Etymograph

English

abet

Abet comes from Old French abeter ‘to entice’, from beter ‘hound on, urge, to bait’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- ‘to split’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeyd-1‘to split’uncertain
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*baitijaną1‘to cause to bite’uncertain
  3. Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500bētan1‘incite’uncertain
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400beter1‘hound on, urge, to bait’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400abeter1‘to entice’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500abetten1
  7. Englishearliest quotation a. 1667abet1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English abet
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: a. 1667, Jeremy Taylor, The whole works of the Right Rev. Jeremy Taylor: “Our duty is urged, and our confidence abetted.”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeyd-Wiktionary, English abet‘to split’uncertain
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*baitijanąWiktionary, English abet‘to cause to bite’uncertain
  3. Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500bētanWiktionary, English abet‘incite’uncertain
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400beterWiktionary, English abet‘hound on, urge, to bait’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400abeterWiktionary, English abet‘to entice’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500abettenWiktionary, English abet
  7. Englishearliest quotation a. 1667abetWiktionary, English abet. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: a. 1667, Jeremy Taylor, The whole works of the Right Rev. Jeremy Taylor: “Our duty is urged, and our confidence abetted.”

The story

Alternate etymology traces the Middle English and Old French words through Old English *ābǣtan (‘to hound on’), from ā- + bǣtan (‘to bait’), from the same source (Proto-Germanic *baitijaną).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- ‘to split’

boat, bite, bitter, fiber, fibre, fission, fissure, clickbait, fissile, feta, fettuccine, 24 more

through Proto-Germanic *baitijaną ‘to cause to bite’

bait, 6 more

through Old French abeter ‘to entice’

bet, 2 more

Today it means

verb To incite; to assist or encourage by aid or countenance in crime.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “abet”. 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 *bʰeyd- / abet

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