Etymograph

English

abandon

Abandon comes from Old French abandoner ‘to abandon’, from bandon ‘jurisdiction, control’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to speak’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-‘to speak’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bannaną‘to proclaim, command’reconstructed
  3. Frankishc. 250–700*banreconstructed
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEbannum‘proclamation’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400bandon‘jurisdiction, control’
  6. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400abandoner‘to abandon’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500abandounen
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1594abandon

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-‘to speak’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bannaną‘to proclaim, command’reconstructed
  3. Frankishc. 250–700*banreconstructed
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEbannum‘proclamation’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400bandon‘jurisdiction, control’
  6. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400abandoner‘to abandon’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500abandounen
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1594abandon

Earliest quotation: 1594, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew: “Being all this time abandoned from your bed.”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to speak’

phone, focus, professor, famous, fuel, ben, phase, favor, favourite, fate, fame, fantasy, photographer, emphasis, fancy, fatal, bee, fairy, profession, phenomenon, fabulous, infant, beck, confession, confess, symphony, phantom, beacon, eff, fay, prophetic, boon, fab, foyer, buoy, nefarious, epiphany, profess, fable, bene, 127 more

through Proto-Germanic *bannaną ‘to proclaim, command’

ban, banish, 2 more

Another origin of abandon

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400abondonner
  2. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400abandon
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500abandoun
  4. Englishtodayabandon

Today it means

verb To give up or relinquish control of, to surrender or to give oneself over, or to yield to one's emotions.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- / abandon

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