abatement

[ uh-beyt-muhnt ]
See synonyms for abatement on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act or state of abating or the state of being abated; reduction; decrease; alleviation; mitigation.

  2. suppression or termination: abatement of a nuisance; noise abatement.

  1. an amount deducted or subtracted, as from the usual price or the full tax.

  2. Law.

    • a reduction of a tax assessment.

    • the termination of a nuisance.

    • a wrongful entry on land made by a stranger, after the owner's death and before the owner's heir or devisee has obtained possession.

    • a decrease in the legacies of a will when the assets of an estate are insufficient to pay all general legacies in full.

  3. Also called rebatement. Heraldry. a charge or mark that, when introduced into a coat of arms, indicates the owner's disgrace.

Origin of abatement

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French; equivalent to abate + -ment

Other words for abatement

Opposites for abatement

Words Nearby abatement

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use abatement in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for abatement

abatement

/ (əˈbeɪtmənt) /


noun
  1. diminution or alleviation; decrease

  2. suppression or termination: the abatement of a nuisance

  1. the amount by which something is reduced, such as the cost of an article

  2. property law a decrease in the payment to creditors or legatees when the assets of the debtor or estate are insufficient to meet all payments in full

  3. property law (formerly) a wrongful entry on land by a stranger who takes possession after the death of the owner and before the heir has entered into possession

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012