Abjects

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A condition that conveys extreme shame and degradation
2. Experiencing a state of utter hopelessness or wretchedness
3. Characterized by the lowest or most unfortunate circumstances imaginable

Etymology: Abject began life as a literal physical action. Its Latin ancestor "abiectus" meant "cast away" or "thrown off," built from "ab-" (away from) and "iacere" (to throw). Something abject was something discarded, flung out of the way, and the sense of worthlessness or misery grew from that image of being tossed aside. The adjective arrived in English in the Late Middle Ages, borrowed through Middle French, where it still carried the sense of base or degraded. Before long, English also had a verb, "abject," meaning to cast out or expel, which shows how closely the physical and social senses were tied together. The plural form here, "abjects," simply counts the noun, which is derived from the adjective: a person in the most wretched condition, the lowest of the low. The modern sense of utter misfortune is the adjective's original emotional extension, carried further than the Latin literal meaning ever went.