abusion

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English

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Etymology

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From Middle English abusioun, from Old French abusion, from Latin abūsiō (abuse, misuse), from abūtor (misuse).[1] Doublet of abusio.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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abusion (countable and uncountable, plural abusions) (chiefly Early Modern)

  1. (obsolete) Misuse, abuse; in particular, illegal behaviour; verbal, physical or sexual abuse. [14th–18th c.]
  2. (obsolete) Deceit; abuse of the truth. [15th–17th c.]
    • c. 1515–1516, published 1568, John Skelton, Againſt venemous tongues enpoyſoned with ſclaunder and falſe detractions &c.:
      Such tunges unhappy hath made great diviſion
      In realmes, in cities, by ſuche fals abuſion;
      Of fals fickil tunges ſuche cloked colluſion
      Hath brought nobil princes to extreme confuſion.
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto XI”, in The Faerie Queene. [], London: [] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
      [] by those vgly formes weren pourtrayd, / Foolish delights and fond abusions, / Which do that sence besiege with light illusions.
  3. (obsolete, rhetoric) Catachresis. [16th–18th c.]
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References

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  1. ^ Philip Babcock Gove (editor), Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 [1909], →ISBN), page 8

Old French

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Noun

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abusion oblique singularf (oblique plural abusions, nominative singular abusion, nominative plural abusions)

  1. abuse
  2. deception; deceit
  3. lie; untruth

References

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