ABORTIVE

abortive, stillborn, unsuccessful

(adjective) failing to accomplish an intended result; “an abortive revolt”; “a stillborn plot to assassinate the President”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Adjective

abortive (comparative more abortive, superlative most abortive)

(obsolete) Produced by abortion; born prematurely and therefore unnatural. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the mid 18^th century.]

Coming to nothing; failing in its effect; miscarrying; fruitless; unsuccessful. [First attested in the late 16^th century.]

(biology) Imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile. [First attested in the mid 18^th century.]

(pharmaceutical effect, medicine, rare, attributive) Causing abortion; abortifacient

(medicine) Cutting short; acting to halt or slow the progress (of a disease).

Made from the skin of a still-born animal.

Noun

abortive (plural abortives)

(obsolete) That which is born or brought forth prematurely; an abortion. [Attested from around (1150 to 1350) until the mid 18^th century.]

(obsolete) A fruitless effort or issue. [Attested from the early 17^th century until the early 18^th century.]

(obsolete) A medicine to which is attributed the property of causing abortion, abortifacient.

Verb

abortive (third-person singular simple present abortives, present participle abortiving, simple past and past participle abortived)

(transitive, obsolete) To cause an abortion; to render without fruit. [Attested only in the 17^th century.]

Source: Wiktionary

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A*bor"tive, a. Etym: [L. abortivus, fr. aboriri. See Abort, v.]

1. Produced by abortion; born prematurely; as, an abortive child. [R.]

2. Made from the skin of a still-born animal; as, abortive vellum. [Obs.]

3. Rendering fruitless or ineffectual. [Obs.] "Plunged in that abortive gulf." Milton.

4. Coming to naught; failing in its effect; miscarrying; fruitless; unsuccessful; as, an abortive attempt. "An abortive enterprise." Prescott.

5. (Biol.)

Definition: Imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile; as, an abortive organ, stamen, ovule, etc.

6. (Med.) (a) Causing abortion; as, abortive medicines. Parr. (b) Cutting short; as, abortive treatment of typhoid fever.

A*bor"tive, n.

1. That which is born or brought forth prematurely; an abortion. [Obs.] Shak.

2. A fruitless effort or issue. [Obs.]

3. A medicine to which is attributed the property of causing abortion. Dunglison.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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