ab

Abdominal muscle.

An abscess caused by injecting an illegal drug, usually heroin.

To abseil.

(now rare outside medicine) To miscarry; to bring forth (non-living) offspring prematurely.

To cause a premature termination of (a fetus); to end a pregnancy before term.

To end prematurely; to stop in the preliminary stages; to turn back.

To stop or fail at something in the preliminary stages.

To become checked in normal development, so as either to remain rudimentary or shrink away wholly; to cease organic growth before maturation; to become sterile.

To cause an organism to develop minimally; to cause rudimentary development to happen; to prevent maturation.

To abandon a mission at any point after the beginning of the mission and prior to its completion.

To terminate a mission involving a missile or rocket; to destroy a missile or rocket prematurely.

To terminate a process prior to completion.

The expulsion from the womb of a foetus or embryo before it is fully developed, with loss of the foetus; either naturally as a spontaneous abortion (now usually called a miscarriage), or deliberately as an induced abortion.

An aborted foetus; an abortus.

A misshapen person or thing; a monstrosity.

Failure or abandonment of a project, promise, goal etc.

Arrest of development of any organ, so that it remains an imperfect formation or is absorbed.

The cessation of an illness or disease at a very early stage.

On all sides; around.

“I looked about at the scenery that surrounded me.”

Here and there; around; in one place and another; up and down.

“Bits of old machinery were lying about.”

From one place or position to another in succession; indicating repeated movement or activity.

“walking about;  rushing about;  jumping about;  thrashing about”

Indicating unproductive or unstructured activity.

“messing about;  fooling about;  loafing about”

Nearly; approximately; with close correspondence in quality, manner, degree, quantity, or time; almost.

“Dinner's about ready.”

Near; in the vicinity.

To a reversed order; half round; facing in the opposite direction; from a contrary point of view.

“to face about;  to turn oneself about”

In succession; one after another; in the course of events.

In circuit; circularly; by a circuitous way; around the outside; in circumference.

“a mile about, and a third of a mile across”

In a circle around; all round; on every side of; on the outside of.

“The snake was coiled about his ankle.”

Over or upon different parts of; through or over in various directions; here and there in; to and fro in; throughout.

“He was well known about town.”

Indicates that something will happen very soon; indicates a plan or intention to do something.

Concerning; with regard to; on account of; on the subject of; to affect.

“He talked a lot about his childhood.”

Concerned with; engaged in; intent on.

“to be about one's business”

Within or in the immediate neighborhood of; in contiguity or proximity to; near, as to place.

“I can't find my reading glasses, but they must be somewhere about the house.”

On one's person; nearby the person.

“I had no weapon about me but a stick.”

In or near, as in mental faculties or in the possession of; under the control of; at one's command; in one's makeup.

“He has his wits about him.”

The early stages of; the beginning process; the start.