Abettals

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈbɛt.l̩z/

Definitions

1. The act of supporting or encouraging someone in wrongdoing or illegal activity; assistance rendered in the commission of a crime; the endeavor to help or facilitate unlawful actions for another person or entity
2. Providing aid to someone engaged in criminal behavior or unethical acts; involvement in conspiratorial actions leading to an offense; the support and encouragement of another's malicious intentions
3. The encouragement or endorsement given to an individual participating in unlawful activities; collaboration in the performance of a crime; the facilitation of wrongful acts through active support or influence

Etymology: The word "abettals" is simply the plural of "abettal," so its story is really the story of "abet" plus a suffix. "Abet" came into English from Old French "abeter," meaning to bait or incite, and in its earliest uses it carried the sense of urging someone on, often to a bad deed. The verb's own roots are in the Old French "abait," the stem of the verb "bait" in its original meaning of baiting or enticing, so the original flavour was one of luring someone into trouble. The noun "abettal" is formed in English by adding the suffix "-al" to "abet," a pattern that also gave us "refusal" and "betrayal." That suffix descends from Latin "-alis," which passed through Old French and Middle English before settling into English as a productive ending for forming nouns from verbs.