Abo
noun
a contemptuous term used to refer to an Australian Aboriginal person.
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Abo
1 American
[Ab-oh]
/ ˈæb oʊ /
Or
abo
noun
Abos
plural
adjective
ABO
2
American
abbreviation
Physiology.
Åbo
3
American
[aw-boo]
/ ˈɔ bu /
noun
Abo
1
British
/ ˈæbəʊ /
noun
Åbo
2
British
/ ˈoːbuː /
noun
Sensitive Note
Since Abo is simply a shortened form of Aborigine or Aboriginal, one could easily think that it is as neutral and inoffensive a term as Aussie is for an Australian. However, Abo is as highly offensive to Australian Aboriginal people as nigger is to African Americans in the United States.
Usage
This once quite common word is now completely unacceptable
Etymology
Origin of Abo
First recorded in 1905–10; by shortening; see -o
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Hajj has been the dream of a lifetime for me," Ahmed Abo Seta, 47, told AFP.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
Ashraf Abo Taha said he was "shocked" as he identified the partially destroyed building in Israeli drone footage of the incident as his home on Ibn Sena street in Rafah, southern Gaza.
From BBC • Oct. 19, 2024
The BBC cannot independently verify that Mr Abo Taha owned the home.
From BBC • Oct. 19, 2024
The call came in around 4 p.m., while Adam Abo Sheriah was still at work in his pharmacy in New Jersey.
From New York Times • Apr. 24, 2024
O, Baillie Na Cortie! thou needest no aid Of strangers the day when the blood torrents flow; The Brennaghs, Powrs, Parcels with buckler and blade, Shall triumph and feast with the Grasach Abo.
From The Brother Avenged and Other Ballads by Borrow, George Henry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
