Added 2 October 2026
abuse
/əˈbjuːs/ noun
In Latin: abūsiō Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about abuse at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
verb
-
To put to a wrong use; to misapply; to use improperly; to use for a wrong purpose or end; to pervert
He abused his authority.
- To injure; to maltreat; to hurt; to treat with cruelty, especially repeatedly.
- To attack with coarse language; to insult; to revile; malign; to speak in an offensive manner to or about someone; to disparage.
Origin
From Middle English abusen, then from either Old French abus (“improper use”), or from Latin abūsus (“misused, using up”), perfect active participle of abūtor (“make improper use of, consume, abuse”), from ab (“away”) + ūtor (“to use”). Equivalent to ab- + use.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)