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
- To touch by means of a mutual border, edge or...
Ancestry of “abut”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | abutten | — |
| 2 | Old French | aboter | to touch at one end, border on |
| 3 | Old French | but | aim, goal, end, target; end, aim, purpose |
| 4 | Old French | butte | but, mark; mound, knoll, target |
| 5 | Frankish | but | stump, log |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *butą | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰewd- | to hit, strike; to beat, push; to strike, push,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰew- | to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to... |