Added 10 October 2026
abort
/əˈbɔːt/ noun
In Latin: aborior Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about abort at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
An early termination of a mission, action, or procedure in relation to missiles or spacecraft; the craft making such a mission.
We've had aborts on three of our last seven launches.
- The function used to abort a process.
-
An event in which a process is aborted.
We've had three aborts over the last two days.
verb
- To miscarry; to bring forth (non-living) offspring prematurely.
- To cause a premature termination of (a fetus); to end a pregnancy before term.
- To end prematurely; to stop in the preliminary stages; to turn back.
Origin
From Middle English, from Latin abortus, perfect active participle of aborior (“miscarry”), formed from ab + orior (“to come into being”). Doublet of abortus.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)