Abandoning

How to spell abandoning

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce abandoning

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does abandoning mean?

1. verbGiving up something completely, or leaving a person, place, or thing behind for good.

Abandoning in a sentence

• Abandoning the project now would waste months of careful work.

• The crew was accused of abandoning their posts during the storm.

Where does abandoning come from?

Language of origin: French

This word descends from the Old French verb 'abandoner', which meant to give something up or to surrender it completely. That verb was built from the phrase 'a bandon', literally 'under control' or 'at one's discretion', where 'bandon' meant power, jurisdiction, or decree. To put something 'a bandon' originally meant to place it under another's authority, and from there the sense slid toward leaving it open to anyone, then to giving it up entirely. English took the verb in during the 1300s, and the modern '-ing' form simply adds the native English present participle ending. The same 'bandon' root, tied to the idea of a public proclamation or banner, also links faintly to the family of 'ban', which helps explain why abandoning carries that feeling of letting go of something once held under control.

How the word is built

• a- (from Old French 'a bandon': under control)
• bandon (control, jurisdiction)
• -ing (present participle/gerund suffix)