abord

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See also: à bord

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From French abord, from aborder (to aboard).

Noun

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abord (plural abords)

  1. (obsolete) The act of approaching or arriving; approach. [17th–19th c.]
    • 1777, Frances Burney, Journals & Letters, Penguin, published 2001, page 77:
      He entered with an air so immensely conceited and affected, and, at the same Time, so uncommonly bold, that I could scarce stand his Abord […].
  2. (rare) A road, or means of approach. [from 17th c.]

Etymology 2

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Alternative forms.

Verb

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abord (third-person singular simple present abords, present participle abording, simple past and past participle aborded)

  1. Alternative form of aboard
    • 1919, Ronald Firbank, Valmouth, hardback edition, Duckworth, page 82:
      Mrs Hurstpierpoint aborded her with a smile.

Anagrams

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French

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Etymology

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Inherited from Middle French [Term?], from aborder, from Old French aborder (to hit a ship in order to board it), from bord (side of a ship, edge), from Frankish *bord (side of a ship or vessel), from Proto-Germanic *burdą (edge, border, side), from Proto-Indo-European *bheredh- (to cut). Cognate with Old High German bort (edge, rim, rand), Old English bord (ship, side of a ship), Old Norse borð (edge, side of a vessel). More at board.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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abord m (plural abords)

  1. (literary) the manner with which one acts in the presence of another person or persons, especially in a first encounter
    • 2008, Amphibiens et reptiles, →ISBN, page 80:
      Au premier abord, la caouanne est une tortue à très grosse tête.
      At first glance, the loggerhead is a turtle with a very large head.
  2. (rare) the surroundings of a place
  3. (archaic) arrival or accessibility by water

Usage notes

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  • In the sense "surroundings", the word is almost always a pluralia tantum.
  • The sense "manner of acting" is usually now perceived as a backformation from aborder (to approach), and is most common in the expression être d'un abord and variations of it.

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Anagrams

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Middle English

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Etymology

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From a- +‎ bord (exterior of a ship).

Pronunciation

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Adverb

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abord

  1. On board; into or within a ship or boat
  2. (nautical) Alongside.

Preposition

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abord

  1. On board of; onto or into a ship, boat, train, plane.

Descendants

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  • English: aboard
  • Scots: aboord, abaird

References

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