abortive en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (UK) audio
- /əˈbɔː.tɪv/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /əˈbɔɹ.tɪv/ (US)
Etymology
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”).
Meanings
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(obsolete) Produced by abortion; born prematurely and therefore unnatural.
Thou elvish-marked, abortive, rooting hog!
c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:an abortive child
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Coming to nothing; failing in its effect. .
[…] and with utter loss of being / Threatens him, plung'd in that abortive gulf.
1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost, published 1799:an abortive attempt
The king in vain excused his hasty retreats and abortive enterprises
1838, William H. Prescott, History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella:Not surprisingly, ERS has that market covered. It now owns all five of the vehicles fitted with generators for the abortive Nightstar services through the Channel Tunnel.
2025 October 29, James Steward tells Joe Campbell, “Thriving on the stock exchange”, in RAIL, number 1047, page 46:He made a salutation, or, to speak nearer the truth, an ill-defined, abortive attempt at curtsy.
1851 April 9, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC:
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Imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile.
an abortive stamen
an abortive ovule
an abortive organ
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(rare) Causing abortion; abortifacient.
abortive medicines
1809, Bartholomew Parr, Medical Dictionary:Each country may have a different prevalence of infectious abortive agents. The most common agents of abortion in cattle are Brucella spp., Campylobacter spp., Chlamydiaceae, Coxiella burnetii, Leptospira spp., […]
2018 May, Carla Sebastiania, Ludovica Curcioa, Marcella Ciulloa, Deborah Crucianib, Silvia Crottib, Cristina Pescab, Martina Torricellia, Martina Sebastianellia, Andrea Felicic, Massimo Biagetti, “A multi-screening Fast qPCR approach to the identification of abortive agents in ruminants”, in Journal of Microbiological Methods, volume 148, →DOI, page 12:
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Cutting short; acting to halt or slow the progress (of a disease).
abortive treatment of typhoid fever
Even with prophylaxis, children often experience episodic breakthrough headaches that require abortive treatment. […] Abortive therapies in the ED include dopamine antagonists and anti-inflammatory agents.
2016 December, David C. Sheridan, Garth D. Meckler, “Inpatient Pediatric Migraine Treatment: Does Choice of Abortive Therapy Affect Length of Stay?”, in The Journal of Pediatrics, volume 179, →DOI, page 211:
- (of a disease) Having a short and mild progression, without pronounced symptoms.
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Made from the skin of a still-born animal.
abortive vellum
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more abortive | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most abortive | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
nonabortive · subabortive · abortivity · abortiveness · abortively · unabortive · postabortive · antiabortive
Synonyms
useless · miscarrying · unsuccessful · fruitless
Translations (77)
fi katkaiseva (medicine: cutting short) · pt abortivo (imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile) · sh izjalovljeno (coming to naught; fruitless) · de nutzlos (coming to naught; fruitless) · hu abortív (medicine: cutting short) · de Fehl- (coming to naught; fruitless) · nb abortiv (imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile) · grc ἐκβόλιμος (coming to naught; fruitless) · nb abortiv (medicine: cutting short) · fi surkastunut (imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile) · nb fruktesløs (coming to naught; fruitless) · de erfolglos (coming to naught; fruitless) · fi hyödytön (coming to naught; fruitless) · de vorzeitig (produced by abortion; born prematurely) · eo aborta (coming to naught; fruitless) · fr abortif (medicine: cutting short) · fr abortive (medicine: cutting short) · ca avortiu (causing abortion) · hu abortív (causing abortion) · bg несполучлив (coming to naught; fruitless) · ca abortiva (causing abortion) · fi abortiivinen (causing abortion) · nb nytteløs (coming to naught; fruitless) · de abtreibend (causing abortion) · nl gestopt (medicine: cutting short) · nb abortiv (produced by abortion; born prematurely) · pt abortivo (coming to naught; fruitless) · de misslungen (coming to naught; fruitless) · de wirkungslos (coming to naught; fruitless) · nb abortiv (causing abortion) · de abgetrieben (produced by abortion; born prematurely) · pt abortivo (causing abortion) · fr abortif (imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile) · pt abortífero (causing abortion) · hu abortív (imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile) · nl rudimentair (imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile) · de vorzeitig (imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile) · fi abortiivinen (imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile) · fr abortive (causing abortion) · es malogrado (coming to naught; fruitless) · es frustrado (coming to naught; fruitless) · kk аяқсыз (coming to naught; fruitless) · ca abortiu (causing abortion) · fa بی نتیجه (coming to naught; fruitless) · es fracasado (coming to naught; fruitless) · es abortivo (causing abortion) · ca avortiva (causing abortion) · nl afdrijvend (causing abortion) · de fehlgeschlagen (coming to naught; fruitless) · nl vruchteloos (coming to naught; fruitless) · pl aborcyjny (causing abortion) · pl nieudany (coming to naught; fruitless) · de vergebens (coming to naught; fruitless) · hu abortív (coming to naught; fruitless) · fr abortive (imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile) · kk нәтижесіз (coming to naught; fruitless) · pl aborcyjny (produced by abortion; born prematurely) · de unvollkommen (imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile) · de abortiv (causing abortion) · de verkümmert (imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile) · de abbrechen (medicine: cutting short) · nl tevergeefs (coming to naught; fruitless) · fr abortif (produced by abortion; born prematurely) · de fruchtlos (coming to naught; fruitless) · sh neuspjelo (coming to naught; fruitless) · fi abortti- (produced by abortion; born prematurely) · de rudimentär (imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile) · fr abortif (causing abortion) · pt abortivo (produced by abortion; born prematurely) · de vergeblich (coming to naught; fruitless) · hu abortív (medicine: having a short and mild progression) · kk сәтсіз (coming to naught; fruitless) · de gescheitert (coming to naught; fruitless) · sh propalo (coming to naught; fruitless) · pt amblótico (causing abortion) · de abortiv (medicine: cutting short) · es abortivo (produced by abortion; born prematurely)