n (context|US|usually|plural only|uncountable) The alphabet. (defdate|First attested from around (1150 to 1350).)(reference-book | last =| first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | editor =Brown, Lesley | others = | title = The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary | origdate = | origyear = 1933| origmonth = | url = | format = | accessdate = | accessyear = | accessmonth = | edition = 5th | date = | year =2003| month = | publisher =Oxford University Press | location =Oxford, UK | language = | id = | doi = | isbn =978-0-19-860575-7 | lccn = | ol = | pages =3| chapter = | chapterurl = | quote =)
n (obsolete|poetry) A type of poem in which the lines start with the letters of the alphabet in order. (defdate|Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the mid 17th century.)
n (obsolete) A primer for teaching the Latin alphabet and first elements of reading. (defdate|Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the mid 17th century.)
n The fundamentals of any subject. (defdate|First attested in the mid 16th century.)
n (context|UK|rail transport) A British alphabetized guidebook for trains and their stations.