AllWords.com

Definition--a set of letters, characters, or symbols arranged in a fixed order by custom.

Discussion--You probably learned the alphabet at an early age, but it's a hard word for a toddler to say. Instead we often ask youngsters to saying their ABC's, possibly not realizing that the term alphabet is a similar construction from the first two Greek letters of the Greek alphabet. A similar term, abecedarian, has a similar derivation. It means one who studies alphabets and is based on the first four letters of the English alphabet.

Etymology--alphabet comes from a combination of the first two Greek letters, alpha and beta.

German and French:

Alphabet (nt)

Italian and Spansih:

alfabeto

Dutch:

alfabet (het)