Word: abate Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English abaten, from Anglo-Norman abatre, from Late Latin abbattere, from Latin battere. detailed etymology, sense derivation, and cognates The verb is derived from Middle English abaten (“to demolish, knock down; to defeat, strike down; to strike or take down (a sail); to throw down; to bow dejectedly or submissively; to be dejected; to stop; to defeat, humiliate; to repeal (a law); to dismiss or quash (a lawsuit); to lessen, reduce; to injure, impair; to appease; to decline, grow less; to deduct, subtract; to make one’s way; attack (an enemy); (law) to enter or intrude upon (someone’s property); of a hawk: to beat or flap the wings”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman abater, abatier, abatre, abbatre, Middle French abattre, abatre, abattre, Old French abatre, abattre (“to demolish, knock down; to bring down, cut down; to lessen, reduce; to suppress; to stop; to discourage; to impoverish, ruin; to conquer; to overthrow; to kill; to remove (money) from circulation; (law) to annul”), from Late Latin abbattere (“to bring down, take down; to suppress; to debase (currency)”), from Latin ab- (prefix meaning ‘away; from; away from’) + Latin battere, from older battuere (“to beat, hit; to beat up; to fight”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰ- (“to dig; to stab”)). The noun is derived from the verb. Pronunciation: /əˈbeɪt/, /əˈbeət/ 1. To lessen (something) in force or intensity; to moderate. Labels: transitive Example: [Jupiter] whiche by his goodnes as Marcianus ſaieth, abateth the malice of Saturne. Therfore the Poets faine, that he did put his father out of his kingdome, Iſidore writeth as he abateth the malice of the euill Planets, […] Example: Abate thy rage ſweete knight, Abate thy rage. 2. To reduce (something) in amount or size. Labels: transitive Example: Thou haſt dominion ouer their power, and when they be exalted & ſet aloft in their waies, thou abateſt their courage, and deſtroyeſt them with thy mighty arme. Example: And receive into thy heart the instructions that I shall give thee now, and see that thou swerve not from them, nor abatest them a jot; for if thou observest them not, or departest in aught from them, thou wilt bring damnation upon thy soul; […] 3. To reduce (something) in amount or size. Labels: transitive 4. To lower (something) in price or value. Labels: transitive Example: Few words drive a bargain with Peter Eskett. I never abate one farthing of my price; but then that price never asks more than a fair profit. 5. To demolish or level to the ground (a building or other structure). Labels: archaic, transitive Example: […] the kyng of Scottes […] with all hys hoſte and power entered into Englande (and threw doune pyles) the .xxij. daye of August, and planted hys ſiege before the Caſtell of Norham, and ſore abated the walles. 6. To give no consideration to (something); to treat as an exception. Labels: archaic, transitive Example: Abate throw at Nouum, and the whole world againe, Cannot picke out fiue ſuch, take each one in his vaine. Example: Sir, he was not Scotch; and, abating his brutality, he was a very good maſter. 7. To dull (an edge, point, etc.); to blunt. Labels: archaic, figuratively, transitive Example: Abate the edge of traitors gracious Lord, That vvould reduce theſe bloudy daies againe, And make poore England vveepe in ſtreames of bloud, […] Example: Wherefore you ſhall obſerue that the more deepe, and ſober ſort of Politique perſons, in their Greatneſſe, are euer bemoaning themſelues, what a Life they lead; Chanting a Quanta patimur. Not that they feele it ſo, but onely to abate the Edge of Enuy. 8. To make (a writ or other legal document) void; to nullify. Labels: transitive Example: to abate a writ 9. To put an end to (a nuisance). Labels: transitive Example: She was ordered by the court to abate the nuisance. Example: […] the law allows an extrajudicial remedy, yet that does not exclude the ordinary courſe of juſtice: […] I may either abate a nuſance by my own authority, or call upon the law to do it for me: […] 10. To dismiss or otherwise bring to an end (legal proceedings) before they are completed, especially on procedural grounds rather than on the merits. Labels: US, transitive 11. To curtail or end (something); to cause to cease. Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: to order restrictions to abate an emergency 12. To give (someone) a discount or rebate; also, to relieve (someone) of a debt. Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: […] when I talk'd of a lodging I had heard of, nearer my business, for two shillings a week, which, intent as I now was on saving money, made some difference, she bid me not think of it, for she would abate me two shillings a week for the future; so I remained with her at one shilling and sixpence as long as I staid in London. 13. To bring down (someone) mentally or physically; to lower (someone) in status. Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: He is honoured amonge theym that be honoured, that fortune abateth without faute: and he is shamed amonge theym that be shamed, that fortune inhanceth without merite. Example: Rules and axioms for preserving of a Kingdom.[…]If any great person to be abated, not to deal with him by calumniation or forged matter[…] 14. Chiefly followed by from, of, etc.: to omit or remove (a part from a whole); to deduct, to subtract. Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: We will abate this price from the total. Example: Peter-pence succeeded; granted by Ina, king of the West Saxons, to pope Gregory II. anno 626. It was a penny paid for every chimney that smoked in England, which in that hospitable age had few smokeless ones; […] Now, though none can tell what these amounted to, yet conjecture may be made, by descending to such proportions, which no rational man will deny. Allowing nine thousand parishes (abating the odd hundreds) in England and Wales, a hundred houses in every parish, two chimneys in every house, one with another, it ariseth unto a yearly sum of seven thousand five hundred pounds. 15. Chiefly followed by of: to deprive (someone or something of another thing). Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: She hath abated me of halfe my traine, Lookt blacke vpon me, ſtrooke mee with her tongue Moſt Serpent-like vpon the very heart, […] Example: But O Saint! be not thou an Epicure! If delight draw thy heart, thou loſeſt ſo much in delectation, as Religion; and abateſt thy Soul ſo much of Solace, as God of Service! 16. To decrease in force or intensity; to subside. Labels: intransitive Example: […] Plini writeth, that the crueltie of the Ramme abateth, if he bee perced in the horne neare vnto the eare. For the chiefeſt parte of his ſtrength, is in his hedd, where he is well armed to fighte. Example: [folio 8, verso] For Winters wrath beginnes to quell, And pleaſant ſpryng appeareth. […] [folio 10, recto] Gloss. […] To quell) to abate. 17. To decrease in amount or size. Labels: intransitive Example: And the waters returned from aboue the earth, going and returning: and after the end of the hundreth and fiftieth day the waters abated. Example: […] the same greatness of wealth is for the most part not collected and obtained without sucking it from many, according to the received similitude of the spleen, which never swelleth but when the rest of the body pineth and abateth. 18. To lower in price or value; (law) specifically, of a bequest in a will: to lower in value because the testator's estate is insufficient to satisfy all the bequests in full. Labels: intransitive Example: Bequests and legacies are liable to be abated entirely or in proportion, upon a deficiency of assets. Example: And in the caſe of a deficiency of aſſets, all the general legacies muſt abate proportionably, in order to pay the debts; but a ſpecific legacy (of a piece of plate, a horſe, or the like) is not to abate at all, or allow any thing by way of abatement, unleſs there be not ſufficient without it. 19. Of an edge, point, etc.: to become blunt or dull. Labels: archaic, figuratively, intransitive Example: The third ſhild yelow, ſignifying the Barriers, and he that toucheth that ſhilde ſhalbee anſwered twelve ſtrokes at the Barriers, wyth the ſworde, edge and poynt abated. 20. Of a writ or other legal document: to become null and void; to cease to have effect. Labels: historical, intransitive Example: The writ has abated. Example: But where the Writ abateth for default of the Clerk, as where it abateth for falſe Latin, or variance, or want of form, there the defendant ſhall have the benefit of a new Writ by Journeys Accompts, becauſe it was the fault of the Clerk of the Chancery, and not the fault of the defendant himſelf, […] 21. Of legal proceedings: to be dismissed or otherwise brought to an end before they are completed, especially on procedural grounds rather than on the merits. Labels: US, intransitive Example: […] in actions ariſing ex contractu, by breach of promiſe and the like, where the right deſcends to the repreſentatives of the plaintiff, and thoſe of the defendant have aſſets to anſwer the demand, though the ſuits ſhall abate by the death of the parties, yet they may be revived againſt or by the executors: being indeed rather actions againſt the property than the perſon, in which the executors now have the ſame intereſt that their teſtator had before. 22. To give a discount or rebate; to discount, to rebate. Labels: intransitive, obsolete 23. To bow down; hence, to be abased or humbled. Labels: intransitive, obsolete 24. Chiefly followed by of: to deduct or subtract from. Labels: intransitive, obsolete Example: So toilsome was the road to trace, The guide, abating of his pace, Led slowly through the pass's jaws, […] Example: So then, weighing all things well, and myself severely, I resolved to follow my Mentor's wise counsel; neither arrogating aught, nor abating of just dues; but circulating freely, sociably, and frankly, among the gods, heroes, high-priests, kings, and gentlemen, that made up the principalities of Mardi.