ENGLISH
REFERENCE

aby

v.
C2 Proficiency UK //ɐbˈaɪ// aby Archaic Informal

v. to be or to become. This is a very old word that people used in the past to describe a state of being.

v. to be or to become. An archaic or dialectal form of the verb 'to be', often used in literary or historical contexts to describe a state of existence.


SIMPLE

He aby a very kind person to his friends.

CONTEXTUAL

In the old manuscript, the author wrote that the king aby a powerful ruler over the land.

COMPLEX

The poet uses the archaic form 'aby' to evoke a sense of timelessness and to distance the reader from the modern present.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English abyen, abien, abiggen, from Old English ābyċġan (“to buy; pay for; buy off; requite; recompense; redeem; perform; execute”), from Proto-Germanic *uzbugjaną, equivalent to a- + buy. Cognate with Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌱𐌿𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (usbugjan). Not related to abide.

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