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Abo

or ab·o

[ Ab-oh ]
/ ˈæb oʊ /
Australian Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive.
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noun, plural Ab·os.
a contemptuous term used to refer to an Australian Aboriginal person.
adjective
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Origin of Abo

First recorded in 1905–10; by shortening; see -o

usage note for Abo

Since Abo is simply a shortened form of Aborigine or Aboriginal, one could easily think that it is as neutral and inoffensive a term as Aussie is for an Australian. However, Abo is as highly offensive to Australian Aboriginal people as nigger is to African Americans in the United States.

Other definitions for Abo (2 of 3)

ABO

abbreviation Physiology.

Other definitions for Abo (3 of 3)

Åbo
[ aw-boo ]
/ ˈɔ bu /

noun
Swedish name of Turku.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Abo in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Abo (1 of 2)

Abo
/ (ˈæbəʊ) /

noun plural Abos (sometimes not capital) Australian old-fashioned, taboo
  1. short for Aborigine
  2. (as modifier)an Abo reserve

usage for Abo

This once quite common word is now completely unacceptable

British Dictionary definitions for Abo (2 of 2)

Åbo
/ (ˈoːbuː) /

noun
the Swedish name for Turku
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
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