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Abate   /əbˈeɪt/   Listen
verb
Abate  v. t.  (past & past part. abated, pres. part. abating)  
1.
To beat down; to overthrow. (Obs.) "The King of Scots... sore abated the walls."
2.
To bring down or reduce from a higher to a lower state, number, or degree; to lessen; to diminish; to contract; to moderate; to cut short; as, to abate a demand; to abate pride, zeal, hope. "His eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated."
3.
To deduct; to omit; as, to abate something from a price. "Nine thousand parishes, abating the odd hundreds."
4.
To blunt. (Obs.) "To abate the edge of envy."
5.
To reduce in estimation; to deprive. (Obs.) "She hath abated me of half my train."
6.
(Law)
(a)
To bring entirely down or put an end to; to do away with; as, to abate a nuisance, to abate a writ.
(b)
(Eng. Law) To diminish; to reduce. Legacies are liable to be abated entirely or in proportion, upon a deficiency of assets.
To abate a tax, to remit it either wholly or in part.



Abate  v. i.  
1.
To decrease, or become less in strength or violence; as, pain abates, a storm abates. "The fury of Glengarry... rapidly abated."
2.
To be defeated, or come to naught; to fall through; to fail; as, a writ abates.
To abate into a freehold, To abate in lands (Law), to enter into a freehold after the death of the last possessor, and before the heir takes possession. See Abatement, 4.
Synonyms: To subside; decrease; intermit; decline; diminish; lessen. To Abate, Subside. These words, as here compared, imply a coming down from some previously raised or excited state. Abate expresses this in respect to degrees, and implies a diminution of force or of intensity; as, the storm abates, the cold abates, the force of the wind abates; or, the wind abates, a fever abates. Subside (to settle down) has reference to a previous state of agitation or commotion; as, the waves subside after a storm, the wind subsides into a calm. When the words are used figuratively, the same distinction should be observed. If we conceive of a thing as having different degrees of intensity or strength, the word to be used is abate. Thus we say, a man's anger abates, the ardor of one's love abates, "Winter's rage abates". But if the image be that of a sinking down into quiet from preceding excitement or commotion, the word to be used is subside; as, the tumult of the people subsides, the public mind subsided into a calm. The same is the case with those emotions which are tumultuous in their nature; as, his passion subsides, his joy quickly subsided, his grief subsided into a pleasing melancholy. Yet if, in such cases, we were thinking of the degree of violence of the emotion, we might use abate; as, his joy will abate in the progress of time; and so in other instances.



noun
Abate  n.  Abatement. (Obs.)






Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48








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"Abate" Quotes from Famous Books



... be to get a text. There are several modern texts published in Italy; but none of them are very correct. Giuliani's is an attractive little book; but the Abate was a somewhat reckless emendator, and some of his readings are very untrustworthy. The little pocket edition published by Barbera contains Fraticelli's text, which suffers rather from lack of correction. Messrs. Longmans publish one based on Witte, ...
— Dante: His Times and His Work • Arthur John Butler

... their leader, the seamen continued to clamour; but even though the sea began to go down and the wind to abate, and the ships were able to get nearer each other, the crews with loud cries insisted that they should seek for some harbour where they might ...
— Notable Voyagers - From Columbus to Nordenskiold • W.H.G. Kingston and Henry Frith

... institution of slavery is founded on both injustice and bad policy, but that the promulgation of abolition doctrines tends rather to increase than abate ...
— The Papers And Writings Of Abraham Lincoln, Complete - Constitutional Edition • Abraham Lincoln

... John, to abate your voice somewhat, for indeed this matter is for our private discourse, since it touches ...
— Sir Nigel • Arthur Conan Doyle

... will begin to think my epistolary offerings (to whatever altar you please to devote them) rather prodigal. But until you answer, I shall not abate, because you deserve no better. I know you are well, because I hear of your voyaging to London and the environs, which I rejoice to learn, because your note alarmed me by the purgation and phlebotomy ...
— Life of Lord Byron, Vol. III - With His Letters and Journals • Thomas Moore


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