Wycliffe Gloss, Abece: alphabet

But the psalms thirty-sixth, and the hundred tenth, and the hundred eleventh, and the hundred eighteenth psalm, and the hundred forty-fourth, though they were written in diverse meter, nonetheless they were suited with an alphabet in the same style.

1 Kings, Prologue
Volume 2, page 2

Early Version

But and the Salmys sixe and threttis, and the hundrid tenthe, and the huridryd enleueth, and the hundrid eiʒtenth, and the hundrid foure and fourtithe, albeit that thei ben wryten with dyuerse metre, neuerthelater thei ben weuyd with the abece of the same noumbre.

Later Version

But also the salmes of the Sauter, as the xxxvj. salm, and the hundrid and x. salm, and the hundrid and aleuene salm, and the hundrid and xviij. salm, and the hundrid and xliiij. salm, al be it that thei ben writen with dyuerse metre, netheles thei ben writen and wouen to gideris with the abece of the same noumbre.

Wycliffe forms and reference

Plural, abeces, abicees; 1 Kings prologue, Esther prologue.

Etymology

Middle English alphabete;
Latin abecedarium, the alphabet; abecedaius, one who learns;
abecedaria, elementary instruction.

Comparative Latin and Greek

Late Latin alphabetum; Greek alphabētos, from ■→alpha and ■→beta.

Modern English

Modern form: ABC, ■→alphabet.

Modern uses: an ■→abecedarian; also rudiments, elements.

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