Where does “abet” come from?
Abet comes from Middle English abetten, from Old French abeter, combining Old French a- (from Latin ad-) with a root from Proto-Indo-European bʰeyd-, meaning to urge or incite.
abet (English): To urge on, stimulate something desirable; To...
Definitions
- To urge on, stimulate something desirable; To...
Ancestry of “abet”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | abetten | — |
| 2 | Old French | abeter | to entice |
| 3 | Old French | beter | to bait |
| 4 | Old Norse | beita | to graze; to allow, let, make bite; to steer or... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | baitō | That which is or can be bitten; food; bait |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeyd- | to split |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰey- | bee |
Words derived from “abet”