Etymograph

English

abolish

Abolish comes from Middle French aboliss-, from Latin abolēre ‘to retard, check the growth of, destroy, abolish’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-1root named by Wiktionary
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabolēscō1as abolēscere‘to wither, vanish, cease’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabolēre1‘to retard, check the growth of, destroy, abolish’
  4. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600aboliss-1
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500abolisshen1
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1590abolish1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English abolish
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1590, Edmund Spenser: “And with thy blood abolish so reproachful blot.”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-Wiktionary, English abolishroot named by Wiktionary
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabolēscōWiktionary, English abolishas abolēscere‘to wither, vanish, cease’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabolēreWiktionary, English abolish‘to retard, check the growth of, destroy, abolish’
  4. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600aboliss-Wiktionary, English abolish
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500abolisshenWiktionary, English abolish
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1590abolishWiktionary, English abolish. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1590, Edmund Spenser: “And with thy blood abolish so reproachful blot.”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

as, all, old, else, adult, el, ultimate, element, ultra, alternate, elder, alien, alter, ellen, altitude, alumni, outrage, alt, altar, ou, qualification, alpine, alto, adolescent, alum, alias, alp, auld, retaliate, alimony, ulterior, alibi, parallax, proletariat, altruism, coalesce, exalt, foetal, althea, altimeter, 66 more

Today it means

verb To end a law, system, institution, custom or practice.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “abolish”. 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 *h₂el- / abolish

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