"A" Word Origins

Abby

Origin

A shortened, informal form of Abigail.

ABC

Middle English

From Middle English abece, ABC, from the first three letters of the Latin alphabet, standing for the whole alphabet.

abdal

Origin

From Arabic أَبْدَال (ʔabdāl), plural of بَدَل (badal, “a substitute; a good, religious man; saint”), from بَدَلَ (badala, “to replace”).

abdicate

Latin

From Latin abdicāre, "to renounce or reject", from ab- ("away") and dicāre ("to proclaim").

abdication

Origin

First attested in 1552. From Latin abdicātiō (“renunciation”), from abdicō. By surface analysis, abdicate + -ion.

abdomen

Latin

From Latin abdōmen, possibly related to abdō ("to conceal"), from ab- ("away") and -dō ("put, place").

abdominal

New Latin

From New Latin abdōminālis, from Latin abdōmen.

abduct

Latin

From Latin abductus, past participle of abdūcō, "to lead away", from ab- ("away") and dūcō ("to lead").

abduction

Latin

From Latin abductio, "a leading away," from ab- ("away") + ducere ("to lead") — the same root that gives us "conduct" and "duct."

abductor

Latin

From Latin abductor, "one who leads away," built from the same root as abduct.

Abdul

Arabic

From Arabic عَبْد (ʕabd, “servant [of]”) + ال (al-, “the”).

Abdullah

Arabic

From Arabic عَبْدُ ٱللّٰه (ʕabdu llāh), from عَبْد (ʕabd, "servant") + الله (allāh, "God"), literally "servant of God".

Abe

Origin

Short for Abraham, after President Abraham Lincoln, whose portrait appears on the U.S. five-dollar bill.

abear

Origin

From Middle English aberen, from Old English āberan (“to bear, carry, carry away”), from ā- (“away, out”), a- + beran (“to bear”), from Proto-Germanic *uzberaną (“to bear off, bring forth, produce”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear, carry”), equivalent to a- + bear. Cognate with Old High German irberan, Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (usbairan).

abecedarian

Origin

From Late Latin abecedarius (from the first four letters of the Latin alphabet + -arius). Equivalent to abecedary + -an. Compare abecedary.

abed

Old English

From Old English on bedde, "on bed" — the a- prefix here just means "in" or "on," the same pattern seen in "asleep" and "afloat."

Abel

Hebrew

From Biblical Hebrew הֶבֶל (Héḇel), possibly related to a word meaning "breath, vapor".

Abercrombie

Scottish Gaelic

Of Scottish Gaelic origin, from the earlier form Abarcrumbach.

Aberdeen

Origin

From Pictish *aber ("confluence") plus the name of the river Don.

aberrance

Origin

From aberr (“to stray”), from Latin aberrō (“to wander from the way”) + -ance.

aberrancy

Origin

From aberrance + -y.

aberrant

Latin

From Latin aberrans, "wandering away," from ab- ("away") + errare ("to wander") — the same root as "err" and "error."

aberration

Latin

From Latin aberratio, "a wandering away," from the same root as aberrant.

abet

Origin

From Middle English abetten, abette, from Old French abeter (“to entice”), from a- (“to”) + beter (“hound on, urge, to bait”), either from Middle Dutch bētan (“incite”) or from Old Norse beita (“to cause to bite, bait, incite”), from Proto-Germanic *baitijaną (“to cause to bite”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- (“to split”). Cognate with Icelandic beita (“to set dogs on; to feed”). Alternate etymology traces the Middle English and Old French words through Old English *ābǣtan (“to hound on”), from ā- + bǣtan (“to bait”), from the same source (Proto-Germanic *baitijaną). See also bait, bet.

abettor

Origin

From Middle English abettour, from Anglo-Norman abettour, from Old French abeter + -our (“-or”). See abet.

abeyance

Origin

First attested in 1528. From Anglo-Norman abeiance (“legal expectation”), from Old French abeance (“desire”) from abeër (“to gape at, aspire after”), abaer, abair (“to desire”), from a (“to”) + baër (“to gape”), bair (“yawn”), from Medieval Latin batō (“to yawn”).

abeyant

Origin

Back-formation from abeyance + -ant.

Abhay

Sanskrit

From Sanskrit अभय (abhaya, "fearless").

Abhimanyu

Sanskrit

From Sanskrit अभिमन्यु (abhimanyu).

abhor

Latin

From Latin abhorrere, "to shrink back in horror," from ab- ("away from") + horrere ("to bristle, be terrified") — the same root as "horror" and "horrify."

abhorrence

Origin

From abhorrent + -ence.

abhorrent

Latin

From Latin abhorrens, the present participle of abhorrere — see abhor.

abhorring

Origin

From abhor + -ing.

Abi

Origin

Clipping of Abigail.

abide

Old English

From Old English abidan, "to wait, remain, endure," built from a- + bidan ("to wait, bide") — the same root as "bide" in "bide your time."

abiding

Origin

From the present participle of abide.

abigail

Origin · 1600

From the given name Abigail, popularized as a stock name for a waiting-maid in a 17th-century English play.

abigeat

Origin

From Latin abigeatus, from the verb ab agō (“to drive”).

Abilene

Ancient Greek

From Latin Abilēnus, from Ancient Greek Ἀβιληνός (Abilēnós). By surface analysis, Abila + -ene.

ability

Latin

From Old French ableté, from Latin habilitas ("aptness, capability"), related to habilis ("able, fit") — the same root as "able."

abiotic

Origin

First attested in 1874. From a- + biotic, the first element from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) and the second from Ancient Greek βιωτικός (biōtikós, “of life”), from βίος (bíos, “life”) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós).

abject

Latin

From Latin abiectus, "thrown away, cast aside," from ab- ("away") + iacere ("to throw") — the same root as "reject" and "project."

abjection

Origin

From Middle English abjeccioun, from either Middle French abjection or Late Latin abiectiōn-, from Latin abiectus (“cast down”). * See abject.

abjuration

Origin

First attested around 1439. From Middle English abjuracioun, from Latin abiūrātiō (“forswearing, abjuration”), from ab (“from, away from”) + iūrō (“swear or take an oath”), from iūs (“law, right, duty”). Compare French abjuration.

abjure

Origin

From Late Middle English abjuren (“to give up (something); to recant or renounce (something) under oath”), from Anglo-Norman abjurer, Middle French abiurer, abjurer, and Old French abjurer (“to reject or renounce (something) on oath”) (modern French abjurer), and from their etymon Latin abiūrāre, the present active infinitive of abiūrō (“to deny on oath, recant, renounce, repudiate, abjure”), from ab- (prefix meaning ‘away from, from’) + iūro (“to take an oath, swear, vow”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂yew- (“(adjective) right; straight; upright; (noun) justice; law; right”).

ablation

Latin

From Latin "ablatus," carried away, from "auferre" (to remove).

ablaze

Origin

From a- ("on, in") + blaze ("flame").

able

Latin

From Old French able/habile, from Latin habilis, "easily handled, fit, skillful," from habere ("to have, hold").