ABORTION

abortion

(noun) termination of pregnancy

miscarriage, abortion

(noun) failure of a plan

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

abortion (countable and uncountable, plural abortions)

(medicine) The expulsion from the womb of a foetus or embryo before it is fully developed, with loss of the foetus; either naturally as a spontaneous abortion (now usually called a miscarriage), or deliberately as an induced abortion. [from 16th c.]

(now, rare) An aborted foetus; an abortus. [from 16th c.]

(figuratively) A misshapen person or thing; a monstrosity. [from 16th c.]

(figuratively) Failure or abandonment of a project, promise, goal etc. [from 17th c.]

(biology) Arrest of development of any organ, so that it remains an imperfect formation or is absorbed. [from 18th c.]

The cessation of an illness or disease at a very early stage.

Synonyms

• (induced abortion): aborticide, feticide, foeticide, termination (of pregnancy)

• (act of terminating pregnancy): aborticide, embryoctony, feticide, foeticide, termination (of pregnancy)

• (spontaneous abortion): miscarriage, misbirth

Anagrams

• boration, orbation, rainboot

Source: Wiktionary


A*bor"tion, n. Etym: [L. abortio, fr. aboriri. See Abort.]

1. The act of giving premature birth; particularly, the expulsion of the human fetus prematurely, or before it is capable of sustaining life; miscarriage.

Note: It is sometimes used for the offense of procuring a premature delivery, but strictly the early delivery is the abortion, "causing or procuring abortion" is the full name of the offense. Abbott.

2. The immature product of an untimely birth.

3. (Biol.)

Definition: Arrest of development of any organ, so that it remains an imperfect formation or is absorbed.

4. Any fruit or produce that does not come to maturity, or anything which in its progress, before it is matured or perfect; a complete failure; as, his attempt. proved an abortiori.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

23 February 2025

BARGAIN

(noun) an advantageous purchase; “she got a bargain at the auction”; “the stock was a real buy at that price”


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Coffee Trivia

Coffee starts as a yellow berry, changes into a red berry, and then is picked by hand to harvest. The red berry is de-shelled through a water soaking process and what’s left inside is the green coffee bean. This bean then dries in the sun for 3-5 days, where it is then packed and ready for sale.

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