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abolish

Etymology and origin of the English word abolish

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /əˈbɒl.ɪʃ/; /əˈbɑl.ɪʃ/, /əˈbɑl.əʃ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English abolisshen, borrowed from Middle French abolir (stem aboliss-),[2][3][4][5][6] from Latin abolēre (“to destroy, efface; cause to die out”).[2][3][4][5][6] The Latin verb is perhaps formed from ab- “off, away” as an opposite of adolēre, related to adolēscere “to grow up”,[3][4][5] though it may instead be connected with Greek óllumi “I destroy”.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

To put an end to, do away with, annul (1459 in Barnhart; 1490 in the OED).[3][7]

Semantic evolution

In early use the word could apply to persons and physical things, meaning “to destroy, annihilate”, but this application has long been obsolete.[7][4] It is now used of institutions, laws, customs and practices, especially those long established.[4][2] The noun abolition and abolitionist, the latter coined around 1800 in the campaign against the slave trade, came to refer especially to the ending of slavery.[4]

Timeline

  • 1459 – to do away with (Barnhart).[3]
  • 1490 – the OED's first quotation.[7]
  • c. 1800 – abolitionist.[4]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To do away with; to put an end to or annul (a law, institution or practice), as in abolish slavery.
  2. (archaic) To destroy completely.

Word family

  • abolishable
  • abolisher
  • abolishment
  • abolition
  • abolitionist
  • annul
  • eradicate
  • adolescent

Usage notes

The AHD notes that abolish applies only to conditions, practices or regulations, not to material things or persons, and contrasts it with exterminate, extinguish, extirpate, eradicate and obliterate.[2] Random House says abolish often implies a summary order, while stamp out implies forcible ending and eradicate leaving no trace.[6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Abolish.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/abolish. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·