Word
abaction
Phoneticsabac·tion
Definition
n. the act of stealing many farm animals at once and taking them away.
n. the forceful carrying away of property, specifically the large-scale theft of cattle or other livestock.
Examples
“The old laws included harsh punishments for the abaction of a neighbor's herd.”
“The magistrate noted that the abaction of the entire herd constituted a capital offense under the statutes of the period.”
Examples
simple
“The old laws included harsh punishments for the abaction of a neighbor's herd.”
complex
“The magistrate noted that the abaction of the entire herd constituted a capital offense under the statutes of the period.”
Usage
Used as an uncountable noun in historical legal contexts.
Teaching tip
This term is obsolete in modern general English; students will only encounter it in historical legal texts or specialized dictionaries.
Etymology
From Latin abāctiō.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.