Meanings
- archaicuncountableTheft of cattle by driving it away with the intention of feloniously appropriating it.
The shepherds of the Golden Age let their flocks out to pasture without fearing the abigeat, they feared only the wild beasts.
1968, Jim Dine, The poet assassinated, translation of Le poète assassiné by Guillaume Apollinaire, published 1916, page 262 more examples
But the driving away of goods, or taking away, and detaining, another mans boat, without violence, by the number of 10 preſent, is a wrong, unwarrantable, and oppreſſive act, and a ſort of abigeat and thift, but is not properly a ryot […]
1676 [published 1848], John Lauder, Historical Notices of Scotish Affairs, T. Constable, vol 1., page 101The contracting Republics [...] do hereby agree, reciprocally, to surrender persons [...] having committed [...] any of the following crimes, to wit: homicide, [...] abigeat (cattle stealing), [...] and, in general, any crime or offense
1906, International Bureau of the American Republics, Monthly bulletin of the International Bureau of the American Republics, General Treaty of Peace and Amity, Arbitration, Commerce, etc., Concluded between the Republics of Costa Rica, Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, page 1167Synonyms: rustling
Synonyms & antonyms
nounTheft of cattle by driving it away with the intention of feloniously appropriating it.
Origin
- Latinabigeatus
- Englishabigeat
From Latin abigeatus, from the verb ab agō (“to drive”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish karjavarkaus
- karjavarkaustheft of cattle
French abigéat
- abigéattheft of cattle
German Viehdieb
- Viehdiebtheft of cattle
Italian abigeato
- abigeatotheft of cattle
Portuguese abigeato
- abigeatotheft of cattle
Spanish abigeato, cuatrero
- abigeatotheft of cattle
- cuatrerotheft of cattle
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
abigeat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abigeat
“abigeat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abigeat. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “abigeat,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abigeat.
Source: abigeat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.