Obs.; also 5 abscedary; 6 absedary; 7 abcedarie. [ad. med.L. abecedārium an alphabet or primer; cf. Prom. Parv., 1440, Apece, alphabetum, abecedarium, and Cooper, Thesaurus, 1573, Abecedarium, an absee; see prec. and -ARIUM, -ARY.] A table or book containing the alphabet; a primer; the first rudiments of anything.
1432–50. Harl. Tr. of Higden (Rolls Ser.), VII. 333. Lanfrancus toke to hym an abscedary [1387 Trevisa, A þing wiþ letters for to spel].
1575. A Brieff Discours, 35 (1846). Therfore, it was lawfull to begin off suche rudimentes or absedaries.
1615. Byfield, On Colossians ii. 8 (1869), 198/1. But it is most likely they [the laws] are called so [rudiments or elements] by a grammatical relation to the abcedaries.
1623. Minsheu, An Abecedarie or alphabet, vide Abece. Abece, the crosse rowe or alphabet of all the letters.
1660. Hy. Hexham, Engl. & Nether-Duytch Dict., Een A B C, an Abecedarie or an alphabet. Een A B C Meester, a Schoolemaster that teacheth the Abecedarie.
