Abandoned

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /əˈbæn.dənd/

Definitions

1. Left empty or unused, typically a place or object no longer inhabited or maintained ; given up or forsaken, especially in the sense of abandoning plans, responsibilities, or relationships
2. Describes a location or item no longer occupied or cared for by anyone ; referring to something or someone that has been deserted or relinquished, often permanently
3. A state where a building or thing is no longer lived in or taken care of ; a condition of having been left behind, neglected, or intentionally deserted

Etymology: "Abandoned" is the past participle of "abandon," used as an adjective, so its history is really the history of the verb underneath it. "Abandon" came into Middle English from Old French "abandoner," which meant to give something up to another's control, a sense that still lies behind the idea of surrendering a place or a claim. The French verb itself grew out of the phrase "à bandon," meaning under someone's power or authority, which points to the older idea of handing a thing over to someone else's jurisdiction rather than simply dropping it. The adjective "abandoned" carries that sense into the present: a building or road that has been given up, left to its own devices, and no longer tended by anyone. Its meaning of "no longer occupied" follows directly from the verb's core idea of relinquishing control of a place.

Synonyms: forsaken, deserted, discarded

Antonyms: cherished, retained