Abducing

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /abˈdju.sɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The process of forcibly taking another person away under false pretenses or through cunning means
2. Forcibly removing a person from a place, often by deception or trickery
3. Taking someone away against their will using force or guile

Etymology: The verb "abduce" is a 16th-century borrowing from Latin "abdūcō," meaning "lead away," built from "ab" ("from, away from") and "dūcō" ("lead"). That same "dūcō" root sits behind English "duke," which came into the language through Old French from Latin "dux," a leader, and it also appears in words like "conduct" and "produce." An abduction, in other words, is at heart a leading-away: the victim is led off somewhere they did not choose to go. The word "abduce" was first recorded in the 1530s, but it did not stay in general use the way its near relative "abduct" did. English speakers preferred "abduct," which entered the language around the same time from the Latin past participle "abductus," so "abduce" survives mostly as a specialist term, especially in logic and anatomy.

Synonyms: kidnapping, seizing, snatching, taking, capturing

Antonyms: releasing, liberating, freeing, letting go, discharging