abusion

A1B3U1S1I1O1N1
UK/əˈbjuː.ʒn̩/US/əˈbju.ʒn̩/

noun

Misuse, abuse; in particular, illegal behaviour; verbal, physical or sexual abuse.

OriginMiddle English abusioun ← Old French abusion ← Latin abūsiō →
First used 14th–18th c.Scrabble 9
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Meanings

nounabusion (countable and uncountable, plural abusions)

plural abusions

  1. EarlyModerncountableobsoleteuncountableMisuse, abuse; in particular, illegal behaviour; verbal, physical or sexual abuse.First known use 14th–18th c.
  2. EarlyModerncountableobsoleteuncountableDeceit; abuse of the truth.First known use 15th–17th c.

    […] by those vgly formes weren pourtrayd, / Foolish delights and fond abusions, / Which do that sence besiege with light illusions.

    1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto XI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC
    1 more example

    Such tunges unhappy hath made great diviſion In realmes, in cities, by ſuche fals abuſion; Of fals fickil tunges ſuche cloked colluſion

    c. 1515–1516, published 1568, John Skelton, Againſt venemous tongues enpoyſoned with ſclaunder and falſe detractions &c.
  3. EarlyModerncountableobsoleterhetoricuncountableCatachresis.First known use 16th–18th c.

Origin

  1. Latinabūsiō“abuse, misuse”
  2. Old Frenchabusion
  3. Middle Englishabusioun
  4. Englishabusion

From Middle English abusioun, from Old French abusion, from Latin abūsiō (“abuse, misuse”), from abūtor (“misuse”). Doublet of abusio.

More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with abusion

conclusionfusioninclusionconfusionexclusiondiffusionintrusionillusioninfusiontransfusionextrusiondelusionocclusionBelarusianseclusioneffusionallusionprofusionprotrusiondisillusionmalocclusionpreclusioncontusionVenusian
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

abusion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abusion

MLA

“abusion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abusion. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “abusion,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abusion.

Source: abusion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.