Abecedarian

From Late Latin abecedarius (from the first four letters of the Latin alphabet + -arius). Equivalent to abecedary + -an. Compare abecedary.

Full definition of abecedarian

(plural abecedarians)

SOED5|page=3

An elementary student, a novice; one in the early steps of learning. Early 17^th century.

1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II.28:A man may alwaies continue his studie, but not schooling. O fond-foolish for an old man to be ever an Abcedarian .

(archaic) Someone engaged in teaching the alphabet; an elementary teacher; one that teaches the methods and principles of learning.

MW3 1976|page=2Early 17^th century.

1996, in Mediaevalia (published by the Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies of the State University of New York at Binghamton), volume 19, page 133:This formal organization is most likely to create obscurity in such elaborate and artificial forms as: palindromes (words, phrases, or verses which read the same backward or forward), abecedarians (poems in which the initial letters of lines or stanzas are arranged to ...) ...
2007, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Music Collection of the National Library (ISBN 0754651681), page 590:Abecedarian verses are chanted stichoi/stichera verses in which the first letter of each verse follows an alphabetical order. ... The Amomos, an abecedarian, is the longest psalm in the Psalter ...
2008, Erich J. Goller, Groovy, page 165:An Abecedarian is any poem constrained by alphabetical order.

(now rare) Pertaining to someone learning the alphabet or basic studies; elementary; rudimentary. Mid 17^th century.
Pertaining to the alphabet, or several alphabets. Mid 17^th century.

1971, Brian Lumley, â€˜Rising with Surtseyâ€™:The professor ... had several other translations or feats of antiquarian deciphering to his credit. Indeed, I was extremely fortunate to find him in at the museum, for he planned to fly within the week to Peru where yet another task awaited his abecedarian talents.