definition abatement
An abatement is a deduction, or lessening. If you start bluntly telling people what you think of them, you might see an abatement in their friendliness toward you. Abatement comes from the French word for batter, but abatement doesnât usually have a negative senseââabatement reduces something, but doesnât beat it to a pulp. Many cities offer tax abatements to reward businesses starting up in areas they want to develop.