English Words: Their Origins and Historical Evolutions +

1. To assist, encourage, instigate, or support with criminal intent in attempting or carrying out a crime; often used in the phrase "aid and abet".
2. To encourage, incite, or set another person on to commit a crime: "He abetted the thief in robbing the bank."
3. Etymology: from about 1374 (implied in abetting), from Old French abeter, "to bait, to harass with dogs"; litterally, "to cause to bite" from ŕ, "to" + beter "to bait", from a Germanic source, perhaps Low Franconian betan, "incite" or Old Norse beita, "cause to bite".

Legally, abet is usually applied to aiding in the commission of a crime. In relation to the charge of "aiding and abetting", the term includes knowledge of the perpetrator's wrongful purpose, and encouragement, promotion or counsel of another person in the commission of the criminal offense.

An abettor is legally considered to be an instigator, or "setter on"; someone who promotes or procures a crime to be committed.

Historical background

From the ancient sport of bear baiting, the English language has taken a violent word and applied it to men rather than to animals. Abet goes far back to an old Teutonic origin that conjures up a picture of hardy men going to the chase with their packs of hunting dogs.

Our English verb bite appeared long ago in a Low German derivative betan, meaning "to cause to bite", "to make bite"; as, to make dogs bite the bear, and so to send them out to hunt the bear.

Icelandic beita meant "to feed", "make bite", and also "to hunt" with dogs. The French adopted both the sport and the Teutonic name for it, making the Old French verb beter, meaning "to bait" a bear, and abeter, "to excite", "incite", which we have taken into English as abet.

No longer applied to the hunt, it now means to encourage or incite people, usually in an evil enterprise. So, although we now use abet with reference to people; chiefly of those who encourage others in wrongful deeds, the word traces back to an Old Norse command to dogs to attack, equivalent, perhaps, to the modern order for a dog to "Sic 'em!"

1. The condition of being temporarily set aside; suspension: "The president held the plan in abeyance."
2. A condition in which legal ownership of an estate has not been established.

Origins and development

Something "held in abeyance" may cause some anxiety or impatience, but it haradly suggests "open-mouthed expectancy". Yet, that was originally the literal meaning of the word abeyance.

It comes from the Late Latin badare, "to gape". The word passed into the Old French form baer, beer, "to gape", "to look with open mouth", "to expect". From this was derived the Old French abeance, literally, "a gaping at", but used metaphorically to express "expectation" or "longing".

This is the English abeyance a legal term used regarding rights which were suspended, "held in abeyance", awaiting a proper claimant. Its meaning, however, has broadened in general use to denote any kind of suspension or temporary suppression.

Additional word information

When anything is in abeyance now we mean that it is in a state of inaction, that the matter, whatever it was, is dormant, although some action is expected to occur eventually. It was that expectancy that gave us the word, because it came as a law term, from the Norman Conquest, from the Old French abeance "a state of expectancy".

The term referred especially to the condition of a property or title while, after the death of the former possessor, often by foul means in those days, his successor could be determined from among various claimants.

The Old French word was derived from the verb beer (modern bayer), "to gape, to expect", perhaps because of the gaping expectancy with which the settlement of an estate was awaited either by the rightful heir or by a hopeful usurper, none too certain that his claim would pass scrutiny.

To help, to assist, or to facilitate the commission of a crime and to promote the accomplishment thereof; and to help in advancing or bringing it about, or to encourage, to counsel, or to incite as to its commission.

Legally, it includes all assistance rendered by words, acts, encouragement, support, or presence, actual or constructive, and to render assistance, if necessary.

1. A device for giving a warning of danger.
2. A security device fitted to property; especially, a house or car, to make a warning sound if a break-in or theft is attempted.
3. A reference to an "alarm clock" or "alarm watch".
4. Fear caused by the perception of imminent danger.

Historical Development

From the old French summons to battle a l'arme!, "to arms!" it seems a far cry to the modern alarm clock; yet, that is actually the scope of the word's development.

A l'arme! was first the call itself and then, in the form alarme, it became the name of this sudden summons.

The English alarm, which comes from this origin, first had the same meaning, but gradually broadened to indicate a warning signal of any kind of danger, and then the apparatus for giving this signal; such as, a fire bell.

It is interesting to also note that alarm has developed an additional meaning: the fear which results from a warning of danger.

1. In a murderous frenzy as if possessed by a demon.
2. In a murderous frenzy.
3. Wildly; without self-control.
4. In a frenzy of violence, or on a killing spree; berserk.
5. In or into a confused or disorganized state or condition; out of control, especially when armed and dangerous.
6. In or into a jumbled or confused state or situation: "No matter how many experts we consulted, all of our travel plans went amuck!"
7. Etymology: from Malay amuk, "attacking furiously". Earlier the word was used as a noun or adjective meaning "a frenzied Malay"; originally from a Portuguese form amouco or amuco.

Today anyone who wantonly shoots people is said to have run amuck (run amuck is the usual phrase to use); and so it denotes mental derangement, a madness to do violence or to kill indiscriminately.

1. The act of parachuting from an aircraft; especially, to escape a crash, a fire, etc.
2. An instance of coming to the rescue; particularly, financially: "The auto industries are looking to the government for a financial bailout."
3. The process of making it possible for someone to leave jail by paying bail: "She bailed him out of jail."
4. A reference to helping someone solve a problem or to leave a difficult situation: "They always seem to be bailing their son out of trouble."
5. The action of helping a business, an organization, etc. by giving or lending them money: "The U.S. federal government is involved in loaning money to bailout struggling financial, manufacturing organizations, and even state governments."

1. The mental act, condition, or habit of placing trust or confidence in another person: "My belief in her trust is as strong as ever."
2. Mental acceptance of and conviction in the truth, actuality, or validity of something.
3. Something believed or accepted as true; especially, a particular tenet or a body of tenets or teachings that are accepted by a group of people.
4. A statement, principle, or doctrine that a person or group accepts as true; such as, religious beliefs.
5. Etymology: before 1400 belyefe, before 1225, it was bileve and probably before 1200, it is assumed to have been bileave.

The Old English geleafa is descended from the same language or form of Old Saxon gilobo, "belief", Old High German giloubo (modern German Glaube), and Gothic galaubeins, "belief" and galaubjan, "to believe".

1. To have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so.
2. To have confidence or faith in the truth of (a positive assertion, story, etc.); to give credence to.
3. To have confidence in the assertions or statements of (a person).
4. To have a conviction that (a person or thing) is, has been, or will be engaged in a given action or involved in a given situation.
5. To be persuaded of the truth or existence of something.
6. To have faith in the reliability, honesty, benevolence, etc., of someone or something.

See belief for etymological information.

1. Someone who believes; one who is persuaded of the truth or reality of some doctrine, person, or thing: "She's a strong believer in continuing one's education even into later years."
2. A person who gives credit to the truth of the Scriptures, as a revelation from God; a Christian; in a more restricted sense, someone who receives Christ as his/her Savior, and accepts the way of salvation unfolded in the gospel.
3. To accept as true or real: "Are you actually a believer in the story that was written in the news today?"
4. To credit with veracity or truth: "I was doubtful that she could run her own company, but she has made a believer out of me."
5. To expect or to suppose; to think: "She's a believer that they will really arrive today."

A poorly done dive in which the front of the body lands flat on the surface of the water: "She did a belly flop into the swimming pool; while her brother belly flopped into the pool right after her painful performance."

1. To put food in boiling water for a few seconds in order to loosen the skin or to scald food briefly, as before freezing it or as a preliminary stage in preparing a dish for eating.
2. To suddenly become pale or to turn white: "His face blanched at the mention of her name." or "Their faces blanched in terror."
3. To grow vegetables, especially celery and endive, in dark conditions in order to whiten the stems and to improve their flavor.
4. Etymology: from about 1398, which came from Old French blanchir, "to whiten"; from blanc, "white". Originally "to remove the hull of (almonds, etc.) by soaking". The sense of "to turn white" is from about 1768.

1. As a verb, to make a serious, or embarrassing, mistake as a result of carelessness or ignorance; and as a noun, it means, a serious or embarrassing mistake resulting from carelessness or ignorance.
2. To stumble or to move clumsily.
3. To act or to speak in a manner that is clumsy, ignorant, or thoughtless.
4. Etymology: from as far back as 1340, which came from Old Norse (Norwegian language as written and spoken from 100 to 1500) blundra, "to shut one's eyes"; while the oldest English sense was "to stumble around blindly". The meaning of "make a stupid mistake" is first recorded in about 1711.

1. In the publishing trade, a blurb is a testimonial to the book that is printed on the dust jacket.

It is meant as an advertisement for the book.

Blurb was coined by the American humorist Gelett Burgess in 1907. According to his publisher, B.W. Huebsch, Burgess's book, Are You a Bromide?, was published and was selling well.

From Burgess's Burgess Unabridged, 1914:

Blurb

1. A flamboyant advertisement; an inspired testimonial.
2. Fulsome praise; a sound like a publisher ... On the "jacket" of the "latest" fiction, we find the blurb; abounding in agile adjectives and adverbs, attesting that this book is the "sensation of the year."

2. A brief advertisement or announcement; especially, a laudatory one.
3. To write a description of praise in a blurb.

1. A built-in platform bed, as on a ship.
2. Informal: any bed.
3. A cabin used for sleeping quarters; such as, in a summer camp bunkhouse.
4. A trough for feeding cattle.
5. Etymology:

1. bunk, probably a shortened form of bunker, Scotish for "a seat, a bench" of uncertain origin, possibly from a Scandinavian source.
2. bunk, short for bunkum, a phonetic spelling of Buncombe, a county in North Carolina.

   During the protracted Missouri statehood debates, on February 25, 1820, N.C. Representative Felix Walker began what promised to be a "long, dull, irrelevant speech," and he resisted calls to cut it short by saying he was bound to say something that could appear in the newspapers in the home district and prove he was on the job. "I shall not be speaking to the House," he confessed, "but to Buncombe." Bunkum has been American English slang for "nonsense" since 1847.

1. An underground shelter, especially one built for troops, with a fortified gun position above ground.
2. A sand-filled hollow on a golf course, built as a hazard.
3. A fuel-storage container on a ship.
4. A large outdoor bin or chest.
5. Etymology: from Scottish, "seat, bench", possibly a variant of banker, "bench" (1677).