different between abject vs abortive

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?æb.d???kt/, enPR: ?b?j?kt
• (attributive): (US) IPA^(key): /?æb.d???kt/, enPR: ?b?j?kt
• (postpositive): (US) IPA^(key): /æb?d???kt/, enPR: ?bj?kt?
• Rhymes: -?kt

Etymology 1

From Middle English abiect (“outcast, wretched”), from Latin abiectus, past participle of abici? (“to throw away, cast off, to reject”), from ab- (“away”) +? iaci? (“to throw”).

Adjective

abject (comparative abjecter or more abject, superlative abjectest or most abject)

1. Sunk to or existing in a low condition, state, or position. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
2. Cast down in spirit or hope; degraded; servile; grovelling; despicable; lacking courage; offered in a humble and often ingratiating spirit. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
3. Showing utter hopelessness, helplessness; showing resignation; wretched. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
4. (obsolete) Rejected; cast aside. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the early 17^th century.]

Usage notes

• Nouns to which "abject" is often applied: poverty, fear, terror, submission, misery, failure, state, condition, apology, humility, servitude, manner, coward.

Synonyms

• beggarly, contemptible, cringing, degraded, groveling, ignoble, mean, mean-spirited, slavish, vile, worthless

Related terms

Translations

Noun

abject (plural abjects)

1. A person in the lowest and most despicable condition; a castaway; outcast. [from late 15h c.]

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English abjecten, derived from the adjective form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æb?d??kt/

Verb

abject (third-person singular simple present abjects, present participle abjecting, simple past and past participle abjected)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To cast off or out; to reject. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 17^th century.]
2. (transitive, obsolete) To cast down; hence, to abase; to degrade; to lower; to debase. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 17^th century.]
   • a. 1631, John Donne, a sermon

     What phrases of abjecting themselves, in respect of the prince, can exceed David's humble expressing of himself to Saul?

Related terms

Translations

References

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French abject, from Latin abiectus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?b?j?kt/
• Hyphenation: ab?ject
• Rhymes: -?kt

Adjective

abject (comparative abjecter, superlative abjectst)

1. reprehensible, despicable, abject

Inflection

Derived terms

• abjectheid

French

Etymology

From Latin abiectus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ab.??kt/

Adjective

abject (feminine singular abjecte, masculine plural abjects, feminine plural abjectes)

1. (literary) Worthy of utmost contempt or disgust; vile; despicable.
2. (literary, obsolete) Of the lowest social position.

Usage notes

• Abject lacks the idea of groveling, of moral degradation over time that is present in the English word.

Derived terms

• abjectement

Related terms

• abjection

Descendants

• Norwegian Bokmål: abjekt
• ? Romanian: abject

Further reading

• “abject” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Romanian

Etymology

From French abject, from Latin abiectus.

Adjective

abject m or n (feminine singular abject?, masculine plural abjec?i, feminine and neuter plural abjecte)

1. abject

Declension

English

Etymology

First attested in 1382, with the meaning "causing stillbirth or miscarriage". From Middle English, from Old French abortif, from Latin abort?vus (“causing abortion”), from aborior (“miscarry, disappear”), from ab (“amiss”) + orior (“appear, be born, arise”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /??b??.t?v/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??b??.t?v/

Adjective

abortive (comparative more abortive, superlative most abortive)

1. (obsolete) Produced by abortion; born prematurely and therefore unnatural. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the mid 18^th century.]
   • 1592, William Shakespeare, Richard III, Act I, sc. 3:

     Thou elvish-marked, abortive, rooting hog!

2. Coming to nothing; failing in its effect[First attested in the late 16^th century.].

   Synonyms: miscarrying, fruitless, unsuccessful

   • 1851, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of Seven Gables, Chapter 7:

     He made a salutation, or, to speak nearer the truth, an ill-defined, abortive attempt at curtsy.
3. (biology) Imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile. [First attested in the mid 18^th century.]

4. (pharmacology, medicine, rare, attributive) Causing abortion; abortifacient
   • (Can we find and add a quotation of Parr to this entry?)
5. (medicine) Cutting short; acting to halt or slow the progress (of a disease).

6. Made from the skin of a still-born animal.

Derived terms

• abortiveness

Translations

Noun

abortive (plural abortives)

1. (obsolete) Someone or something born or brought forth prematurely; an abortion. [Attested from around (1150 to 1350) until the mid 18^th century.]
2. (obsolete) A fruitless effort. [Attested from the early 17^th century until the early 18^th century.]
3. (obsolete) A medicine to which is attributed the property of causing abortion, abortifacient.

Translations

Verb

abortive (third-person singular simple present abortives, present participle abortiving, simple past and past participle abortived)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To cause an abortion; to render without fruit. [Attested only in the 17^th century.]

References

• abortive in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

French

Adjective

abortive

1. feminine singular of abortif

German

Adjective

abortive

1. inflection of abortiv:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

Adjective

abortive

1. feminine plural of abortivo

Anagrams

• breviato

Latin

Adjective

abort?ve

1. vocative masculine singular of abort?vus

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ab???i???/, /ab???ti???/
• Rhymes: -i???
• Hyphenation: ab?or?ti?ve
• Homophone: abortivet

Adjective

abortive

1. definite singular of abortiv
2. plural of abortiv