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definitions

abet

[ uh-bet ]
/ əˈbɛt /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR abet ON THESAURUS.COM

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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RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

  1. aberrantly,
  2. aberrated,
  3. aberration,
  4. aberystwyth,
  5. abessive,
  6. abetalipoproteinemia,
  7. abettor,
  8. abeyance,
  9. abeyant,
  10. abfarad

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
ANTONYMS FOR abet
hinder, discourage.
SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR abet ON THESAURUS.COM
Related formsa·bet·ment, a·bet·tal, nounun·a·bet·ted, adjectiveun·a·bet·ting, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for abetment

British Dictionary definitions for abetment

abet

/ (əˈbɛt) /

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

v.

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper