York Times • Jan. 9, 2018
Studies like the Abecedarian Early Intervention Project had shown that it takes years of intensive intervention to increase IQ by a few points.
From Scientific American • Dec. 2, 2014
The Bell Curve describes Ramey's Abecedarian Project as provocative but inconclusive and leaves it at that.
From Time Magazine Archive
That decision was based largely on research from two respected sources: the Carolina Abecedarian Study and the Perry Preschool Project, both of which demonstrated the long-term value of helping younger children.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
