different between abate vs smother

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??be?t/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /??be?t/
• Rhymes: -e?t

Etymology 1

From Middle English abaten, from Old French abatre (“to beat down”) (possibly via Middle French), from Late Latin abbatto, from ab- (“away”) + batto, from Latin battuere (“to beat”). Cognate to modern French abattre.

Verb

abate (third-person singular simple present abates, present participle abating, simple past and past participle abated)

1. (transitive, obsolete outside law) To put an end to; to cause to cease. [attested since about 1150 to 1350]

2. (intransitive) To become null and void. [attested since the late 15th century]

3. (transitive, law) To nullify; make void. [attested since the late 15th century]

4. (transitive, obsolete) To humble; to lower in status; to bring someone down physically or mentally. [attested from around 1150 to 1350 until the mid 1600s]

   • The hyer that they were in this present lyf, the moore shulle they be abated and defouled in helle.

5. (intransitive, obsolete) To be humbled; to be brought down physically or mentally. [attested from around 1150 to 1350 until the mid 1600s]
6. (transitive, obsolete) To curtail; to deprive. [attested from around 1350 to 1470 until the mid 1800s]
   • 1605, William Shakespeare, King Lear, II.ii:

     She hath abated me of half my train.

7. (transitive) To reduce in amount, size, or value. [attested since 1325]

   • His eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.

8. (intransitive) To decrease in size, value, or amount. [attested since 1325]
9. (transitive) To moderate; to lessen in force, intensity, to subside. [attested since around 1150 to 1350]
   • 1597, Francis Bacon Essays or Counsels, Civil and Morall:

     Not that they feel it so, but only to abate the edge of envy.

   • 1855, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, Part 3, page 267:

     The fury of Glengarry […] rapidly abated.

10. (intransitive) To decrease in intensity or force; to subside. [attested since around 1150 to 1350]
    • c. 1719, Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe:

      […] in the morning, the wind having abated overnight, the sea was calm, […]

11. (transitive) To deduct or omit. [attested since around 1350 to 1470]
12. (transitive) To bar or except. [attested since the late 1500s]
13. (transitive) To cut away or hammer down, in such a way as to leave a figure in relief, as a sculpture, or in metalwork.
14. (transitive, obsolete) To dull the edge or point of; to blunt. [attested from the mid 1500s till the late 1600s]
15. (transitive, archaic) To destroy, or level to the ground. [attested since around 1350 to 1470]
    • 1542, Edward Hall, The Union of the Noble and Illustre Famelies of Lancastre and York:

      The kynge of Scottes planted his siege before the castell of Norham, and sore abated the walls.

Synonyms

• (bring down or reduce): lessen; diminish; contract; moderate; cut short; decrease; lower; suppress; terminate; remove; remit; slacken
• (diminish in force or intensity): diminish; subside; decline; wane; ebb; mitigate; assuage; temper; alleviate; relax
• (bring someone down): humble; depress; appease; pacify; soothe; soften; tranquilize
• (come to naught): fall through; fail

Antonyms

• (bring down or reduce): augment, accelerate, aggravate, amplify, continue, develop, enhance, enlarge, extend, foment, increase, intensify, magnify, prolong, raise, rise, revive

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

abate (plural abates)

1. (obsolete) Abatement. [from around 1400 until the late 1600s]

Etymology 2

From Anglo-Norman abatre, an alteration of enbatre, from Old French en + batre (“to beat”).

Verb

abate (third-person singular simple present abates, present participle abating, simple past and past participle abated)

1. (intransitive, law) to enter a tenement without permission after the owner has died and before the heir takes possession. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.]

Etymology 3

From Italian abate, from Latin abb?s, abb?tis, from Ancient Greek ????? (abbâs), from Aramaic ???? (’abb?, “father”). Doublet of abbot.

Alternative forms

• abbate

Noun

abate (plural abates)

1. an Italian abbot, or other member of the clergy. [First attested in the early 18th century.]

References

• abate at OneLook Dictionary Search
• abate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• abeat

Italian

Alternative forms

• abbate

Etymology

From Late Latin abb?tem, accusative form of abb?s, from Ancient Greek ????? (abbâs), from Aramaic ???? (’abb?, “father”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a?ba.te/
• Rhymes: -ate
• Hyphenation: a?bà?te

Noun

abate m (plural abati, feminine badessa)

1. abbot

Derived terms

• abatino (diminutive)
• abatonzolo (pejorative)

Related terms

Descendants

• ? Albanian: abat
• ? Belarusian: ???? (abat)
• ? Bulgarian: ???? (abat)
• ? English: abate
• ? Romanian: abate
• ? Russian: ????? (abbat)
• ? Ukrainian: ???? (abat)

Anagrams

• beata

References

• abate in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
• abate in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti

Latvian

Etymology

From abats (“abbott”) +? -e (fem.).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [abat?]

Noun

abate f (5th declension, masculine form: abats)

1. abbess (the female superior of a Catholic abbey or nunnery)

Declension

Related terms

• abatija

Further reading

• abate at tezaurs.lv

Lithuanian

Pronunciation 1

• IPA^(key): [?b.??t??]

Noun

abatè

1. locative singular of abatas
2. instrumental singular of abat?

Pronunciation 2

• IPA^(key): [?b?a?.t??]

Noun

abãte

1. vocative singular of abatas
2. vocative singular of abat?

Middle English

Verb

abate

1. Alternative form of abaten

Portuguese

Verb

abate

1. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present indicative of abater
2. second-person singular (tu, sometimes used with você) affirmative imperative of abater

Romanian

Etymology 1

From Vulgar Latin *abbatere, present active infinitive of *abbat?, *abbatu?, from Latin battu?.

Verb

a abate (third-person singular present abate, past participle ab?tut) 3rd conj.

1. to stray (often figuratively in a moral sense), derogate, deviate, divert from, digress

   Synonyms: devia, îndep?rta

2. to change paths, swerve from, wander from
3. (reflexive) to stop (going a certain way)

   Synonym: opri

4. to dissuade
5. to knock down

   Synonyms: d?râma, da jos

Conjugation

Derived terms

• abatere

Related terms

• bate

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian abate, from Latin abb?s, abb?tis, from Ancient Greek ????? (abbâs), from Aramaic ???? (’abb?, “father”).

Noun

abate m (plural aba?i)

1. abbot

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a?bate/, [a???a.t?e]

Verb

abate

1. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present indicative form of abatir.
2. Informal second-person singular (tú) affirmative imperative form of abatir.

English

Alternative forms

• smoother (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?sm?ð?/
• Rhymes: -?ð?(r)

Etymology 1

From Middle English smothren, smortheren, alteration (due to smother, smorther (“a suffocating vapour, dense smoke”, noun)) of Middle English smoren (“to smother”), from Old English smorian (“to smother, suffocate, choke”), from Proto-Germanic *smur?n? (“to suffocate, strangle”). Cognate with Middle Low German smoren, smurten (“to choke, suffocate”), West Flemish smoren (“to smoke, reek”), Dutch smoren (“to suffocate, smother", also "to stew, simmer”), German schmoren (“to stew, simmer, braise”).

Verb

smother (third-person singular simple present smothers, present participle smothering, simple past and past participle smothered)

1. (transitive) To suffocate; stifle; obstruct, more or less completely, the respiration of something or someone.
2. (transitive) To extinguish or deaden, as fire, by covering, overlaying, or otherwise excluding the air.

3. (transitive) To reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity; suppress or do away with; extinguish

   Synonyms: stifle, cover up, conceal, hide

4. (transitive) In cookery: to cook in a close dish.

5. (transitive) To daub or smear.
6. (intransitive) To be suffocated.
7. (intransitive) To breathe with great difficulty by reason of smoke, dust, close covering or wrapping, or the like.
8. (intransitive, of a fire) to burn very slowly for want of air; smolder.
9. (intransitive, figuratively) to perish, grow feeble, or decline, by suppression or concealment; be stifled; be suppressed or concealed.
10. (soccer) To get in the way of a kick of the ball.
11. (Australian rules football) To get in the way of a kick of the ball, preventing it going very far. When a player is kicking the ball, an opponent who is close enough will reach out with his hands and arms to get over the top of it, so the ball hits his hands after leaving the kicker's boot, dribbling away.

Related terms

• smotheration
• smotheriness
• smothery

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English smother, smorther (“a suffocating vapour, dense smoke”), from Old English smorþor (“smoke”, literally “that which suffocates”), from smorian (“to suffocate, choke”) + -þor (instrumental suffix).

Noun

smother (plural smothers)

1. That which smothers or appears to smother, particularly
   1. Smoldering; slow combustion.
   2. Cookware used in such cooking. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
   3. (dated) The state of being stifled; suppression.
      • 1625, Francis Bacon, Of Suspicion

        not to keep their suspicions in smother

   4. (dated) Stifling smoke; thick dust.
      • 1868, Judy (volumes 3-4, page 20)

        Then we passed the Grand Opéra, at which our fine taste revolted; the Rue de la Paix, all in a smother with the dust caused by its improvement, at which our eyes naturally distilled water; […]

   5. (Australian rules football) The act of smothering a kick (see verb section).

References

• smother in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• moth-ers, mothers, thermos