Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “abut” come from?

Abut comes from Middle English abutten, from Old French aboter, combining the prefix a- (from Latin ad-, meaning "to") with a root from Proto-Indo-European bʰew-, meaning "to grow" or "to be."

abut (English): To touch by means of a mutual border, edge or...

Definitions

  1. To touch by means of a mutual border, edge or...

Ancestry of “abut”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishabutten—
2Old Frenchaboterto touch at one end, border on
3Old Frenchbutaim, goal, end, target; end, aim, purpose
4Old Frenchbuttebut, mark; mound, knoll, target
5Frankishbutstump, log
6Proto-Germanic*butą—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰewd-to hit, strike; to beat, push; to strike, push,...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰew-to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to...

Words derived from “abut”

  • abutting
  • abutter
  • abutteth
  • abuttal
  • nonabutting
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰew- →