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Added 9 October 2026

abide

/əˈbaɪd/ verb

In Latin: possideo Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about abide at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To endure without yielding; to withstand. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
The old oak tree abides the wind endlessly.
To bear patiently.
"I never could abide shoemakers," said an old servant,—and it ended in her marrying one.
To pay for; to take the consequences of.

Origin

From Middle English abyden, from Old English ābīdan (“to abide, wait, remain, delay, remain behind; survive; wait for, await; expect”), from Proto-West Germanic *uʀbīdan, from Proto-Germanic *uzbīdaną (“to expect, tolerate”), equivalent to a- + bide. Cognate with Scots abide (“to abide, remain”), Middle High German erbīten (“to await, expect”), Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌱𐌴𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌽 (usbeidan, “to expect, await, have patience”). The sense of pay for is due to influence from aby.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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