Etymology

From the first four letters of the Arabic alphabet arranged in the old style, which is similar to the Greek and Hebrew order: أ ب ج د. This is the standard alphabetical order used in lists and for numbering paragraphs. The alphabet is divided into these eight barbarous words, as memorialized in a popular children’s song:

أبجد هوز حطي كلمن سعفص قرشت ثخذ ضظغ ʾabjad hawwaz ḥaṭṭī kalaman saʿafaṣ qarašat ṯaxxaḏ ḍaẓẓağ