2000-11-09 - Where'd It Come From: #1

Now I Know My ABC's (or at least the origin)

On my last trip to Chapters I picked up a great bargain book entitled "Why Do We Say It? The Stories Behind The Words, Expressions, and Cliches We Use".

Did you know....?

Why Do We Call Our ABC's the "alphabet"?

Because the two terms are exactly the same. The Greek alphabet begins with the letters Alpha and Beta - hence "alphabet". Likewise, "abecederia", a name for our school primers, takes its name from the first four letters of our alphabet.

...I never knew that.