abolish

Where does the word "abolish" come from? It comes from Latin abolere, passing through Old French before entering English (1400s).

Abolish’s story begins in Latin: abolere meant “to destroy, retire.” Possibly from 'ab-' plus 'olere', to grow. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as abolir. Its stem 'aboliss-' gave the English form. It reached English by 1400s as abolish. The abolition of slavery made the word central in the 1800s. Today, abolish means to formally end.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient abolere "to destroy, retire", possibly from 'ab-' plus 'olere', to grow.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval abolir "to abolish", its stem 'aboliss-' gave the English form.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1400s abolish "to do away with", the abolition of slavery made the word central in the 1800s.