ab

/æb/

noun

  1. Abdominal muscle.

noun

  1. An abscess caused by injecting an illegal drug, usually heroin.

verb

  1. To abseil.

verb

  1. (now rare outside medicine) To miscarry; to bring forth (non-living) offspring prematurely.

  2. To cause a premature termination of (a fetus); to end a pregnancy before term.

  3. To end prematurely; to stop in the preliminary stages; to turn back.

  4. To stop or fail at something in the preliminary stages.

  5. To become checked in normal development, so as either to remain rudimentary or shrink away wholly; to cease organic growth before maturation; to become sterile.

  6. To cause an organism to develop minimally; to cause rudimentary development to happen; to prevent maturation.

  7. To abandon a mission at any point after the beginning of the mission and prior to its completion.

  8. To terminate a mission involving a missile or rocket; to destroy a missile or rocket prematurely.

  9. To terminate a process prior to completion.

noun

  1. The expulsion from the womb of a foetus or embryo before it is fully developed, with loss of the foetus; either naturally as a spontaneous abortion (now usually called a miscarriage), or deliberately as an induced abortion.

  2. An aborted foetus; an abortus.

  3. A misshapen person or thing; a monstrosity.

  4. Failure or abandonment of a project, promise, goal etc.

  5. Arrest of development of any organ, so that it remains an imperfect formation or is absorbed.

  6. The cessation of an illness or disease at a very early stage.

Synonyms: aborticide, embryoctony, feticide, foeticide, pregnancy, termination, aborticide, feticide, foeticide, pregnancy, termination, misbirth, miscarriage

adverb

  1. On all sides; around.

    "I looked about at the scenery that surrounded me."

  2. Here and there; around; in one place and another; up and down.

    "Bits of old machinery were lying about."

  3. From one place or position to another in succession; indicating repeated movement or activity.

    "walking about;  rushing about;  jumping about;  thrashing about"

  4. Indicating unproductive or unstructured activity.

    "messing about;  fooling about;  loafing about"

  5. Nearly; approximately; with close correspondence in quality, manner, degree, quantity, or time; almost.

    "Dinner's about ready."

  6. Near; in the vicinity.

  7. To a reversed order; half round; facing in the opposite direction; from a contrary point of view.

    "to face about;  to turn oneself about"

  8. In succession; one after another; in the course of events.

  9. In circuit; circularly; by a circuitous way; around the outside; in circumference.

    "a mile about, and a third of a mile across"

Synonyms: around

preposition

  1. In a circle around; all round; on every side of; on the outside of.

    "The snake was coiled about his ankle."

  2. Over or upon different parts of; through or over in various directions; here and there in; to and fro in; throughout.

    "He was well known about town."

  3. Indicates that something will happen very soon; indicates a plan or intention to do something.

  4. Concerning; with regard to; on account of; on the subject of; to affect.

    "He talked a lot about his childhood."

  5. Concerned with; engaged in; intent on.

    "to be about one's business"

  6. Within or in the immediate neighborhood of; in contiguity or proximity to; near, as to place.

    "I can't find my reading glasses, but they must be somewhere about the house."

  7. On one's person; nearby the person.

    "I had no weapon about me but a stick."

  8. In or near, as in mental faculties or in the possession of; under the control of; at one's command; in one's makeup.

    "He has his wits about him."

Synonyms: apropos, as for

noun

  1. The early stages of; the beginning process; the start.