Abolition

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌæb.əˈlɪʃ.n̩/

Definitions

1. The act of officially ending or eliminating a practice, institution, or system, especially one that is considered unjust
2. The act of completely removing a certain practice or institution that is generally acknowledged as unfair or detrimental
3. The process of bringing an end to a specific practice or institution deemed as inequitable or harmful

Etymology: The surprising thing about "abolition" is how literal its Latin ancestor was. Latin "abolēre" meant "to destroy" or "to make disappear," built from "ab-" ("away") and a verb tied to "oleō," which referred to growing or thriving. The idea was something like pulling a plant up and away, rather than a formal legal act. The Latin noun "abolitiō" carried that sense of wiping something out of existence. The word reached English through French. Latin "abolitiōnem" passed into Old French as "abolucion," then into Middle French as "abolition," and English borrowed the Middle French form. Its first recorded appearance in English dates to 1529, a learned borrowing that kept the Latin shape closely. The word is a compound of "abolish" and the suffix "-tion," which turns a verb into a noun for an action or process. For a century or so after its arrival, "abolition" meant the general undoing of any custom, law, or institution. Only later did it become attached so strongly to the ending of slavery that many readers now hear that meaning first.

Synonyms: elimination, termination

Antonyms: establishment, continuation