Etymology tree
Proto-Germanic *ana-
Proto-West Germanic *ana-
Old English on-?
Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der.
Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder.
Proto-Indo-European *h₁épider.
Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi
Proto-Germanic *bi
Proto-West Germanic *bī
Proto-West Germanic *bi-
Proto-Indo-European *úd
Proto-Germanic *ūt
Proto-West Germanic *ūtō
Proto-West Germanic *ūtan
Proto-West Germanic *biūtan
Old English būtan
Old English onbūtan
Middle English aboute
English about
Preposition and adverb from Middle English aboute, abouten, from Old English abūtan, onbūtan, from on (“in, on”) + būtan (“outside of”) (compare modern English but, bout), itself from be (“by”) + ūtan (“outside”); equivalent to on + be + out or on + but. Cognate with Old Frisian abûta (“outside; except”). Not related to bout (“period of time”)
Adjective from Middle English about (adverb).
Meanings
(not-comparable) Moving around or in motion; astir.
About, about; Search Windsor Castle, elves, within and out. c. 1597-1602, William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor
After my bout with Guillan-Barre Syndrome, it took me 6 months to be up and about again.
... the building of St. James's by my Lord St. Albans, which is now about (and which the City stomach I perceive highly, but dare not oppose it,) were it now to be done, it would not be done for a million of money. 1828 [1663], Samuel Pepys, Diary, page 95:
'John, I have observed that you are often out and about of nights, sometimes as late as half past seven or eight.[…]' [1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC:
About, my Braine! c. 1600, William Shakespeare, Hamlet
out and about; up and about
(not-comparable) In existence; being in evidence; apparent.
Although it has been about for some time now, I like the typeface Sauna. 2005, IDG Communications, Digit, numbers 89-94:
This idea has been about for a while but has only recently become fashionable.
2006, Great Britain Parliament: House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, Energy: Meeting With Malcolm Wicks MP,
Is not this sudden interest in capturing CO₂ — and it has been about for a little while — simply another hidey-hole for the government to creep into?
To my mind, transportation engineering is similar to flying in the 1930s — it has been about for some time but it has taken the present economic jolt to shake it out of its infancy, in the same way that the war started the development of flying to its current stage. 1975, IPC Building & Contract Journals Ltd, Highways & road construction, volume 43:
(not-comparable) Near; in the vicinity or neighbourhood.
I had my keys just a minute ago, so they must be about somewhere.
Watch out, there's a thief about.
Forms
Spelling
Features
Labels
Source
ab.
alternative
lexicographic
a.
alternative
lexicographic
abowt
alternative
lexicographic
abt.
alternative
lexicographic
aboot
Northumbria, alternative
lexicographic
Synonyms
around (moving around) · around (in existence) · mobile (moving around) · active (moving around) · astir (moving around)
Etymology tree
Proto-Germanic *ana-
Proto-West Germanic *ana-
Old English on-?
Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der.
Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder.
Proto-Indo-European *h₁épider.
Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi
Proto-Germanic *bi
Proto-West Germanic *bī
Proto-West Germanic *bi-
Proto-Indo-European *úd
Proto-Germanic *ūt
Proto-West Germanic *ūtō
Proto-West Germanic *ūtan
Proto-West Germanic *biūtan
Old English būtan
Old English onbūtan
Middle English aboute
English about
Preposition and adverb from Middle English aboute, abouten, from Old English abūtan, onbūtan, from on (“in, on”) + būtan (“outside of”) (compare modern English but, bout), itself from be (“by”) + ūtan (“outside”); equivalent to on + be + out or on + but. Cognate with Old Frisian abûta (“outside; except”). Not related to bout (“period of time”)
Adjective from Middle English about (adverb).
Meanings
In a circle around; all round; on every side of; on the outside of; around.
The desert storm was riding in its strength; the travellers lay beneath the mastery of the fell simoom. […] Roaring, leaping, pouncing, the tempest raged about the wanderers, drowning and blotting out their forms with sandy spume. 1892, James Yoxall, chapter 5, in The Lonely Pyramid:
Nothing daunted, the fleet put to sea, and after sailing about the island for some time, a landing was effected in the west of Munster. 1886, Duncan Keith, A history of Scotland: civil and ecclesiastical from the earliest times to the death of David I, 1153, volume 1:
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 1769, King James Bible, Oxford Standard text, Proverbs, iii, 3
So look about you; know you any here? c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
There is no controversy […] that the plaintiff […] fell into the ditch and was severely injured; [and] that the defendant or its agents left no railing about the excavation : And it quite clearly appears that a person coming from the house of the plaintiff, as she did, to cross the pavement in front of her lot, could not see any light or other signal to warn her of danger[…] 1900, William John Tossell, Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Ohio Circuit Courts...: Ohio Circuit Decisions, page 581:
The Roman soldier found Me lying dead, my crown about my brows, […] 1877, Alfred Tennyson, The Works of Alfred Tennyson, Poet Laureate ..., page 241:
She looked about her again, and at last there he was, descending the steep path toward the station. He was half a mile off, and before she could decide what to do, a train came up and stopped. 1879, The Living Age, page 727:
[…] for they could not get about the cape, because the wind on this coast is commonly between the NW. and SW., which makes it very difficult getting to the westward; but they left four canoes with forty-six men at the cape,[…] 1874, David Laing Purves, The English Circumnavigators: The Most Remarkable Voyages Round the World by English Sailors, London : W.P. Nimmo, page 214:
She looked about her. Desolation everywhere - on the dust-encrusted windows, on the discolored walls, the rotten planks of the floor, the fallen bricks of the fireplace - desolation utter and complete. 1905, The Delineator, page 258:
The snake was coiled about his ankle.
Pagondas […] sent two companies of horse secretly about the hill; whereby that wing of the Athenians which was victorious, apprehending upon their sudden appearing that they had been a fresh army, was put into affright:[…] 1843, Thomas Hobbes, The English Works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury: The history of the Grecian war written by Thucydides; tr. by T. Hobbes, page 480:
As soon as church was out a group of people gathered about her, all curious to hear how she was getting on with the boy. 2016 August 24 [????], Johanna Spyri, Moni the Goat Boy and Other Stories: Moni the Goahout a Friend; The Little Runaway, anboco, →ISBN:
Over or upon different parts of; through or over in various directions; here and there in; to and fro in; throughout.
[I]n likeneſs of a Dove / The Spirit deſcended, while the Fathers voice / From Heav'n pronounc'd him his beloved Son. / That heard the Adverſary, who roving ſtill / About the world, at that aſſembly fam'd / Would not be laſt, […] 1671, John Milton, “The First Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 3, lines 30–35:
She travelled about the country with a donkey and cart, selling silk and linen goods. Her great stature enabled her to be her own protector, and any liberties which were attempted to be taken with herself or her wares were sure to be answered by a beating. 1857, George Borrow?, The Quarterly Review, page 488:
The children were running about the room.
Some Roman Catholics about the court had, indiscreetly or artfully, told all, and more than all, that they knew. The Tory Churchmen waited anxiously for fuller information. 1849, Thomas Babington Macaulay Baron Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, page 153:
[…] to wander about the old place, climb the old walls, and explore the old passages, always dreaming of the days when the castle was noisy with men-at-arms, and gay with knights and ladies. 2022 November 13 [????], Edith Nesbit, The Collected Works of Edith Nesbit, DigiCat:
where lies thy pain? And where my liege's? all about the breast. 1598, William Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost:
He was well known about town.
Rubbish was strewn about the place.
He had been known, during several years, as a small poet; and some of the most savage lampoons which were handed about the coffeehouses were imputed to him. 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:
(with 'to' and verb infinitive) Indicates that something will happen very soon; indicates a plan or intention to do something. ▸ See about to.
(dialectal, obsolete, with present participle) Indicates that something will happen very soon; indicates a plan or intention to do something. ▸ On the point or verge of.
[It] was held, that the latter requirement was fulfilled by an affidavit declaring that "the defendant was about leaving the State permanently." 1866, Charles Daniel Drake, A treatise on the law of suits by attachment in the United States, page 80:
Concerning; with regard to; on account of; on the subject of.
He talked a lot about his childhood.
There have been violent quarrels about whether the whole is greater than a part. 1856, Voltaire, Philosophical dictionary:
... look at it properly, her hands are the worst thing about her, visibly, anyway - they're filthy, as are the fingernails, broken and jagged and dark yellow from nicotine, the nicotine stain seems to go right into the palm[…] 2013 September 5, Simon Gray, The Complete Smoking Diaries, Granta Books, →ISBN:
I already have made way / To some Philistian lords, with whom to treat / About thy ransom. 1671, John Milton, Samson Agonistes:
[F]ootball is about more than making plays on the field. It is about making them off the field as well. Our commitment to fans and the communities that support us does not end when the final seconds tick off the game clock […] 2016 October 14, David J. Leonard, Kimberly B. George, Wade Davis, Football, Culture and Power, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN, page 187:
... something particularly imaginative about comparative work, however one construes the term “comparison.”[…] 2021 October 7, Erica S. Simmons, Nicholas Rush Smith, Rethinking Comparison: Innovative Methods for Qualitative Political Inquiry, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 272:
He is very mad about all the pranks.
We must do something about this problem.
Lucy Thompson, a Yurok woman who wrote a book about her experiences in the early twentieth century, reported that bilingualism was especially common at the religious dances, where neighboring groups often poured in from distant villages speaking utterly different languages. 2008, Sean O'Neill, Cultural Contact and Linguistic Relativity Among the Indians of Northwestern California, University of Oklahoma Press, →ISBN, page 31:
"I'll tell you what, Fanny: she must have her way about Sarah Thompson. You can see her to-morrow and tell her so." 1860, Anthony Trollope, Framley Parsonage:
I told him about everything I could think of; and what I couldn't think of he did. He asked about six questions during my yarn, but every question had a point to it. At the end he bowed and thanked me once more. As a thanker he was main-truck high; I never see anybody so polite. 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter IV, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
[It was doubtful that] twenty governments, divided by quarrels about precedence, quarrels about territory, quarrels about trade, quarrels about religion, could long act together in perfect harmony. 1858, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, page 13:
Well, let’s not talk about yesterday. 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers. Piling debt onto companies’ balance-sheets is only a small part of what leveraged buy-outs are about, they insist. Improving the workings of the businesses they take over is just as core to their calling, if not more so. Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster. 2013 June 22, “Engineers of a different kind”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 70:
Doe you meane to stoppe any of Williams wages, about the Sacke he lost the other day? c. 1597-1602, William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor
Concerned or occupied with; engaged in; intent on.
And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? 1769, King James Bible, Oxford Standard text, Luke, ii, 49
I really want to know what he's about, so I've arranged a date with him to hear him out. 2018 February 7, Ana Vega, Noonity, Ana Vega, page 62:
... these Machines ... must be the Work of one, who knew what he was about. And what is it, to work, and know what one is about? Tis to have an Idea of what one is doing; to possess A FORM INTERNAL, correspondent to the EXTERNAL,[…] 1765, James HARRIS (Author of “Hermes.”.), Hermes, Or a Philosophical Inquiry Concerning Universal Grammar ... Second Edition, Etc, page 376:
Have you much hay about?
RON: And I’ll have the number 8.
WAITER: That’s a party platter, it serves 12 people.
RON: I know what I’m about, son. 2013 March 14, Parks and Recreation, season 5, episode 16, Bailout
“What’s Mary doin'?” “Oh! oo’s about th’ butter.”
just going about their business
Within or in the immediate neighborhood of; in contiguity or proximity to; near, as to place.
Carausius was born of mean parentage about Cleves in Germany, he rose in the Army by his bravery, and was appointed [...] Governor of Bononia or Bolougne in France, and Admiral […] 1777, Edward Ledwich, Antiquitates Sarisburienses: Or, The History and Antiquities of Old and New Sarum, page 7:
I can’t find my reading glasses, but they must be somewhere about the house.
John’s in the garden, probably somewhere about the woodshed.
... small dipterous insects, which are abundant about the heaps of sea-weed. 1864, Zoologist: A Monthly Journal of Natural History, page 9108:
[…] if there be any number of equiangular triangles, the sides about the equal angles are proportionals. 1868, William Rossiter, The Elements of Plane and Spherical Trigonometry, page 14:
The Saffron Crocus (C. sativus) grows in meadows about Essex, where it is cultivated for its fragrant stigmas, which constitute saffron. 1851, J. H. Clark, The Songs of the Seasons, and Wild Flowers of the Months: Or, the British Wild Flowers Familiarly Described Under the Months in which They Bloom and the Localities in which They Grow, page 53:
On one’s person; nearby the person.
I had no weapon about me but a stick.
At this assurance the traveller rose, and approached Alice softly. He drew away her hands from her face, when she said gently, "Have you much money about you?" / "Oh the mercenary baggage!" said the traveller to himself; and then replied aloud, "Why, pretty one?—Do you sell your kisses so high, then?" 1837, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], Ernest Maltravers […] , volume I, London: Saunders and Otley, […], →OCLC, book I, page 16:
The policy covers all belongings and other personal things that somebody can carry about them.
(figuratively) On or near (one's person); attached as an attribute to; in the makeup of, or at the command of.
And there is a mature wisdom about him which, without being new, is newly refreshed. I did not know how profoundly my emotional loyalties were engaged to him until these days. Our plans are simple. We stay here until Thursday; then Amherst[…] 1953, Oliver Wendell Holmes (Jr.), Holmes-Laski Letters: 1926-1935:
... there was a mature air about him that also suggested vacationing professional. He wore a button-down, collared shirt open a few more interesting buttons than most, revealing a small spatter of blondish-reddish hair on a broad chest[…] 2017 November 11, Linn Edwards, Food Frenzy, JMS Books LLC, →ISBN:
Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke.[…]A silver snaffle on a heavy leather watch guard which connected the pockets of his corduroy waistcoat, together with a huge gold stirrup in his Ascot tie, sufficiently proclaimed his tastes. […] But withal there was a perceptible acumen about the man which was puzzling in the extreme. 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
ko ~에 관한 (concerning) · tl tungkol sa (concerning) · fi paikkeilla (over or upon different parts of) · es a punto de (on the point or verge of) · lv par (concerned with, engaged in) · fi -sta (concerning) · sk o (concerning) · da på (in the immediate neighborhood of) · cmn 即將 /即将 (on the point or verge of) · it riguardo (concerning) · tr etrafında (on every side of) · sw kuhusu (concerned with, engaged in) · th เกี่ยวกับ (concerning) · fi -stä (concerning) · ur باب میں (concerning) · kk жөнінде (concerning) · ko ~에 대한 (concerning) · da rundt om (over or upon different parts of) · ms تنتڠ (concerning) · az barədə (concerning) · uk коло (in the immediate neighborhood of) · aeb عْلَى (on every side of) · nl rondom (on every side of) · he על אודות (concerning) · ga ar tí (on the point or verge of) · mi tata ki te .... (in the immediate neighborhood of) · fr à propos (de) (concerned with, engaged in) · lv apkārt (over or upon different parts of) · ja …の周辺に (on every side of) · es por (on every side of) · cmn 大概 (on every side of) · ast de (concerning) · sv på väg att (on the point or verge of) · ur متعلق (concerning) · la futurus sum (on the point or verge of) · ja ところ (on the point or verge of) · sv på (in the immediate neighborhood of) · cmn 關於 /关于 (concerned with, engaged in) · oc subre (concerning) · kmr nêzî (concerned with, engaged in) · cs kolem (on every side of) · aeb عْلَى (concerned with, engaged in) · ky жакын (on every side of) · mk за (concerned with, engaged in) · pl ponad (over or upon different parts of) · io proxim (in the immediate neighborhood of) · gd mun cuairt (in the immediate neighborhood of) · ms برکاءيتن دڠن (concerning) · ms مڠناءي (concerning) · ca a punt de (on the point or verge of) · ca sobre (concerning) · km អំពី (concerned with, engaged in) · sk okolo (over or upon different parts of) · az yaxınlığında (in the immediate neighborhood of) · tr etrafında (over or upon different parts of) · ru круго́м (on every side of) · fa نزد (concerned with, engaged in) · el περί (concerning) · id sekitar (on every side of) · grc περί (on every side of) · bn নিয়ে (concerning) · mk околу (concerning) · mk околу (on every side of) · da vedrørende (concerning) · cs okolo (on every side of) · fi hoitaa (concerned with, engaged in) · kmr dorî (in the immediate neighborhood of) · ga i dtrátha (in the immediate neighborhood of) · ur در باب (concerning) · ro lângă (in the immediate neighborhood of) · ur بابت (concerning) · tr çevresinde (on every side of) · io pri (concerned with, engaged in) · he על (concerned with, engaged in) · ar عَلَى وَشَكِ (on the point or verge of) · gd mu chuairt (over or upon different parts of) · mk близу (in the immediate neighborhood of) · aeb قْرِيبْ (on the point or verge of) · lb iwwer (concerning) · no angående (concerning) · nl in de buurt (in the immediate neighborhood of) · sh о̏ко (on every side of) · ta குறித்து (concerning) · id mengenai (concerned with, engaged in) · fi lähellä (in the immediate neighborhood of) · sh po (over or upon different parts of) · ta அருகாமை (in the immediate neighborhood of) · fa درباب (concerning) · eo kun (in the immediate neighborhood of) · ur راجع (concerning) · ang ymb (on every side of) · hu -ről (concerning) · arz حولين (on every side of) · fa در مورد (concerning) · he על (over or upon different parts of) · az haqqında (concerning) · tr hakkında (over or upon different parts of) · ta சுற்றி (on every side of) · ru об (concerning) · th เรื่อง (concerning) · ru гото́в (on the point or verge of) · fr au sujet de (concerning) · mt dwar (concerned with, engaged in) · it riguardo (concerned with, engaged in) · be пра (concerning) · ru недалеко́ (in the immediate neighborhood of) · da på vej til (on the point or verge of) · lv tūliņ (on the point or verge of) · ba турала (concerning) · bo སྐོར (concerning) · ca de (concerning) · pt nas redondezas de (on every side of) · az ətrafında (over or upon different parts of) · fr au-dessus de (over or upon different parts of) · ms دريحال (concerning) · sco aboot (on every side of) · fi mukana (on one's person; nearby the person) · lv tūlīt (on the point or verge of) · cs o (concerning) · lt apie (concerning) · fa در اطراف (in the immediate neighborhood of) · ta -இல் (in the immediate neighborhood of) · nl rond (on every side of) · uz haqida (concerning) · zu nga- (concerning) · el για (concerning) · sq për (concerning) · mt dwar (concerning) · fi olla kysymys (concerning) · sl okrog (on every side of) · fi aikeissa (on the point or verge of) · nl omheen (in the immediate neighborhood of) · it intorno (on every side of) · sv omkring (over or upon different parts of) · gd mun cuairt (on every side of) · es sobre lo de (concerning) · km អំពី (concerning) · it vicino (in the immediate neighborhood of) · hi -नेवाला (on the point or verge of) · gd mun cuairt (over or upon different parts of) · ja …の周辺で (on every side of) · pt sobre (concerning) · ur سلسلہ (concerning) · ba янында (on one's person; nearby the person) · pdc deswegge, dewegge (concerned with, engaged in) · de über (concerned with, engaged in) · pl wokół (on every side of) · sk okolo (on every side of) · es sobre (concerning) · es sobre (concerned with, engaged in) · az yanında (on one's person; nearby the person) · eo ĉirkaŭ (over or upon different parts of) · gl a punto de (on the point or verge of) · bo དབང་དུ་ཤོར་ན (concerning) · ta அருகில் (in the immediate neighborhood of) · kmr dorî (on every side of) · sl o (concerning) · nl bij (on one's person; nearby the person) · ka გარშემო (on every side of) · eo -ota (on the point or verge of) · ur نسبت (concerning) · lv apkārt (on every side of) · ml പറ്റി (concerning) · ja …に関して (concerned with, engaged in) · lv pa (over or upon different parts of) · ja …について（の） (concerning) · it attorno (on every side of) · ar عَن (concerning) · ta பற்றி (concerning) · gd mu chuairt (in the immediate neighborhood of) · fr par-dessus (over or upon different parts of) · no rundt (on every side of) · ast a puntu de (on the point or verge of) · as -অৰ বিষয়ে (concerned with, engaged in) · nl in verband met (concerning) · cmn 約 /约 (on every side of) · ro despre (concerning) · ja …の辺りで (on every side of) · gd mu dheidhinn (concerned with, engaged in) · it riguardando (concerned with, engaged in) · pt acerca de (concerning) · pt ao redor de (on every side of) · yi וועגן (concerning) · sw kuhusu (concerning) · la de (concerning) · dsb wó (concerning) · az yanında (on every side of) · vo tefü (concerning) · es cerca de (in the immediate neighborhood of) · hy մասին (concerning) · hi के पास (in the immediate neighborhood of) · ang be (concerning) · sl o (concerned with, engaged in) · mt madwar (on every side of) · sv om (concerning) · eo pri (concerned with, engaged in) · ru про (concerned with, engaged in) · ur مورد (concerning) · uk про (concerned with, engaged in) · fr de (concerning) · gd mu dheidhinn (concerning) · nl aangaande (concerned with, engaged in) · eo ĉirkaŭ (on every side of) · fi vaiheilla (over or upon different parts of) · nl betreffende (concerned with, engaged in) · fa راجع به (concerning) · gl sobre (concerned with, engaged in) · ja …の辺りに (on every side of) · km ពី (concerned with, engaged in) · ru о (concerned with, engaged in) · lv tikpat kā (on the point or verge of) · sh o (concerning) · ru о (concerning) · hy մոտ (in the immediate neighborhood of) · ru ря́дом (in the immediate neighborhood of) · uk поряд (in the immediate neighborhood of) · es alrededor de (on every side of) · mk за (concerning) · es encima de (over or upon different parts of) · kk турасында (concerning) · hi ... के बारे में (concerned with, engaged in) · fr sur (concerning) · ta சுற்றி (over or upon different parts of) · mhn um (on every side of) · gl acerca de (concerned with, engaged in) · ms mengenai (concerning) · da om (concerned with, engaged in) · de bereit zu (on the point or verge of) · gd mu chuairt (on every side of) · la super (concerning) · fr autour de (on every side of) · fi ympärillä (on every side of) · ar حَوْلَ (on every side of) · ru про (concerning) · es a propósito de (concerning) · lv pie (in the immediate neighborhood of) · la iturus sum (on the point or verge of) · ta விளிம்பில் (on the point or verge of) · nl eromheen (on every side of) · nl over (concerned with, engaged in) · fa پیرامون (on every side of) · pl wokoło (on every side of) · kk хақында (concerning) · id hampir (on the point or verge of) · ja …について (concerned with, engaged in) · es de (concerning) · arz عن (concerned with, engaged in) · vi sắp (on the point or verge of) · pt prestes a (on the point or verge of) · ms berkenaan dengan (concerning) · ru повсю́ду (on every side of) · hy շուրջ (on every side of) · cmn 關於 /关于 (concerning) · eo tra (over or upon different parts of) · no rundt (in the immediate neighborhood of) · nl op het punt staan (on the point or verge of) · be аб (concerning) · ml കുറിച്ച് (concerning) · eu buruzko (concerning) · ru на (on one's person; nearby the person) · sl o (on the point or verge of) · es al respecto (concerning) · ru насчёт (concerning) · tr çevresinde (over or upon different parts of) · eo ĉirkaŭe en (over or upon different parts of) · uk про (concerning) · no på veg til (on the point or verge of) · da med (on one's person; nearby the person) · km ពី (concerning) · sv runt (on every side of) · se birra (on every side of) · ga um (on every side of) · kmr dorî (over or upon different parts of) · de um... (herum) (on every side of) · fr au sujet (de) (concerned with, engaged in) · fa دربارهٔ (concerning) · zdj uhusu (concerning) · aeb عْلًى (concerning) · az ətrafında (on every side of) · se birra (concerning) · ru по (over or upon different parts of) · fi olla kyse (concerning) · ms tentang (concerning) · no om (concerning) · ur ... کے بارے میں (concerned with, engaged in) · grc περί (concerning) · dsb wokoło (on every side of) · ba хаҡында (concerning) · mk само што не (on the point or verge of) · fi vähällä (on the point or verge of) · kk жайында (concerning) · fi vieressä (in the immediate neighborhood of) · ga timpeall (on every side of) · sv angående (concerning) · da rundt om (on every side of) · gl de (concerning) · he סביב (on every side of) · fr à propos de (concerning) · fi lähellä (on the point or verge of) · es acerca de (concerning) · la de (concerned with, engaged in) · la in (concerned with, engaged in) · it stare per (on the point or verge of) · he אודות (concerning) · uk навкруги (on every side of) · tr tarafta (over or upon different parts of) · sv omkring (on every side of) · pt perto (in the immediate neighborhood of) · hu -ról (concerning) · sv runt om (over or upon different parts of) · fr aux environs de (in the immediate neighborhood of) · lo ກ່ຽວກັບ (concerning) · es acerca de (concerned with, engaged in) · id akan (on the point or verge of) · nl bij (in the immediate neighborhood of) · eo pri (concerning) · ta உள் (in or near, as in mental faculties or in possession of) · sh ȍko (on every side of) · mi āhua (in the immediate neighborhood of) · es por (concerning) · el γύρω από (on every side of) · ko ~에 대해 (concerning) · grc ἀμφί (on every side of) · hi के नज़दीक (in the immediate neighborhood of) · fi -ssä (over or upon different parts of) · lv par (concerning) · ms برکناءن دڠن (concerning) · pt em (in or near, as in mental faculties or in possession of) · nl rond (over or upon different parts of) · ky жанында (on every side of) · nl om (on every side of) · sh о (concerning) · cy am (concerning) · fr sur le point (on the point or verge of) · bn সম্বন্ধে (concerning) · ka -ზე (concerning) · da om (on every side of) · ba тураһында (concerning) · cmn 對於 /对于 (concerned with, engaged in) · tr çepeçevre (on every side of) · hy մասին (concerned with, engaged in) · sh naokolo (on every side of) · hi के बग़ल में (in the immediate neighborhood of) · he מעל (over or upon different parts of) · sl okoli (on every side of) · es con lo de (concerning) · ur در بارہ (concerning) · it su (concerning) · sh posvuda (on every side of) · da omkring (on every side of) · da angående (concerning) · gl acerca de (concerning) · ru у (on one's person; nearby the person) · nl in de buurt van (on one's person; nearby the person) · he באזור (in the immediate neighborhood of) · io pri (concerning) · kmr teqrîben (on the point or verge of) · de von (concerned with, engaged in) · he עמד ל... (on the point or verge of) · eo ĉirkaŭ (in the immediate neighborhood of) · ms berkaitan dengan (concerning) · es a propósito de (concerned with, engaged in) · vi về (concerning) · arz عن (concerning) · mk околу (concerned with, engaged in) · no omkring (on every side of) · as -অৰ কথা (concerned with, engaged in) · ur بارے میں (concerning) · sv om (concerned with, engaged in) · pl dookoła (on every side of) · pt preocupado/lidando com (concerned with, engaged in) · no rundt (over or upon different parts of) · de über (concerning) · sk pri (in the immediate neighborhood of) · ast sobre (concerned with, engaged in) · da om (concerning) · fi läheisyydessä (in the immediate neighborhood of) · ky жөнүндө (on every side of) · he על (concerning) · pt por (over or upon different parts of) · ca sobre (concerned with, engaged in) · vo dö (concerning) · is um (concerning) · sh u vezi s (concerning) · de über (over or upon different parts of) · id sekeliling (on every side of) · fi -ssa (over or upon different parts of) · bg за (concerning) · ms darihal (concerning) · ru побли́зости (in the immediate neighborhood of) · id tentang (concerned with, engaged in) · mk штотуку не (on the point or verge of) · ko ~에 관해 (concerning) · bg отно́сно (concerning) · no om (concerned with, engaged in) · ru вокру́г (on every side of) · da omkring (over or upon different parts of) · nl over (concerning) · it su (concerned with, engaged in) · id tentang (concerning) · he בסביבת (in the immediate neighborhood of) · sk pri (on one's person; nearby the person) · hi के बारे (concerning) · az yanında (in the immediate neighborhood of) · da til (on the point or verge of) · pl o (concerning) · mi āwhiwhi ki te ... (in the immediate neighborhood of) · cmn 對於 /对于 (concerning) · mk наоколу (over or upon different parts of) · kk туралы (concerning) · ar عَن (concerned with, engaged in) · pl przy (in the immediate neighborhood of) · gl sobre (concerning) · sv om (on every side of)
Etymology tree
Proto-Germanic *ana-
Proto-West Germanic *ana-
Old English on-?
Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der.
Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder.
Proto-Indo-European *h₁épider.
Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi
Proto-Germanic *bi
Proto-West Germanic *bī
Proto-West Germanic *bi-
Proto-Indo-European *úd
Proto-Germanic *ūt
Proto-West Germanic *ūtō
Proto-West Germanic *ūtan
Proto-West Germanic *biūtan
Old English būtan
Old English onbūtan
Middle English aboute
English about
Preposition and adverb from Middle English aboute, abouten, from Old English abūtan, onbūtan, from on (“in, on”) + būtan (“outside of”) (compare modern English but, bout), itself from be (“by”) + ūtan (“outside”); equivalent to on + be + out or on + but. Cognate with Old Frisian abûta (“outside; except”). Not related to bout (“period of time”)
Adjective from Middle English about (adverb).
Meanings
(not-comparable) On all sides, or in every or any direction from a point; around.
all the blessings / Of a glad father compass thee about 1610-11, William Shakespeare, The Tempest
Dunkerk is […] well-built and populous, strongly fortified all about where it is capable: only toward the Downs or sandy Hills on the Southwest side of the Town, though there had been much Cost bestowed in raising Forts, yet were they almost filled up and spoiled with Sand driven in by the force of stormy Winds, against which it will be very hard to secure any Fort that shall be there erected. 1673, John Ray, Observations Topographical, Moral, & Physiological: Made in a Journey Through Part of the Low-countries, Germany, Italy, and France: with a Catalogue of Plants Not Native of England, Found Spontaneously Growing in Those Parts, and Their Virtues:
I looked about at the scenery that surrounded me.
Why, then, I see, ’tis time to look about, / When every boy Alphonsus dares control. 1599, Robert Greene, The Comical History of Alphonsus King of Aragon, III-ii:
And from the middle Darkness flashing out, By fits he deals his fiery Bolts about. Earth feels the Motions of her angry God, Her Entrails tremble, and her Mountains nod;[…] 1716, Virgil, translated by Dryden, The Works of Virgil ... Translated Into English Verse; by Mr. Dryden, page 110:
(not-comparable) Here and there; around; in one place and another; up and down.
Bits of old machinery were lying about.
Feathers were strewn about—white feathers! With them were several splotches of dried blood splattered across the dirt. Matthew's heart sank. He knew whose feathers those were! Something terrible had happened here. 2013 December 9, Michael Phillips, The Sword, the Garden, and the King, Rosetta Books, →ISBN:
... the tocsins of immemorial strife were sounding all about, the fierce old bell pealing out its periodical summons from the airy heights of the Palazzo Vecchio, and armed men, fierce and furious, swarming about the streets. 1876, Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant, The Makers of Florence: Dante, Giotto, Savonarola; and Their City ... With Portrait of Savonarola ... and Illustrations from Drawings by Professor Delamotte:
(not-comparable) From one place or position to another in succession; indicating repeated movement or activity.
He and Gerald usually challenged the rollers in a sponson canoe when Gerald was there for the weekend; or, when Lansing came down, the two took long swims seaward or cruised about in Gerald's dory, clad in their swimming-suits; and Selwyn's youth became renewed in a manner almost ridiculous,[…]. 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter IX, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
She was [...] moving furniture about, and marching into the apartment at the front even before the tenants had left. 2008 January 29, Emile Zola, The Beast Within, Penguin, →ISBN:
He bustled about and about, speaking to every one, but declined listening for a single moment to any. 1824, James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, page 271:
1769, King James Bible, Oxford Standard text, 1 Timothy, v,13,
And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
walking about; rushing about; jumping about; thrashing about
(not-comparable) Indicating unproductive or unstructured activity.
messing about; fooling about; loafing about
(not-comparable) Nearly; approximately; with close correspondence in quality, manner, degree, quantity, or time; almost.
[H]e is about the most ignorant Rector within the four seas. 1867, The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art, page 745:
[…] about the hour of closing, we observed the sudden egress of about a hundred women from the establishment, all Irish, and all decently clad and well conducted. On inquiry, we found that they are employed continuously in the works, piling the lead for oxidation,[…] 1863, Virginia Penny, The Employments of Women: A Cyclopaedia of Woman's Work, page 480:
I was so scared, I about fainted.
Therefore I know she is about my height. c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
The civilian proved to be a boy of about sixteen in knee pants. 1945, Journal of the United States Artillery, page 49:
It’s about as cold as it was last winter.
I told him about everything I could think of; and what I couldn't think of he did. He asked about six questions during my yarn, but every question had a point to it. At the end he bowed and thanked me once more. As a thanker he was main-truck high; I never see anybody so polite. 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter IV, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
“Heavens!” exclaimed Nina, “the blue-stocking and the fogy!—and yours are pale blue, Eileen!—you’re about as self-conscious as Drina—slumping there with your hair tumbling à la Mérode! Oh, it's very picturesque, of course, but a straight spine and good grooming is better.[…]” 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter IX, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
The next conference will be held about a year from now in a venue about six miles from here.
In about every one of these works I have pleaded the cause of the working people; and I shall now see that cause triumph, in spite of all that can be done to prevent it. 1828, William Cobbett, A Year's Residence in the United States of America. Treating of the Face of the Country, the Climate, the Soil, the Products, the Mode of Cultivating the Land ... [With a Map.], page 12:
1769, King James Bible, Oxford Standard text, Matthew, xx, 3,
And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace
Dinner’s about ready.
I was about to leave when the door swung open, revealing a woman about my height with straight, light brown hair and sad eyes. "Can I help you?" 2013 10, Joelle Charbonneau, Skating Under the Wire: A Mystery, Macmillan, →ISBN, page 138:
Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now. 1769, King James Bible, Oxford Standard text, Exodus, ix, 18
And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. 1769, King James Bible, Oxford Standard text, Exodus, xxxii,28
I’ll see you at about 4 o'clock; I'll see you about a year from now.
[The researchers] noticed many of their pieces of [plastic marine] debris sported surface pits around two microns across. Such pits are about the size of a bacterial cell. Closer examination showed that some of these pits did, indeed, contain bacteria, […]. 2013 July 20, “Welcome to the plastisphere”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
He owes me about three hundred dollars.
(not-comparable) Near; in the vicinity.
I looked round at the people standing about, and observed them curiously in their peculiar relation to it all. 1879, Scribner's Monthly, an Illustrated Magazine for the People, page 212:
(not-comparable) To a reversed order, direction, or condition; half round; in (or to, or from) the opposite direction.
Mr. Carter, whose back had been turned, turned about and faced his niece. 1888, Horatio Alger, The Errand Boy:
to face about; to turn oneself about
Dykhuizen has the story the other way about, that Dewey decided in 1939 that he wished no longer to continue as "Emeritus Professor in Residence" and so informed Columbia in the knowledge that this would involve a substantial reduction in his income. 1995, Alan Ryan, John Dewey and the High Tide of American Liberalism, W. W. Norton & Company, →ISBN, page 383:
I am sorry to hear of his illness. But I know she will bring him about. And if I smile, it is not out of disregard for your worries but only because mine are somewhat eased. I am relieved to know why I have not heard from her. 2017 October 16, Jeannie Troll, A Clever Girl: Part One, Page Publishing Inc, →ISBN:
(not-comparable) To a reversed order, direction, or condition; half round; in (or to, or from) the opposite direction. ▸ To the opposite tack: see go about.
We went about and headed offshore.
Before he goeth about, he will shoot off a piece; and, being about, will put forth another light, upon the poop […] 1809, The Harleian Miscellany: a collection of scarce, curious, and entertaining pamphlets and tracts ... found in the late Earl of Oxford's library. Interspersed with historical, political, and critical notes, etc. With an introduction by Samuel Johnson, page 45:
(not-comparable, obsolete, rare) In succession, one after another.
When he had finished, he drew his plaid around his head, and went slowly down to the little dell, where he used every day to offer up his morning and evening prayers, and where we have often sat together on Sabbath afternoons, reading verse about with our children in the Bible. 1818, James Hogg, published in The Scots Magazine, Vol. 86, p. 218, "On the Life and Writings of James Hogg" https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=W-5HAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA128&dq=%22reading+verse+about+with+our+children%22 [Quoted in the OED]
(not-comparable, obsolete, rare) In rotation or revolution.
Prithee, do not turn me about; my stomach is not constant. 1897 [c. 1610], William Shakespeare, The Tempest, ed. by F.S. Boas, page 27:
What an Arme he has, he turn'd me about with his finger and his thumbe, as one would set up a Top. 1908 [c. 1606], William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Coriolanus, Oppidan Library, page 96:
"turn and turn about is fair play : you saw the rat that was killed in the parlor." "Turn about [is] fair play, indeed!" cried the cat. "Then all of you get to your spits; I am sure that is turn about!" "Nay, "said the turnspits, wagging their tails and laughing. "That is over and over again,which is not fair play. 'T is the coffee-mill that is turn and turn about." 1902, Mary Mapes Dodge, St. Nicholas, page 1095:
I was driving by myself. The only hard part was shifting, I did grind the gears a few times until I got used to it. I practiced going about in circles and backing in and out of the barn. 2012 02, Edmund C. Schimek, A Small Time in Space, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 12:
(not-comparable, obsolete, possibly, qualifier:outside set phrases) In the course of events.
to bring about, to come about
(archaic, not-comparable) In circuit or circumference; circularly.
... the sure way, though most about, to make gold, is to know the causes of the several natures before rehearsed, […] 1842 [1650?], Francis Bacon, Sylva sylvarum, or A natural history; Papers relating to the Earl of Essex; Papers relating to Sir Edward Coke, page 50:
The island was a mile about, and a third of a mile across.
Indeede I am in the waste two yards about. c. 1597-1602, William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor
... a more easie way, though it were farther about. 1904 [1600?], Richard Hakluyt, The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques & Discoveries of the English Nation Made by Sea Or Over-land to the Remote and Farthest Distant Quarters of the Earth at Any Time Within the Compasse of These 1600 Yeeres, page 104:
(archaic, not-comparable) By a circuitous way; circuitously.
God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea. 1790, The Christian's Complete Family Bible: Containin the Whole of the Sacred Text of the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocrypha at Large:
mk ваму-таму (here and there) · el γύρω (on all sides) · arz حوالي (nearly, approximately) · it intorno (here and there) · da i omkreds (in circuit) · ta சுமார் (nearly, approximately) · fi suunnilleen (nearly, approximately) · fi noin (nearly, approximately) · da omkring (here and there) · ta அங்கும் இங்கும் (here and there) · sk asi (nearly, approximately) · pl dookoła (on all sides) · sv nästan (nearly, approximately) · ga thart (on all sides) · fi peräkkäin (in succession; one after another) · ang hūhwega (nearly, approximately) · ko 약 (nearly, approximately) · pl wszędzie (here and there) · eo ĉirkaŭ (nearly, approximately) · uk бли́зько (nearly, approximately) · es alrededor de (nearly, approximately) · da cirka (nearly, approximately) · pt em volta (on all sides) · ko 거꾸로 (to a reversed order, or opposite direction) · vi độ (nearly, approximately) · uk навколо (on all sides) · pl prawie (nearly, approximately) · hy մոտ (nearly, approximately) · es unos (nearly, approximately) · he מסביב (on all sides) · nl rond (in circuit) · pt ao redor (in circuit) · nl in tegenovergestelde richting (to a reversed order, or opposite direction) · sl okoli (nearly, approximately) · lv aptuveni (nearly, approximately) · pt cerca de (nearly, approximately) · ru приме́рно (nearly, approximately) · es alrededor (in circuit) · mk о́братно (to a reversed order, or opposite direction) · io cirkume (in circuit) · cmn 大概 (nearly, approximately) · hrx ungefäer (nearly, approximately) · eo proksimume (nearly, approximately) · ru вокру́г (on all sides) · pdt onjefäa (nearly, approximately) · nl rond (on all sides) · sl okrog (on all sides) · no rundt (in circuit) · ar حَوَالِي (nearly, approximately) · sl o (to a reversed order, or opposite direction) · nl dichtbij (near; in the vicinity) · fi ympärillä (on all sides) · fi ympäri (in circuit) · la circiter (nearly, approximately) · ga thart (here and there) · be прыблі́зна (nearly, approximately) · io cirkume (here and there) · io proxime (nearly, approximately) · da omkring (nearly, approximately) · pt aproximadamente (nearly, approximately) · ko 여기저기 (here and there) · sw kadiri ya (nearly, approximately) · eo ĉirkaŭe (in circuit) · pt por aí (here and there) · fi ympäri (to a reversed order, or opposite direction) · de ungefähr (nearly, approximately) · pt ao redor (on all sides) · cs přibližně (nearly, approximately) · nl afwisselend (in succession; one after another) · ta இங்கும் அங்கும் (here and there) · ky жөнүндө (on all sides) · ang nēah (near; in the vicinity) · gd mu chuairt (on all sides) · tr yaklaşık (nearly, approximately) · gd mun cuairt (here and there) · eo ĉirkaŭe (here and there) · sh približno (near; in the vicinity) · aeb قْرِيبْ (nearly, approximately) · be блі́зка (nearly, approximately) · sh približno (nearly, approximately) · sk približne (nearly, approximately) · da omkring (to a reversed order, or opposite direction) · ta திரும்பு (nautical: to the opposite tack) · fi likimain (nearly, approximately) · nl vrijwel (nearly, approximately) · ru приблизи́тельно (nearly, approximately) · ru о́коло (nearly, approximately) · nl bijna (nearly, approximately) · sv runt (here and there) · ru взад-вперёд (here and there) · eo returnen (to a reversed order, or opposite direction) · he בערך (nearly, approximately) · es alrededor de (near; in the vicinity) · ta சுற்று (in circuit) · ta தொடர் (in succession; one after another) · gd mu chuairt (in circuit) · lv apmēram (nearly, approximately) · ja 大略 (nearly, approximately) · fi ympärille (on all sides) · pl tu i tam (here and there) · nl ongeveer (nearly, approximately) · mk речиси (nearly, approximately) · fi lähellä (near; in the vicinity) · da omkring (on all sides) · ru обра́тно (to a reversed order, or opposite direction) · km ប្រហែល (nearly, approximately) · es alrededor (on all sides) · de etwa (nearly, approximately) · fr environ (nearly, approximately) · ko 경 (nearly, approximately) · hu körülbelül (nearly, approximately) · nl overstag (nautical: to the opposite tack) · cs asi (nearly, approximately) · pl około (nearly, approximately) · io cirkume (nearly, approximately) · pl niemal (nearly, approximately) · ja およそ (nearly, approximately) · ang nēah (nearly, approximately) · is næstum því (nearly, approximately) · pl wokoło (here and there) · pl tu i ówdzie (here and there) · ru туда́-сюда́ (here and there) · es alrededor (here and there) · ja 約 (nearly, approximately) · ro cam (nearly, approximately) · ml ഏതാണ്ട് (nearly, approximately) · fi ympäri (on all sides) · no nesten (nearly, approximately) · ta சுற்றியும் (on all sides) · bg около (nearly, approximately) · ko 쯤 (nearly, approximately) · mk околу (in circuit) · nl om- (to a reversed order, or opposite direction) · hy մոտավորապես (nearly, approximately) · fi peräjälkeen (in succession; one after another) · gd mu chuairt (here and there) · eo ĉirkaŭe (on all sides) · he מסביב (in circuit) · fi toiselle halssille (nautical: to the opposite tack) · ang wiþersīnes (to a reversed order, or opposite direction) · no rundt (on all sides) · da næsten (nearly, approximately) · sv ungefär (nearly, approximately) · fi peräkanaa (in succession; one after another) · sh otprilike (nearly, approximately) · vi cỡ (nearly, approximately) · pl wokoło (on all sides) · mk наоколу (on all sides) · ta சுற்று (to a reversed order, or opposite direction) · sh tu i tamo (here and there) · nl rond- (here and there) · ko 둥글게 (in circuit) · pl wokół (on all sides) · bg приблизително (nearly, approximately) · pl wstecz (to a reversed order, or opposite direction) · sh oko (nearly, approximately) · gd mun cuairt (in circuit) · el γύρω (in circuit) · hy համարյա (nearly, approximately) · ko 대략 (nearly, approximately) · pl wkoło (in circuit) · sh naokolo (here and there) · vi chừng (nearly, approximately) · nl nabij (near; in the vicinity) · es rondar (nearly, approximately) · sv runt (on all sides) · hy գրեթե (nearly, approximately) · vo za (nearly, approximately) · uk прибли́зно (nearly, approximately) · vi khoảng (nearly, approximately) · mhr иктаж (nearly, approximately) · ru почти́ (nearly, approximately) · uk ко́ло (nearly, approximately) · ru подря́д (in succession; one after another) · nl beurtelings (in succession; one after another) · fi siellä täällä (here and there) · sl približno (nearly, approximately) · ko 이곳저곳 (here and there) · pt mais ou menos (nearly, approximately) · sv runt (in circuit) · el σχεδόν (nearly, approximately) · gd mun cuairt (on all sides)
Etymology tree
Proto-Germanic *ana-
Proto-West Germanic *ana-
Old English on-?
Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der.
Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder.
Proto-Indo-European *h₁épider.
Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi
Proto-Germanic *bi
Proto-West Germanic *bī
Proto-West Germanic *bi-
Proto-Indo-European *úd
Proto-Germanic *ūt
Proto-West Germanic *ūtō
Proto-West Germanic *ūtan
Proto-West Germanic *biūtan
Old English būtan
Old English onbūtan
Middle English aboute
English about
Preposition and adverb from Middle English aboute, abouten, from Old English abūtan, onbūtan, from on (“in, on”) + būtan (“outside of”) (compare modern English but, bout), itself from be (“by”) + ūtan (“outside”); equivalent to on + be + out or on + but. Cognate with Old Frisian abûta (“outside; except”). Not related to bout (“period of time”)
Adjective from Middle English about (adverb).
Meanings
(uncommon) To change the course of (a ship) to the other tack; to bring (a ship) about.
... and we were abouting ship every watch or so. 1950, Sea Breezes:
The Channel at Archer's Hope Point lies close by the Shoar, and makes such an Angle there by reason of Hog Island, that going up or down the River, let the Wind be where it will, they must there bring the contrary Tack on Board, and generally when they About the Ship as they call it, they are so nigh the Shoar, that a Man may almost fling a Finger-stone on Board. 1694, John Martyn (Londres), James Allestry (Londres), Henry Oldenburg, Philosophical Transactions, Giving Some Accompt of the Present Undertakings, Studies and Labors of the Ingenious in Many Considerable Parts of the World, page 984:
Mr. Whalen:] they had "abouted ship." They had changed the course to put her into the wind— 1937, United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Amending the Merchant Marine Act of 1936: Hearing Before the Committee on Commerce and the Committee on Education and Labor, United States Senate, Seventy-fifth Congress, Second[-third] Session, on S. 3078, a Bill to Amend the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, and for Other Purposes ..., page 456:
(humorous, possibly, uncommon) To about-face (turn 180 degrees, like a soldier).
For quotations using this term, see Citations:about.
Forms
Spelling
Features
Labels
Source
abouting
Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
aboot
Northumbria, alternative
lexicographic
a.
alternative
lexicographic
abowt
alternative
lexicographic
abouts
Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres
lexicographic
ab.
alternative
lexicographic
abt.
alternative
lexicographic
abouted
Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
abouted
Tense=Past
lexicographic
Deriveds
fiddle about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · about page (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · that's what I'm talking about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · have a way about one (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · potter about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · give someone something to think about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · walk about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · round about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · what someone is about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · hack about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · know beans about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · mope about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · don't even think about it (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · run about with (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · about face (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · how's about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · man-about-town (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · it doesn't matter what they say about you as long as they spell your name right (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · forget about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · nearabouts (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · gentleman about town (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · right-about-face (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · bugger about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · futt about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · to write home about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · not make any bones about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · westabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · gone north about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · twat about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · turn and turn about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · whereabouts (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · beat about the bush (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · ferret about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · about-sledge (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · fall about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · go about to (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · doss about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · nothing to write home about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · turn about is fair play (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · brace about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · shove about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · out and about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · run about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · something to write home about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · nose about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · fuck about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · make bones about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · bonce about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · arse about face (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · think about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · go about one's business (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · dick about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · raceabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · wheel about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · have one's wits about one (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · right-about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · footle about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · horse about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · knock-about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · make no bones about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · turn-about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · about that life (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · root about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · know what one is about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · on or about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · about-turn (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · about east (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · have one's mind about one (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · what about the children (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · about-face (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · fool about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · dart about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · haulabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · go about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · talk about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · 'bout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · you don't know what you're talking about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · whenabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · fanny about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · know about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · left-about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · turn about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · bang about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · put it about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · hereabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · prat about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · not worth writing home about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · up and about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · buzz about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · along about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · walking-about money (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · walkabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · whirlabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · discuss about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · sling about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · kickabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · slob about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · tearabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · how about no (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · hereabouts (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · loaf about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · thrash about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · nearbout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · arse about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · knock about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · bally about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · faff about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · set about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · loll about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · splash about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · green about the gills (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · that's about the size of it (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · how about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · facts don't care about your feelings (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · I don't know about that (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · forget about it (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · not bear thinking about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · lay about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · around about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · about one's ears (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · order about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · boss about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · hop about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · bout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · sounds about white (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · a man about a horse (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · bucket about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · tell me about it (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · stirabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · whereabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · about me (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · ask me one about sport (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · tit about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · what about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · rattle about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · play about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · poke about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · push about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · beat about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · how about that (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · fall about the place (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · about one's person (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · no bones about it (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · mess about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · a man about a dog (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · ready about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · put about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · thereabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · thereabouts (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · shift about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · how about them apples (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · send about one's business (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · cut about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · I don't want to talk about it (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · much ado about nothing (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · flail about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · on about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · jump about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · talk-about-able (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · talmbout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · about sledge (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · keep one's wits about one (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · sit about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · get about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · be all about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · man about town (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · roustabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · layabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · eastabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · thenabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · give about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · tack about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · roll about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · fluff about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · time about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · muck about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · hang about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · just about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · bandy about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · talk about the weather (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · piss about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · nearabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · bat about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · while one is about it (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · nothing about us without us (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · be about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · about turn (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · woman about town (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · screw about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · bring about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · putter about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · cast about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · go about one's day (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · no two ways about it (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · bash about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · clown about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · about time (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · move about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · about ship (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · kick about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · roundabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · come about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · fart about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · lark about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · keep on about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · tourabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · hedge about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · laze about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · pull about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · monkey about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · arse about tit (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · buggerise about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · it's about time (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · turnabout (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · throw about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · mill about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · balls about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · fetch about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · talked about (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · aboutness (terms derived from about (any part of speech)) · put oneself about (terms derived from about (any part of speech))