Abolishment

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈbɑl.ɪʃ.mənt/

Definitions

1. The act of officially ending, eliminating, or formally doing away with something such as a law, system, or institution
2. The process of formally terminating, nullifying, or discarding an existing law, practice, or institutional framework
3. The action of completely eradicating, revoking, or abolishing a certain regulation, convention, or organizational structure

Etymology: "Abolishment" is a straightforward formation: the verb "abolish" with the suffix "-ment," which turns a verb into a noun naming the act or result of doing it. The verb "abolish" came into English from Middle French "abolir," whose stem "aboliss-" appears in some of its conjugated forms, and the noun "abolissement" was already in French before English borrowed the pattern. Behind all of this lies the Latin "abolere," meaning "to destroy" or "to make disappear," a verb that carried the sense of wiping something out of existence rather than merely setting it aside. English speakers adopted "abolish" and later attached "-ment" to it, so the noun inherits the same idea of total removal. Its meaning, officially ending something, keeps that force: the word describes a decisive, formal termination rather than a gradual fading.

Synonyms: elimination, abolition, removal, cancellation, termination

Antonyms: establishment, continuation, institution, maintenance, perpetuation