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abruptly

[uh-bruhpt]

Example Sentences Origin

adjective

sudden or unexpected: an abrupt departure.

curt or brusque in speech, manner, etc.: an abrupt reply.

terminating or changing suddenly: an abrupt turn in a road.

having many sudden changes from one subject to another; lacking in continuity or smoothness: an abrupt writing style.

steep; precipitous: an abrupt descent.

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Botany. truncate (def. 4).

COLLAPSE

Origin:
1575–85; < Latin abruptus broken off (past participle of abrumpere), equivalent to ab- ab- + -rup- break + -tus past participle suffix

Related forms

ab·rupt·ly, adverb

ab·rupt·ness, noun

un·ab·rupt·ly, adverb

Synonyms
1, 3. quick, sharp. See sudden. 2. short, hurried, hasty, blunt. 4. discontinuous, broken, uneven.

Antonyms
1, 3. gradual. 2. deliberate; patient, courteous.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Abruptly is always a great word to know.

So is callithumpian. Does it mean:

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

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Example Sentences

Ten minutes later, the rain stops as abruptly as it began.

Then, abruptly, the spotlight dimmed.

And with the introduction of imminent tragedy, the plot abruptly crashes.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

abrupt (əˈbrʌpt)

—*adj*
1.	sudden; unexpected
2.	brusque or brief in speech, manner, etc; curt
3.	(of a style of writing or speaking) making sharp transitions from one subject to another; disconnected
4.	precipitous; steep
5.	botany shaped as though a part has been cut off; truncate
6.	geology (of strata) cropping out suddenly

[C16: from Latin abruptus broken off, from ab-¹ + rumpere to break]

ab'ruptly

—*adv*

ab'ruptness

—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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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

abrupt

1580s, from L. abruptus "broken off, precipitous, disconnected," pp. of abrumpere "break off," from ab- "off" + rumpere "break" (see rupture). Related: Abruptly.

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"This way could not serve to reach the peak, so Martin began to climb straight up the face of the rocks. Occasionally some root or moss patch at which he clutched detached itself from the stone, and feverishly he would seek a support with his foot, or else it was his foothold that gave, and he would be left hanging by his hands and have to pull himself painfully up. The peak was almost within reach when he suddenly slipped and started to slither down, clutching at shrublets of rough flowers; he lost his grip, felt a burning pain as his knee scraped against the rock, attempted to embrace the steepness that was gliding up and past him—and abruptly salvation bumped against his soles."

-Vladimir Nabokov

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