Abecedarians, a-be-ce-da'ri-ans, a German Anabaptist sect of the sixteenth century. The leaders claimed to have received direct revelations from God. They rejected all other knowledge, even the a-b-c's. They regarded learning not only as unnecessary, but as a hindrance to religious growth. They prophesied that all recognized governments would be overthrown. An Abecedarian is defined as one who is teaching the alphabet, or who is learning his a-b-c-d's. The Abecedarians appear to have been so called because they were not abecedarians.