أَبْجَدْ The first of a series of eight words comprising the letters of the Arabic alphabet [in the order in which they were originally disposed, agreeing with that of the Hebrew and Aramaic, but with six additional letters: they are variously written and pronounced; generally as follows: أَبْجَدَ هَوَّزْ حُطِّى كَلَمَنْ سَعْفَصْ قَرَشَتْ ثَخَذْ ضَظَغْ: but the Arabs of Western Africa write the latter four thus: صعفض قرست ثخذ ظغش]: (Ḳ and TA in art. بجد: [in both of which are related several fables concerning the origin of these words:]) accord. to the general opinion, the word ابجد is of foreign origin, [like each of the words following it,] and therefore its first letter [as well as each of the others] is a radical. (TA.) [Hence, الأَبْجَدُ signifies The alphabet. You say حُرُوفُ الأَبْجَدِ The letters of the alphabet.]

[It is probable (as De Sacy has observed in his Ar. Gram., 2nd ed., i. 8,) that the Arabic alphabet originally consisted of only twenty-two letters: for some of the ancient Arabs called Saturday ابجد, Sunday هوزّ, and so on to قرشت inclusive; calling Friday عَرُوبَةُ.]

[In the lexicon entitled “El-ʼEyn,” the letters of the alphabet are arranged nearly according to their places of utterance; as follows: ع, ح, ه, خ, غ, ق, ك, ج, ش, ض, ص, س, ز, ط, د, ت, ظ, ذ, ث, ر, ل, ن, ف, ب, م, و, ا, ى: and this order has been followed in the Tahdheeb and Moḥkam and some other lexicons.]