ALPHABETICAL ORDER, also alphabetic order, ABC order, alphabetic(al) arrangement. The order used for presenting, teaching, memorizing, or otherwise using the letters of an ALPHABET. It is particularly favoured as an invariant series by which information can be organized in catalogues, concordances, dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias, indexes, and the like. Thoroughgoing alphabetization did not establish itself fully until printing had become widespread and printers had become used to manipulating letters first physically (as bits of metal in alphabetized trays), then conceptually.

Conventionally, alphabetical ordering must be consistent through words, word groups, names, name groups, etc., so that, for example, access precedes accessibility which precedes accessible which precedes accessibly. Word groups may be ordered strictly by letter throughout the group, ignoring spaces (as are the headwords in this book); alternatively, they may be ordered word by word, a shorter word then preceding all longer words that begin with the same sequence of letters. Compare the following:

al·pha·bet·i·cal / ˌalfəˈbetikəl/ • adj. of or relating to an alphabet: alphabetical characters. ∎  in the order of the letters of the alphabet: an alphabetical index.DERIVATIVES: al·pha·bet·ic adj.al·pha·bet·i·cal·ly / -ik(ə)lē/ adv.

al·pha·bet·ize / ˈalfəbiˌtīz/ • v. [tr.] arrange (words or phrases) in alphabetical order: the listings are arranged by state and alphabetized by city.DERIVATIVES: al·pha·bet·i·za·tion / ˌalfəˌbetəˈzāshən/ n.