Etymograph

English

abandon

Abandon comes from Old French abandoner ‘to abandon’, from bandon ‘jurisdiction, control’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to speak’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-1‘to speak’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bannaną1‘to proclaim, command’reconstructed
  3. Frankishc. 250–700*ban1reconstructed
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEbannum1‘proclamation’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400bandon1‘jurisdiction, control’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400abandoner1‘to abandon’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500abandounen1
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1594abandon1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English abandon
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1594, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew: “Being all this time abandoned from your bed.”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-Wiktionary, English abandon‘to speak’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bannanąWiktionary, English abandon‘to proclaim, command’reconstructed
  3. Frankishc. 250–700*banWiktionary, English abandonreconstructed
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEbannumWiktionary, English abandon‘proclamation’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400bandonWiktionary, English abandon‘jurisdiction, control’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400abandonerWiktionary, English abandon‘to abandon’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500abandounenWiktionary, English abandon
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1594abandonWiktionary, English abandon. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1594, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew: “Being all this time abandoned from your bed.”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to speak’

phone, focus, professor, famous, fuel, ben, phase, favor, favourite, fate, fame, fantasy, photographer, emphasis, fancy, fatal, bee, fairy, profession, phenomenon, fabulous, infant, beck, confession, confess, symphony, phantom, beacon, eff, fay, prophetic, boon, fab, foyer, buoy, nefarious, epiphany, profess, fable, bene, 127 more

through Proto-Germanic *bannaną ‘to proclaim, command’

ban, banish, 2 more

Another origin of abandon

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400abondonner
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400abandon
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500abandoun
  4. Englishtodayabandon

Today it means

verb To give up or relinquish control of, to surrender or to give oneself over, or to yield to one's emotions.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “abandon”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- / abandon

Shirt and support for this word