abjection

American  

[ab-jek-shuhn] / æbˈdʒɛk ʃən /

noun

1. the condition of being servile, wretched, or contemptible.

2. the act of humiliating.

3. Mycology. the release of spores by a fungus.

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Etymology

Origin of abjection

1375–1425; late Middle English abjectioun (< Middle French ) < Latin abjectiōn-, stem of abjectiō casting away, equivalent to abject ( us ) ( see abject) + -iōn- -ion; or ab- + (e)jection

Explanation

Abjection is a kind of depressed feeling, a bleak and heavyhearted state of mind. A series of terrible jobs might send you into a state of abjection. Disappointments and bad luck can lead to a feeling of abjection, like the abjection of a gloomy poet or the abjection you can sense in the losers of a spelling bee. Abjection comes from the adjective abject, which means hopeless or unpleasant. The Latin root is abjectionem, which is literally "a throwing away," though its common meaning is "dejection or despondency."

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