Abcs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The letters of the alphabet learned in order by young children ; the fundamental principles that someone must grasp before tackling a subject
2. The alphabet taught as the first step in reading ; the elementary facts and basic skills at the foundation of any field of study
3. The set of letters forming the alphabet ; the simplest essentials or first lessons on which more advanced knowledge is built

Etymology: The name is simply the first three letters of the alphabet, recited in order as children learn them. The older, more formal relative is "abecedary," from Medieval Latin "abecedarium," built from the names of the first Latin letters, a, be, ce, de. English "abece" and "abc" follow the same pattern, and the earlier English sense was the alphabet itself or the small book used to teach it. The plural "abcs" is a figurative extension. Speakers use it to mean the basic first principles of a subject, the things that must be learned before anything more advanced. It is a natural step from a sequence of letters to the rudiments that everything else is built on.

Synonyms: alphabet, rudiments, basics