abate

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: a=bate

CIDE DICTIONARY

abate, v. t. [OF. abatre to beat down, F. abattre, LL. abatere; ab or ad + batere, battere (popular form for L. batuere to beat). Cf. Bate, Batter.].

•  To beat down; to overthrow.  [1913 Webster]

  "The King of Scots . . . sore abated the walls."  [1913 Webster]
•  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.  [1913 Webster]

  "His eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated."  [1913 Webster]
•  To deduct; to omit; as, to abate something from a price.  [1913 Webster]

  "Nine thousand parishes, abating the odd hundreds."  [1913 Webster]
•  To blunt.  [1913 Webster]

  "To abate the edge of envy."  [1913 Webster]
•  To reduce in estimation; to deprive.  [1913 Webster]

  "She hath abated me of half my train."  [1913 Webster]
•  To bring entirely down or put an end to; to do away with; as, to abate a nuisance, to abate a writ.  [1913 Webster]

To abate a tax, to remit it either wholly or in part.

abate, v. i. [See Abate, v. t.].

•  To decrease, or become less in strength or violence; as, pain abates, a storm abates.  [1913 Webster]

  "The fury of Glengarry . . . rapidly abated."  [1913 Webster]
•  To be defeated, or come to naught; to fall through; to fail; as, a writ abates.  [1913 Webster]

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.

Syn. -- To subside; decrease; intermit; decline; diminish; lessen.

abate, n. 

 Abatement.  Sir T. Browne.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

abate, v.
1 tr. & intr. make or become less strong, severe, intense, etc.
2 tr. Law a quash (a writ or action). b put an end to (a nuisance).

Derivative

abatement n.

Etymology

ME f. OF abatre f. Rmc (as A-(3), L batt(u)ere beat)

THESAURUS

abate

ablate, abolish, abrade, abrogate, abstract, adjust to, allay, alleviate, allow, alter, anesthetize, annihilate, annul, appease, assuage, attemper, attenuate, bank the fire, bate, be eaten away, benumb, blot out, blunt, box in, charge off, chasten, circumscribe, close, condition, constrain, consume, consume away, control, corrode, cramp, cripple, crumble, curtail, cushion, cut, damp, dampen, de-emphasize, deaden, deaden the pain, debilitate, decline, decrease, deduct, deliquesce, depreciate, derogate, detract, devitalize, die away, die down, dilute, diminish, discount, disparage, dive, downplay, drain, drop, drop off, dull, dwindle, ease, ease matters, ease off, ease up, eat away, ebb, enervate, enfeeble, eradicate, erode, eviscerate, exhaust, extenuate, exterminate, extinguish, extirpate, extract, fall, fall away, fall off, file away, foment, give relief, gruel, hedge, hedge about, impair, invalidate, keep within bounds, kick back, languish, lay, lay low, leach, leaven, lenify, lessen, let down, let up, lighten, limit, loose, loosen, lull, make allowance, melt away, mitigate, moderate, modify, modulate, mollify, narrow, negate, nullify, numb, obtund, pad, palliate, play down, plummet, plunge, poultice, pour balm into, pour oil on, purify, qualify, quash, rattle, rebate, recede, reduce, reduce the temperature, refine, refund, regulate by, relax, relent, relieve, remit, remove, restrain, restrict, retrench, root out, rub away, run its course, run low, sag, salve, sap, season, set conditions, set limits, shake, shake up, shorten, shrink, sink, slack, slack off, slack up, slacken, slake, slow down, smother, sober, sober down, soften, soften up, soothe, stifle, stupe, subduct, subdue, subside, subtract, suppress, tail off, take a premium, take away, take from, take off, tame, taper, taper off, temper, thin, thin out, tone down, tune down, unbend, unbrace, undermine, underplay, undo, unman, unnerve, unstrain, unstrengthen, unstring, vitiate, wane, waste, waste away, water down, weaken, wear, wear away, weed, wipe out, withdraw, write off

ROGET THESAURUS

abate

Decrease

VB decrease, diminish, lessen, abridge, shrink, drop off, fall off, tail off, fall away, waste, wear, wane, ebb, decline, descend, subside, melt away, die away, retire into the shade, hide its diminished head, fall to a low ebb, run low, languish, decay, crumble, bate, abate, dequantitate, discount, depreciate, extenuate, lower, weaken, attenuate, fritter away, mitigate, dwarf, throw into the shade, reduce, shorten, subtract.

Discount

VB discount, bate, abate, rebate, reduce, price down, mark down take off, allow, give, make allowance, tax.