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abort

[ uh-bawrt ]
/ əˈbɔrt /
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verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
a missile, rocket, etc., that has aborted.
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Origin of abort

1570–80; <Latin abortus miscarried (past participle of aborīrī to disappear, miscarry) equivalent to ab-ab- + -or- come into being + -tus past participle suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM abort

un·a·bort·ed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH abort

aboard, abort , abroad
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use abort in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for abort

abort
/ (əˈbɔːt) /

verb
noun
the premature termination or failure of (a space flight, military operation, etc)

Word Origin for abort

C16: from Latin abortāre, from the past participle of aborīrī to miscarry, from ab- wrongly, badly + orīrī to appear, arise, be born
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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