from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Alphabet \Al"pha*bet\, n. [L. alphabetum, fr. Gr. ? + ?, the
first two Greek letters; Heb. [=a]leph and beth: cf. F.
alphabet.]
1. The letters of a language arranged in the customary order;
the series of letters or signs which form the elements of
written language.
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2. The simplest rudiments; elements.
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The very alphabet of our law. --Macaulay.
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{Deaf and dumb alphabet}. See {Dactylology}.
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