abbiccì

Italian

Alternative forms

• a bi ci, a b c, A B C

Etymology

Univerbation of a (name of the letter A) +‎ bi (name of the letter B) +‎ ci (name of the letter C).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ab.bitˈt͡ʃi/^*
• Rhymes: -i
• Hyphenation: ab‧bic‧cì

Noun

abbiccì m (uncountable)

1. alphabet
   • c. 1307, Dante Alighieri, “Trattato quarto, Capitolo XV [Fourth Treatise, Chapter 15]”, in Convivio [The Banquet]‎^[1], Florence: Le Monnier, published 1964, section 16:

     E di questi cotali sono molti idioti che non saprebbero l’a. b. c., e vorrebbero disputare in geometria, in astrologia e in fisica.

     Among these are to be found many uneducated individuals who have scarcely learned the letters of the alphabet but are nevertheless willingly enter into discussions of geometry, astrology, and physics.

2. (figurative) ABC, abc (fundamentals of a subject)
3. ABC, abc (primer)

Further reading

• abbiccì in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana