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aby

or a·bye

[uh-bahy]
verb (used with object), past and past participle a·bought.
  1. Archaic. to pay the penalty of.
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verb (used without object), past and past participle a·bought. Obsolete.
  1. to endure; continue.
  2. to undergo suffering as a penalty.
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Origin of aby

before 1100; Middle English abyen, Old English ābycgan. See a-3, buy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for abye

aby

abye

verb abys, abyes, abying or abought
  1. (tr) archaic to pay the penalty for; redeem
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Word Origin for aby

Old English ābycgan to pay for, atone for, from bycgan to buy
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