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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
"Hajj has been the dream of a lifetime for me," Ahmed Abo Seta, 47, told AFP.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
The BBC has verified that pictures and videos provided by Mr Abo Taha of his home match imagery of the house where Sinwar was killed.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2024
Mr Abo Taha said his daughter first showed him the footage purportedly capturing Sinwar's last moments on social media, saying it depicted their house in Rafah.
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
He knew every rock, big and little, visible and invisible, that lay on the entire route between Abo and Stockholm, and could see them all with his eyes shut.
From The Land of Thor by J. Ross (John Ross) Browne
Although most people are familiar with the ABO and Rh blood groups, those are only part of a much larger biological system.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
The ABO blood group gene also influences gut bacteria, though the exact mechanisms remain unclear.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 23, 2025
Now, at 8pm, ABO is starting to fill up.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2023
Most people know about blood group ABO, with its positives and negatives, but they aren’t the only types.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 11, 2022
The two most well known blood groups are the ABO, shown in Figure 31.9, and Rh systems.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
InFLAMES Flagship is a joint initiative between the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University in Finland.
From Science Daily ● May 28, 2026
The Lahesmaa group is based at Turku Bioscience Centre of the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University in Finland and is part of the InFLAMES Research Flagship.
From Science Daily ● May 30, 2024
The study was conducted in collaboration between the University of Eastern Finland and Åbo Akademi University.
From Science Daily ● May 6, 2024
The data used in the study constitutes part of the broader longitudinal research project Student Well-being and Learning in Future Society led by Åbo Akademi University.
From Science Daily ● May 6, 2024
The bishop of Vesterås was selected, therefore, to consecrate the bishops of Skara, Strengnäs, and Åbo.
From The Swedish Revolution Under Gustavus Vasa by Paul Barron Watson
Defending, Jenifer Lahoz Abos, said Ms Smith had a "total emotional dependence" on her partner and was left in a state of psychosis after he was arrested in Barcelona on 7 May 2010.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2012
How long hast thou striven, Abos Tirhán, to destroy me!
From Folk-Lore and Legends: Oriental by Charles John Tibbitts
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.
