abortive
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abortive
- /əˈbɔɹ.tɪv/ US
- /əˈbɔː.tɪv/ UK
Where it comes from
First attested in 1382, with the meaning "causing stillbirth or miscarriage". From Middle English abortif, from Old French abortif, from Latin abortīvus (“causing abortion”), from aborior (“miscarry, disappear”), from ab (“amiss”) + orior (“appear, be born, arise”). By surface analysis, abort + -ive.
adjective more abortive · most abortive
- Produced by abortion; born prematurely and therefore unnatural. an abortive child
-
Coming to nothing; failing in its effect. .
an abortive attempt
Similar: miscarrying, fruitless, unsuccessful, useless
- Imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile. an abortive organ
- Causing abortion; abortifacient. abortive medicines
- Cutting short; acting to halt or slow the progress (of a disease). abortive treatment of typhoid fever
- Having a short and mild progression, without pronounced symptoms.
- Made from the skin of a still-born animal. abortive vellum
noun abortives
- Someone or something born or brought forth prematurely; an abortion.
- A fruitless effort.
- A medicine that causes abortion, an abortifacient.
- A medicine or treatment acting to halt or slow the progress of a disease. Naphthalin was praised by Rosbach as an abortive in typhoid fever; Kraemer in 1886, Wilcox in 1887, Sehwald in 1889 and Wolff of Philadelphia in 1891 confirmed Rosbach's observations.
verb abortives · abortiving · abortived
- To cause an abortion; to render without fruit.
Translations
Every language
adj produced by abortion; born prematurely
| Español | abortivo |
|---|---|
| Português | abortivo |
| Français | abortif |
| Deutsch | abgetrieben, vorzeitig |
adj coming to naught; fruitless
| Español | fracasado, frustrado, malogrado |
|---|---|
| Português | abortivo |
| Deutsch | erfolglos, wirkungslos, fruchtlos, fehlgeschlagen, misslungen, nutzlos |
adj imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile
| Português | abortivo |
|---|---|
| Français | abortif, abortive |
| Deutsch | unvollkommen, rudimentär, verkümmert, vorzeitig |
adj causing abortion
| Español | abortivo |
|---|---|
| Português | abortivo, abortífero, amblótico |
| Français | abortif, abortive |
| Deutsch | abtreibend, abortiv |
noun that which is born or brought forth prematurely; an abortion
| Español | abortivo |
|---|---|
| Português | aborto |
| Deutsch | Abort, Abtreibung, Interruptio |
| العربية | سَقْط saqṭ |
noun fruitless effort
| Deutsch | Erfolglosigkeit |
|---|
noun medicine that causes abortion
| Español | abortivo |
|---|---|
| Português | abortivo, amblótico |
| Deutsch | Abtreibungsmittel |
| Română | abortiv |
Talk about this word "abortive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/abortive. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. abortive. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/abortive "abortive." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/abortive.Cite this
@misc{abortive_2026,
title = {abortive},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/abortive},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
