abet
[ uh-bet ]
/ əˈbɛt /
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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.
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Origin of abet
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English abette (source of Old French abeter, unless the latter, of Germanic origin, is the source of the Middle English), unattested Old English ābǣtan “to hound on,” equivalent to ā- a-3 + bǣtan “to hunt, chase with dogs, pasture”; see origin at bait; akin to bite
OTHER WORDS FROM abet
a·bet·ment, a·bet·tal, nounun·a·bet·ted, adjectiveun·a·bet·ting, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use abet in a sentence
With the aid and abetment of a bottle of excellent Montrachet, however, one contrived to worry through.
Red Masquerade|Louis Joseph VanceThen follows a chapter on abetment, in other words, the instigation of a person to do a wrongful act.
Now Esther herself was offering her own abetment in almost the same terms.
The Prisoner|Alice Brown
British Dictionary definitions for abet
abet
/ (əˈbɛt) /
verb abets, abetting or abetted
(tr) to assist or encourage, esp in crime or wrongdoing
Derived forms of abet
abetment or abettal, nounabetter or esp law abettor, nounWord Origin for abet
C14: from Old French abeter to lure on, entice, from beter to bait
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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