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abandoned

 - 7 dictionary results

a⋅ban⋅doned

  [uh-ban-duhnd]
Use abandoned in a Sentence
–adjective
1. forsaken or deserted: an abandoned building; an abandoned kitten.
2. unrestrained or uncontrolled; uninhibited: She danced with abandoned enthusiasm.
3. utterly lacking in moral restraints; shameless; wicked: an abandoned and dissolute ruler.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME; see abandon 1 , -ed 2

Related forms:
a⋅ban⋅doned⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. discarded, rejected. 3. See immoral.

a⋅ban⋅don

1  [uh-ban-duhn]
–verb (used with object)
1. to leave completely and finally; forsake utterly; desert: to abandon one's farm; to abandon a child; to abandon a sinking ship.
2. to give up; discontinue; withdraw from: to abandon a research project; to abandon hopes for a stage career.
3. to give up the control of: to abandon a city to an enemy army.
4. to yield (oneself) without restraint or moderation; give (oneself) over to natural impulses, usually without self-control: to abandon oneself to grief.
5. Law. to cast away, leave, or desert, as property or a child.
6. Insurance. to relinquish (insured property) to the underwriter in case of partial loss, thus enabling the insured to claim a total loss.
7. Obsolete. to banish.
Origin:
1325–75; ME abando(u)nen < MF abandoner for OF (mettre) a bandon (put) under (someone's) jurisdiction, equiv. to a at, to (< L ad; see ad- ) + bandon < Gmc *band; see bond 1

Related forms:
a⋅ban⋅don⋅a⋅ble, adjective
a⋅ban⋅don⋅er, noun
a⋅ban⋅don⋅ment, noun

Synonyms:
1. See desert 2 . 2. Abandon, relinquish, renounce mean to give up all concern in something. Abandon means to give up or discontinue any further interest in something because of discouragement, weariness, distaste, or the like: to abandon one's efforts. Relinquish implies being or feeling compelled to give up something one would prefer to keep: to relinquish a long-cherished desire. Renounce implies making (and perhaps formally stating) a voluntary decision to give something up: to renounce worldly pleasures. 3. yield, surrender, resign, waive, abdicate.

Antonyms:
1. keep. 2. continue; begin, start. 3. retain.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To abandoned
a·ban·don   (ə-bān'dən)   
tr.v.   a·ban·doned, a·ban·don·ing, a·ban·dons

  1. To withdraw one's support or help from, especially in spite of duty, allegiance, or responsibility; desert: abandon a friend in trouble.

  2. To give up by leaving or ceasing to operate or inhabit, especially as a result of danger or other impending threat: abandoned the ship.

  3. To surrender one's claim to, right to, or interest in; give up entirely. See Synonyms at relinquish.

  4. To cease trying to continue; desist from: abandoned the search for the missing hiker.

  5. To yield (oneself) completely, as to emotion.

n.  

  1. Unbounded enthusiasm; exuberance.

  2. A complete surrender of inhibitions.


[Middle English abandounen, from Old French abandoner, from a bandon : a, at (from Latin ad; see ad-) + bandon, control; see bhā-2 in Indo-European roots.]
a·ban'don·er n., a·ban'don·ment n.
a·ban·doned   (ə-bān'dənd)   
adj.  

  1. Deserted; forsaken.

  2. Exuberantly enthusiastic.

  3. Recklessly unrestrained.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

abandon 
1375, "to subjugate, subdue," from O.Fr. abandoner "surrender," from à "at, to" + bandon "power, jurisdiction," in phrase mettre à bandon "to give up to a public ban," from L. bannum, "proclamation," from a Frankish word related to ban (v.). Etymologically, the word carries a sense of "put someone under someone else's control." Meaning "to give up absolutely" is from 1386. The noun sense of "letting loose, surrender to natural impulses" (1822) is from Fr. abandon.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

abandon

To elect not to exercise an option.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: aban·don
Function: transitive verb
1 : to give up with the intent of never again asserting or claiming an interest in (a right or property)
2 : to disassociate oneself from or forsake in spite of a duty or responsibility to <abandon one's child>
3 : to renounce one's obligations and rights under <abandon a contract>
4 : to fail purposely to bring to completion or fruition <abandon a crime> <abandon a lawsuit>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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