abecedarian
noun & adjective

- someone who is learning the alphabet; an elementary student, a novice; one in the early steps of learning

- arranged alphabetically

- rudimentary; elementary

Merriam-Webster / Free-Dictionary


—
WORD ORIGIN

The word "abecedarian" comes from the Late Latin word abecedarium, which means "alphabet," and is derived from the names of the first four letters of the Latin alphabet: "a," "b," "c," and "d."

An "abecedarium" in Latin contexts was a book used to teach the alphabet and the elements of reading. By extension, in English, an "abecedarian" is someone who is learning the basics of something, or is at a beginner's level.

—
BEGINNER’S LUCK

Frank Selak, a Croatian music teacher, earned an astonishing reputation as “The World's Luckiest Unlucky-Man”, surviving seven near-death experiences.

Born on a boat in 1929, his first brush with mortality occurred in 1957 when the bus he was on plunged into a river. In 1962, a falling rock derailed his train, causing it to crash into a river, but Selak survived again. The following year, a charter flight to visit his ill mother crashed, with only Selak and one other passenger surviving.

Despite avoiding public transport, in 1970 and 1973, Selak's car burst into flames on two separate occasions. In 1995, he was hit by a bus in Zagreb, and in 1996 the car he was driving plunged 100 metres into a ravine.

Sepal’s luck changed for the better shortly after his 73rd birthday, when he won the Croatian National lottery, worth around €900,000.

Despite his trials, Selak maintained a jovial attitude until his death in 2016, becoming an internet sensation and the subject of an animated YouTube feature film that has been viewed over 3 million times.

—
SYNONYMS

ABECEDARIAN, apprentice, aspirant, babe in the woods, boot camper, cadet, colt, cub, debutant(e), first-year student, fledgling, freshman, greenhorn, greenie, hopeful, intern, Johnny-come-lately, know from nothing, mentee, neophyte, newcomer, newcomer, newie, new kid/boy/girl on the block, novice, novitiate, probationer, probie, proselyte, (raw) recruit, rookie, sophomore, tenderfoot, trainee, tutee, tyro, undergraduate, understudy, wannabe, whippersnapper


—
SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“ABECEDARIAN is not a word you’d expect an ABECEDARIAN to be using in English.”

—
HERZLICHEN DANK to all readers helping me keep OWAD alive with single or monthly donations.

Every month, I spend evening and weekend hours with my family researching and writing your daily OWAD. It remains FREE, AD-free, and ALIVE thanks to voluntary donations from appreciative readers.

If you aren’t already, please also consider supporting us - even the equivalent of a single cup of coffee a month will help us cover mailing, site hosting, and maintenance costs. Just head over to DonorBox:

https://donorbox.org/please-become-a-friend-of-owad-5-3

or bank transfer to Paul Smith
IBAN: DE75 7316 0000 0002 5477 40
Please use your email-address as ‘Verwendungszweck’

Thank you,
Paul