abandon. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

abandon

SYLLABICATION:	a·ban·don
PRONUNCIATION:	-bndn
TRANSITIVE VERB:	Inflected forms: a·ban·doned, a·ban·don·ing, a·ban·dons 1. To withdraw one's support or help from, especially in spite of duty, allegiance, or responsibility; desert: abandon a friend in trouble. 2. To give up by leaving or ceasing to operate or inhabit, especially as a result of danger or other impending threat: abandoned the ship. 3. To surrender one's claim to, right to, or interest in; give up entirely. See synonyms at relinquish. 4. To cease trying to continue; desist from: abandoned the search for the missing hiker. 5. To yield (oneself) completely, as to emotion.
NOUN:	1. Unbounded enthusiasm; exuberance. 2. A complete surrender of inhibitions.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English abandounen, from Old French abandoner, from a bandon : a, at (from Latin ad; see ad–) + bandon, control; see bh-² in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS:	a·bandon·er —NOUN a·bandon·ment —NOUN


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.