*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of ABC

From Middle English abece, ABC, from the first three letters of the Latin alphabet, standing for the whole alphabet.

4 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

The English alphabet. · A type of poem in which the lines start with the letters of the alphabet in order. · A primer for teaching the Latin alphabet and first elements of reading. · The fundamentals of any subject.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English abece, ABC, from the first three letters of the Latin alphabet, standing for the whole alphabet.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionabeceenm

This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 2 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
adj

Initialism of atomic, biological and chemical, the three main categories of weapon of mass destruction. · Initialism of already been chewed. · Initialism of activated B-cell-like.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Initialisms.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 2 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
name

Initialism of American Broadcasting Company, an American commercial broadcast television network founded in 1943. · Initialism of Australian Broadcasting Corporation. · Initialism of Australian Broadcasting Company. · Initialism of Australian Broadcasting Commission.

noun

Initialism of airway, breathing and circulation, the essential steps in the immediate assessment and treatment of critically ill or injured patients. · Initialism of alcoholic beverage control. · Initialism of American-born Chinese. · Initialism of Australian-born Chinese.

phrase

Initialism of anything but Chardonnay, a backlash against Chardonnay wine, seen as ubiquitous. · Initialism of abstinence, be faithful, use a condom, a sex education policy developed in response to the epidemic of HIV/AIDS in Africa. · Initialism of always be charging, a recommendation to remember to charge or be left without use by a low battery at an inopportune time. · Initialism of anything but Conservative.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Initialisms.

This page abbreviates 32 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A keyboard layout in which all keys are arranged in alphabetical order in English.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Like QWERTY, the name is based on the first letter keys.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for ABC →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
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Permanent entry ID
w-QUJD