abandonment
Use Abandonment in a sentence
dən 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.
Origin:
1325–75; Middle English abando(u)nen < Middle French abandoner for Old French (mettre) a bandon (put) under (someone's) jurisdiction, equivalent to a at, to (< Latin ad; see ad-) + bandon < Germanic *band; see bond1
1325–75; Middle English abando(u)nen < Middle French abandoner for Old French (mettre) a bandon (put) under (someone's) jurisdiction, equivalent to a at, to (< Latin ad; see ad-) + bandon < Germanic *band; see bond1
Related forms
a·ban·don·a·ble, adjective
a·ban·don·er, noun
a·ban·don·ment, noun
non·a·ban·don·ment, noun
un·a·ban·don·ing, adjective
Synonyms
1. See desert2. 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.
1. See desert2. 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.
1. keep. 2. continue; begin, start. 3. retain.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To abandonment
00:10
Abandonment
is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
abandon (əˈbændən) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to forsake completely; desert; leave behind: to abandon a baby; drivers had to abandon their cars |
| 2. | abandon ship the order given to the crew of a ship that is about to sink to take to the lifeboats |
| 3. | to give up completely: to abandon a habit; to abandon hope |
| 4. | to yield control of or concern in; relinquish: to abandon office |
| 5. | to give up (something begun) before completion: to abandon a job; the game was abandoned |
| 6. | to surrender (oneself) to emotion without restraint |
| 7. | to give (insured property that has suffered partial loss or damage) to the insurers in order that a claim for a total loss may be made |
| —n | |
| 8. | freedom from inhibitions, restraint, concern, or worry: she danced with abandon |
| [C14: abandounen (vb), from Old French, from a bandon under one's control, in one's power, from a at, to + bandon control, power] | |
| a'bandonment | |
| —n | |
| abandon (əˈbændən) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to forsake completely; desert; leave behind: to abandon a baby; drivers had to abandon their cars |
| 2. | abandon ship the order given to the crew of a ship that is about to sink to take to the lifeboats |
| 3. | to give up completely: to abandon a habit; to abandon hope |
| 4. | to yield control of or concern in; relinquish: to abandon office |
| 5. | to give up (something begun) before completion: to abandon a job; the game was abandoned |
| 6. | to surrender (oneself) to emotion without restraint |
| 7. | to give (insured property that has suffered partial loss or damage) to the insurers in order that a claim for a total loss may be made |
| —n | |
| 8. | freedom from inhibitions, restraint, concern, or worry: she danced with abandon |
| [C14: abandounen (vb), from Old French, from a bandon under one's control, in one's power, from a at, to + bandon control, power] | |
| a'bandonment | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
abandon
late 14c., "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 late 14c. Related: Abandoned; abandoning. The noun sense of "letting loose, surrender to natural impulses" (1822) is from Fr. abandon.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
abandonment
in Anglo-American property law, the relinquishment of possession of property with an intent to terminate all ownership interests in that property. Abandonment may occur by throwing away the property, by losing it and making no attempt to retrieve it, by vacating the property with no intention of returning to it, or by any other act manifesting a complete disclaimer of ownership in the property. The general effect of abandonment is to give full ownership of the property to the first taker.
Learn more about abandonment with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
The abandonment event had the feel of a county fair.
The result was widespread failure and an abandonment of the genre in favour of reality television.
In this slow-moving river port, signs of abandonment are everywhere.
Still, adoption experts said there would seem to be a strong case for criminal or civil charges of abandonment or neglect.
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