abuse
/əˈbjuːs/ · noun
Meaning
- Improper treatment or usage; application to a wrong or bad purpose; an unjust, corrupt or wrongful practice or custom.
- Misuse; improper use; perversion.
- A delusion; an imposture; misrepresentation; deception.
- Coarse, insulting speech; abusive language; language that unjustly or angrily vilifies.
- Catachresis.
- Physical maltreatment; injury; cruel treatment.
- Violation; defilement; rape; forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another, often on a repeated basis.
- To put to a wrong use; to misapply; to use improperly; to use for a wrong purpose or end; to pervert
- To injure; to maltreat; to hurt; to treat with cruelty, especially repeatedly.
- To attack with coarse language; to insult; to revile; malign; to speak in an offensive manner to or about someone; to disparage.
- To imbibe a drug for a purpose other than it was intended; to intentionally take more of a drug than was prescribed for recreational reasons; to take illegal drugs habitually.
- To violate; defile; to rape; (reflexive) to masturbate.
- Misrepresent; adulterate.
- To deceive; to trick; to impose on; misuse the confidence of.
- Disuse.
Etymology / origin
From Middle English abusen, then from either Old French abus (“improper use”), or from Latin abūsus (“misused, using up”), perfect active participle of abūtor (“make improper use of, consume, abuse”), from ab (“away”) + ūtor (“to use”). Equivalent to ab- + use.
- abūsus(la)→
- abus(Old French)→
- abusen(Middle English)→
- abuse (English)
- Relations: inh, der, der
Related words
Descendant words
- абуз(Russian) (bor)
- абьюз(Russian) (bor)
Sources
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