abjection

English

Etymology

From Middle English abjeccioun, from either Middle French abjection or Late Latin abiectiōn-, from Latin abiectus (“cast down”).[1][2]

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /æbˈd͡ʒɛk.ʃn̩/
  • Audio(file)
  • Audio (US)(file)

Noun

abjection (countable and uncountable, plural abjections)

  1. A low or downcast condition; meanness of spirit; abasement; degradation. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).][2]
    an abjection from the beatific regions where God, and his angels and saints, dwell forever
  2. (obsolete, chiefly figuratively) Something cast off; garbage. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the mid 16th century.][2]
  3. (obsolete) The act of bringing down or humbling; casting down. [Attested from the early 16th century until the mid 17th century.][2]
    The abjection of the king and his realm.
  4. (obsolete) The act of casting off; rejection. [Attested from the early 17th century until the mid 17th century.][2]
  5. (biology, mycology) The act of dispersing or casting off spores.

Translations

References
  1. Philip Babcock Gove (editor), Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 [1909], →ISBN), page 4
  2. Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief; William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “abjection”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford; New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 5.

French

Etymology

From Latin abiectiō.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ab.ʒɛk.sjɔ̃/
  • Audio(file)

Noun

abjection f (plural abjections)

  1. (literary) something that is worthy of utter contempt

Further reading
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.