Aborted

How to spell aborted

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce aborted

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does aborted mean?

1. verbStopped a process, plan, or journey before it was finished, usually because of a problem.
2. adjectiveCut short or abandoned before reaching completion.

Aborted in a sentence

• verb

  The pilot aborted the takeoff after a warning light flashed.

• adjective

  The aborted mission cost the company millions in wasted fuel.

• verb

  Engineers aborted the launch when a fuel leak was detected.

• adjective

  News reports described the aborted coup that collapsed within hours.

Where does aborted come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the past tense of 'abort', which comes from the Latin verb aboriri, meaning 'to miscarry' or 'to fail to come into being'. That verb was assembled from the prefix ab-, here carrying the sense of 'away' or 'amiss', and oriri, 'to be born' or 'to rise', the same root that gives us 'origin' and 'orient'. So the literal idea is something that goes wrong in the rising or being born, a beginning that fails. English adopted 'abort' in the sixteenth century, first for a pregnancy that ended early and later, by extension, for any plan, launch, or process stopped before completion. The single 't' followed by '-ed' is the usual spelling trap, since the stressed second syllable can tempt writers to double the consonant, but 'aborted' keeps just one 't'.

How the word is built

• ab- (away, amiss)
• ort- (from Latin oriri, to be born or rise)
• -ed (past tense / participle)