abolition

What it means

1. The act of abolishing; an annulling; abrogation.First known use First attested around the early 16ᵗʰ century.

   The campaign for the abolition of slavery changed the course of history.

   2 more examples

   the abolition of debts; the abolition of laws; the abolition of slavery; the abolition of police; the abolition of taxes

   He also formulated at this early stage the idea of socialism, not as the replacement of one type of political life by another but as the abolition of politics altogether.

   1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume I: The Founders, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: powstanie (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 130

   Synonyms: annulment, devalidation, revocation, abrogation, annulment, cancellation, deauthentication, devalidation · Antonyms: establishment, foundation

2. The state of being abolished.
3. UKUScapitalizedhistoricaloftenThe ending of the slave trade or of slavery.First known use First attested around the early 18ᵗʰ century.

In a sentence

the abolition of debts; the abolition of laws; the abolition of slavery; the abolition of police; the abolition of taxes

Where it comes from

1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ep
2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂epó
3. Proto-Italic*ap
4. Latinab
5. Latinab-
6. Proto-Indo-European*h₃elh₁-
7. Proto-Indo-European*h₃olh₁-éye-ti
8. Proto-Italic*oleō
9. Latinaboleō
10. Latinabolitiōnem
11. Old Frenchabolucion
12. Middle Frenchabolition
13. Englishabolition

Borrowed from Middle French abolition, from Old French abolucion, a learned borrowing from Latin abolitiōnem. First attested in 1529. Equivalent to abolish + -tion.

First known use: First attested around the early 16ᵗʰ century.