A Vowel, and the first Letter of the English Alphabet. See LETTER, VOWEL, and ALPHABET ; where what relates to A, consider'd in each of those Capacities, is delivered. The Grammarians will needs have A the first Letter in all Languages ; and some of 'em assign a natural Reason for it, viz. that it is the most simple, and the easiest pronounc'd of all articulate Sounds. To confirm this, Jul. Scaligcr observes, that A is the first Sound Nature puts forth at the crying or smiling of Infants ; and that it needs no other Motion to form it, but a bare opening of the Lips. See VOICE.
ABBREVIATURE or ABBREVIATION, a Contraction of a Word, or Passage ; made by dropping some of the Letters, and substituting certain Marks, or Characters in their Place. See SYMBOL.
Lawyers, Physicians, &c. use abundance of Abbreviatures ; partly for the sake of Expedition, and partly for that of Mystery. A List of the principal Abbreviatures in the several Arts and Faculties, see under the Article CHARACTER.
ABCEDARY, or ABECEDARIAN, some thing Alphabetical, or belonging to the Alphabet. See ALPHABET.
Among the Antients, the Term Abecedarius was peculiarly applied to those Compositions wherein the initial Letters of each Strophe, or some times even of each Verse, follow'd the Order of the Alphabet.
Such, in Holy Scripture, are the CXVIIIth Psalm, and the Lamentations of Jeremy : from which it should seem, as is the Hebrews had been the Inventors of this Kind of Poetry ; contrived, no doubt, to assist the Memory.
ABLATIVE, in Grammar, the sixth Case of Nouns. See CASE.
The Ablative is opposite to the Dative ; the first expressing the Aaion of taking away, and the latter that of giving. See DATIVE.
The Word is Latin, form'd ab auferendo, taking away. Priscian also calls it the Comparative Case ; as serving, among the Latins, for comparing, as well as taking away.
