The English language is full of words that are not commonly used in everyday conversation. One such word is “abying”. Despite its obscurity, it can be useful to know what it means, especially for those who enjoy learning new words and expanding their vocabulary.
Definitions
“Abying” is a verb that means “to pay the penalty for something”. It is often used in the context of suffering the consequences of one’s actions or decisions. For example, if someone makes a mistake, they may have to “aby” for it by facing the consequences.
Origin
The word “abying” comes from the Middle English word “abien”, which means “to pay for”. It is derived from the Old English word “ābycgan”, which means “to buy off, pay for, or redeem”.
Meaning in different dictionaries
The meaning of “abying” is consistent across various dictionaries. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as “to suffer punishment for”. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as “to pay the penalty for something”.
Associations
The word “abying” is often associated with negative consequences. It is used to describe the act of suffering punishment or paying the price for one’s actions.
Synonyms
There are several synonyms for “abying” that can be used interchangeably, including “paying for”, “suffering for”, “atoning for”, and “making amends for”.
Antonyms
The antonym of “abying” is “escaping punishment”. If someone does not have to suffer consequences for their actions, they are not “abying” for them.
The same root words
The word “abying” is derived from the Old English word “ābycgan”, which has several related words in modern English. These include “buy”, “bought”, and “redeem”.
Example Sentences
- He knew he had made a mistake and was prepared to aby for it.
- The criminal was caught and had to aby for his crimes.
- She was willing to aby for her actions and make amends.
- He tried to escape punishment, but eventually had to aby for what he had done.
- Abying for his mistakes was difficult, but he knew it was the right thing to do.