Abye

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Archaic word meaning to suffer the consequences of a wrong or to pay dearly for a past action
2. Old verb for bearing the punishment or paying the price for something one has done
3. Obsolete term describing the act of atoning for a misdeed through suffering or penalty

Etymology: "Abye" is an alternative spelling of "aby", a verb meaning to pay the penalty for something, to suffer for a wrong. It is built from the prefix "a-" and the verb "buy", in the sense of paying for. The Old English ancestor "abycgan" was formed the same way, and it is related to the Gothic "usbugjan", meaning to buy out or redeem. The verb has nothing to do with "abide", despite the similar look. That word comes from a different Old English root meaning to wait or remain, while "aby" grew out of the idea of buying something back with suffering. The sense of paying a price, rather than paying money, is what gives the word its flavour. Because the Old English form already carried that a- prefix, "abye" and "aby" are two spellings of one long-standing verb, and the older spelling survives mainly in poetry and archaic writing.