abortion
What is the opposite of abortion? Here is what we hold, with its meaning and related words.
Noun — The deliberate ending of a pregnancy before the foetus can survive on its own.
How to use abortion
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
have an abortion
abortion rights
spontaneous abortion
A sensitive, often politically charged topic; medical and legal writing use it neutrally, but tone matters a lot in everyday conversation.
Etymology
From Latin abortio, "miscarriage," built from the verb aborior, "to fail to be born" or "to miscarry" — the same root gives us "abort."
Full origin of abortion →Frequently asked questions
What does “abortion” mean?
The word “abortion” means the deliberate ending of a pregnancy before the foetus can survive on its own. In plain terms, ending a pregnancy before birth, either on purpose (a medical procedure) or naturally (a miscarriage) — context usually makes clear which.
How do you pronounce “abortion”?
“Abortion” is pronounced uh-BAWR-shn (/əˈbɔɹ.ʃn̩/ in IPA).
How do you use “abortion” in a sentence?
Here is “abortion” used in a sentence: “She travelled to another city to have an abortion.”
What is another word for “abortion”?
Words with a similar meaning to “abortion” include abort, abortus, aborticide, embryoctony, foeticide and feticide.
What part of speech is “abortion”?
“Abortion” is a noun.
Where does the word “abortion” come from?
The word “abortion” comes from Latin. From Latin abortio, "miscarriage," built from the verb aborior, "to fail to be born" or "to miscarry" — the same root gives us "abort.".
Is “abortion” a common word?
“Abortion” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “abortion” have?
“Abortion” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the deliberate ending of a pregnancy before the foetus can survive on its own.
What is the difference between an abortion and a miscarriage?
In everyday use, 'abortion' usually means the deliberate ending of a pregnancy, while a 'miscarriage' is a pregnancy that ends naturally and too early to produce a surviving baby. In older medical language, a miscarriage was also called a 'spontaneous abortion.'
What is the difference between abortion and termination?
'Termination,' short for 'termination of pregnancy,' is a more clinical and neutral synonym for a deliberate abortion. Both words describe the same procedure, but 'termination' is often preferred in medical settings.
Why is a miscarriage sometimes called a 'spontaneous abortion'?
In medicine, 'abortion' broadly means the ending of a pregnancy before the foetus can survive on its own. A miscarriage happens naturally rather than by intention, so it is technically a 'spontaneous abortion,' while a deliberate one is called an 'induced abortion.'
