| 释义 |
▪ I. ABC, n.|ˌeɪˌbiːˈsiː|
4–; also written as a word: 3–6 abece; 5 apece, apecy, apsie; 6 apcie, absee, absie, absey, abeesee; 5–7 abce; 6–7 abcie; 7 abcee, a-bee-cee.
(These names were most frequent in sense 3.) The first three letters of the alphabet; hence
1. The alphabet itself. [So in OFr. A B C, abece.]
1297R. Glouc. 266 He was more þan ten ȝer old, ar he couþe ys abece. 1356Wyclif Last Age 28 Euery lettre in þe abece may be souned wiþ opyn mouþ save .m. lettre one. 1387Trevisa Higden VI. 259 (Rolls Ser.) He founded as meny abbayes as beþ lettres in þe A B C [in alphabeto]. c1394Piers Pl. Crede 9 A and all myn A B C After have I lerned. 1440Prompt. Parv. A-pece apecy [1499 abce] alphabetum, abecedarium. a1520Myrroure of Our Ladye 139 There is xxii letters in the Abce of hebrew. 1573Cooper Thesaurus, Abecedarium, -rii An Absee. 1611Florio, Abecè the A B C or Criscrosse-row. 1653Urquhart Rabelais i. xiv, Master Tubal Holophernes, who taught him his A B C, so well that he could say it by heart backwards. 1781Cowper Convers. 14 Sorting and puzzling with a deal of glee Those seeds of science called his A B C. a1845Hood Huggins & Duggins 5 I'd carve her name on every tree, But I don't know my A B C.
†2. An alphabetical acrostic; a poem of which the successive stanzas, or lines, begin with the letters of the alphabet in order. Obs.
c1382Wyclif Jeremiah, Prologue 10 In Jewere onli and Beniamyn he profeciede, and of his citee the fallingus with fourfold abece he weilede. c1430The A B C of Aristotle (1868) Whoso wilneþ to be wiys, & worschip desiriþ, Lerne he oo lettir, & looke on anoþir Of þe a b c of Aristotill: argue not aȝen þat. 1597Speght Edn. of Chaucer (title) Chaucers A B C, called La Prière de Nostre Dame. 1855Bell's Chaucer VI. 125 The A B C is a prayer to the Blessed Virgin somewhat in the manner of an acrostic. It consists of twenty-three stanzas, each of which begins with one of the letters of the alphabet, arranged in their order. [It is a transl. of the French hymn in Pilgr. of the Lyfe of Man.]
3. A spelling-book, or primer, teaching the alphabet and first elements of reading (Obs.); hence fig. the first principles, most elementary part, or simplest rudiments (of any subject).
c1400Poem in Reliq. Antiq. I. 63 Quan a chyld to scole xal set be, A bok hym is browt, Naylyd on a brede of tre, That men callyt an abece. 1571Wills & Inv. North. Count. (Surtees Soc.) II. 362, xiiij doss' papr latten abeesees iijs vjd—iiij doss' abeesees in p'chment ijs. 1579Tomson Calvin's Sermons 22/1 When he gaue vs his worde, hee did not giue vs an A. b. c. onely, but hee taught vs with open mouth. 1583Golding Calvin on Deuteron. Serm. xix. 110. 27 a, Wee abide still at our Absie, and wot not what rule or doctrine meaneth. a1593H. Smith Sermons 252 This is the Abce, and Primmer, and Grammar, the first lesson and last lesson of a Christian. 1637Decree of Star Chamb. §10 (Arber's Areop. 14) Any Bibles, Testaments..Primers, Abcees, or other booke or books. 1641Milton Animadv. (1851) 204 To tutor their unsoundnesse with the Abcie of a Liturgy. 1879Farrar St. Paul II. 152 note, The notion may be that ritualism is only the elementary teaching, the A B C of religion.
4. attrib., as in ABC-book or abcee-book, absey-book, primer, horn-book; an introductory book to any subject, often in catechism or dialogue form. So ABC-scholar, ABC-learner, ABC-teacher; ABC (= Alphabetical) Railway Guide (also absol.).
1595Shakes. John i. i. 196 I begin ‘I shall beseech you’; that is question now, And then comes answer like an Absey booke: ‘O sir,’ sayes answer, ‘at your best command.’ 1611Florio, Abecedario, a teacher or learner of A B C; also a horne-booke, or A-bee-cee-booke. 1440Prompt. Parv. Apece lerner, or he þat lernythe þe abece. Alphabeticus, abecedarius. 1580–95Munday John à Kent etc. 60 Which a meere abce scholler in the arte Can doo it with the least facilitie. 1632Sherwood, An Abcee-learner or teacher, Abecedaire (Fr.) 1853(title) A.B.C. or Alphabetical Railway Guide. 1917W. P. Ridge Amazing Years iii. 41, I found an A.B.C. and selected a train. 1936A. Christie ABC Murders iv. 31 A railway guide, you say. A Bradshaw—or an ABC?
▸ Used as the type of something elementary or straightforward, esp. in as easy (also plain, simple, etc.) as ABC.
1689J. Farewell Irish Hudibras 22 To go's, as plain as A, B, C; But Back's all the Concavity. 1793Times 4 Mar. 4/1 Individuals..not understanding the principles of Drilling, nor even attending to the directions laid down, though plain as A. B. C. 1867Arthur's Home Mag. Nov. 294/1 Why I can tell in a moment... It's as easy as A, B, C. 1888N. Perry Flock of Girls 128 Marigold was stupid on..some points that to the keen, practical girl..seem like A, B, C. 1952Los Angeles Times 30 Jan. iii. 1/6 True elegance appears to be as simple as ABC in John Carter's spring millinery collection. 2006Centralian Advocate (Austral.) (Nexis) 18 Aug. (Lifestyle section) 38 Changing from an unhealthy to a healthy lifestyle is as easy as ABC.
▪ II. ABC
or abee-cee is even found as a vb. ‘to say the alphabet.’
1611Florio, Abecedáre, to alphabet or abee-cee. a1845Hood My Son & Heir 12 A coppersmith I can't endure—Nor petty usher A B C-ing.
▪ III. ABC
A process in making artificial manure.
1879E. G. Bartholomew in Cassell's Tech. Educ. I. 115 The A B C is a patented process, and obtains its name from the three initial letters of the three principal ingredients..alum, blood, and clay. |