alphabetarian

English

Etymology

alphabet +‎ -arian

Pronunciation
  • Audio (UK)(file)

Noun

alphabetarian (plural alphabetarians)

  1. One who is learning the alphabet; an abecedarian.
  2. A novice or ignoramus.
    • 1873, James Craigie Robertson, History of the Christian Church: A.D. 64-1517:
      The archbishop was derided in ballads as an "alphabetarian," who had burnt books which he could not read.
    • 1867, Philological Society, Transactions of the Philological Society:
      I know also from experience that when an alphabetarian allows himself to use diacritical accents, he multiplies them excessively...
    • 1963, Forbes Parkhill, Mister Barney Ford: A Portrait in Bistre:
      The young alphabetarian had acquired sufficient learning to lead him to yearn for more; enough to stir his imagination; to give him notions.
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.