abort /ə-börtˈ/ intransitive verb- To miscarry in birth
- (of a baby) to be lost in this way
- To fail before getting fully under way or reaching a viable stage of development
- To come to nothing
transitive verb- To cause to abort
- To check or call off (an attack, mission, etc) at an early stage
- To stop (eg the flight of a rocket) in emergency before completion of mission
- To abandon (a computer activity), usu because an error has been made or because there has been a program or system failure
noun An instance of abortion (esp of a rocket launch) ORIGIN: L aborīrī, abortus, from ab-1 (reversing the meaning), and orīrī to rise aborteeˈ noun A woman who has an abortion aborticide /ə-börtˈi-sīd/ noun - The killing of a fetus in the womb
- A drug or agent causing this, an abortifacient
abortifaˈcient /-i-fāˈshənt or -shi-ənt/ adjective Causing abortion noun A drug or other means of causing abortion aborˈtion noun - The premature expulsion of an embryo or a fetus, either occurring naturally (spontaneous abortion) or by artificial means (induced abortion), esp in the first three months of pregnancy
- The procuring of an induced abortion
- Arrest of development
- The result of such arrest
- Anything that fails in the course of coming into being
- A misshapen or ill-contrived thing (offensive sl)
aborˈtional adjective - Relating to abortion
- Dreadful or terrible (informal)
aborˈtionist noun - A person who performs abortions, esp illegally
- A person who is in favour of abortion on demand
aborˈtive adjective - Born before due time
- Unsuccessful
- Brought out or produced in an imperfect condition
- Abortifacient
- Checked in development
abortˈively adverb abortˈiveness noun abortuary /ə-börtˈū-ə-ri/ noun (from abortion and mortuary) an anti-abortion term for an abortion clinic abortion pill noun A drug taken orally that brings about abortion contagious abortion Contagious bacterial infections of cattle and of horses, causing abortion brucellosis /broo-sə-lōˈsis or -se-/ noun A disease of animals, communicable to humans as undulant fever (also called contagious abortion) ORIGIN: Sir David Bruce (1855–1931), Australian-born bacteriologist, Mod L -ella, and -osis contagion /kən-tāˈjən/ noun- Transmission of a disease by direct contact with an infected person or object
- A disease or poison transmitted in this way
- The means of transmission
- The transmission of an emotional state, eg excitement
- A harmful influence
ORIGIN: L contāgiō, -ōnis, from con- and tangere to touch contāˈgionist noun (obsolete) A person who believes in the contagiousness of certain diseases contāˈgious adjective - (of disease) communicable by ordinary social contact (cf infectious)
- Carrying disease or other contagion
- Noxious (obsolete)
- Spreading easily (figurative; informal)
contāˈgiously adverb contāˈgiousness noun contāˈgium noun - Contagion
- Contagious matter
contagious abortion see brucellosis |