Dictionary

Abecedarian en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˌeɪ.biˌsiˈdæɹ.i.ən/ (US)

Etymology

From Latin abecedārius + -an; see abecedarian.

Meanings

1. (historical) A member of a 16th-century Anabaptist sect, follower of the Zwickau prophets (and specially of Thomas Storch), who believed that any kind of knowledge (even basic reading and writing) would keep one from obtaining salvation.
   • Heckman has been analyzing data from two famous early-childhood intervention programs, the Abecedarian Project of the ’70s and the Perry Preschool project of the ’60s. Both have furnished ample evidence that, if you enroll very young children from poor families in programs that give both them and their parents an extra boost, then they grow up to be wealthier and healthier than their counterparts—less fat, less sick, better educated, and, for men, more likely to hold down a job. 2013 May 13, Judith Shulevitz, “The Lethality of Loneliness”, in The New Republic, archived from the original on 31 Mar 2015:
   • Behind the stable doors, where competitors frenziedly shine tack and polish hooves, Donna McNulty busies herself with her horse, Abecedarian. 1990 August 27, Cynthia B. Hanson, “HORSE PLAY”, in The Christian Science Monitor, archived from the original on 14 Jan 2025:

Forms

Translations (6)

pt abecedariano (member of a 16th-century sect) · fr abécédaire (member of a 16th-century sect) · de Abecedarier (member of a 16th-century sect) · fr abécédarien (member of a 16th-century sect) · it abecedariano (member of a 16th-century sect) · es abecedariano (member of a 16th-century sect)