abet

[uh-bet]

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verb (used with object), a·bet·ted, a·bet·ting.

to encourage, support, or countenance by aid or approval, usually in wrongdoing: to abet a swindler; to abet a crime.

Origin of abet

1275–1325; Middle English abette (whence Old French abeter, unless perhaps the latter, of Germanic orig., be the source for the ME), Old English *ābǣtan to hound on, equivalent to ā- a-³ + bǣtan to bait, akin to bite

Related formsa·bet·ment, a·bet·tal, nounun·a·bet·ted, adjectiveun·a·bet·ting, adjective

Synonyms for abet

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help, aid, assist; promote.

Antonyms for abet

hinder, discourage.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for abetment

support, assist, encouragement, hand, succor, relief, endorsement, aid, assistance

Examples from the Web for abetment

Historical Examples of abetment

Now Esther herself was offering her own abetment in almost the same terms.
The Prisoner
Alice Brown
Then follows a chapter on abetment, in other words, the instigation of a person to do a wrongful act.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 6
Various
With the aid and abetment of a bottle of excellent Montrachet, however, one contrived to worry through.
Red Masquerade
Louis Joseph Vance

British Dictionary definitions for abetment

abet

verb abets, abetting or abetted

(tr) to assist or encourage, esp in crime or wrongdoing

Derived Formsabetment or abettal, nounabetter or esp law abettor, noun

Word Origin for abet

C14: from Old French abeter to lure on, entice, from beter to bait

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

Word Origin and History for abetment

abet

late 14c. (implied in abetting), from Old French abeter "to bait, to harass with dogs," literally "to cause to bite," from a- "to" (see ad-) + beter "to bait," from a Germanic source, perhaps Low Franconian betan "incite," or Old Norse beita "cause to bite," from Proto-Germanic *baitjan, from PIE root *bheid- "to split" (see fissure). Related: Abetted; abetting.