about
English
/əˈbaʊt/, /əˈbʌʊt/, /əˈbɛʊt/
prep
Definitions
- In a circle around; all round; on every side of; on the outside of.
- Over or upon different parts of; through or over in various directions; here and there in; to and fro in; throughout.
- Indicates that something will happen very soon, indicates a plan or intention to do something.
- Concerning; with regard to; on account of; on the subject of; to affect.
- Concerned with; engaged in; intent on.
- Within or in the immediate neighborhood of; in contiguity or proximity to; near, as to place.
- On one's person; nearby the person.
- (figurative) In or near, as in mental faculties or (literally) in the possession of; under the control of; at one's command; in one's makeup.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English aboute inherited from Old English abūtan, on (on, a, in, or toward, at) + Old English būtan (outside of, except, without, only), be (by, around) + Old English ūtan (outside, from outside, on the outside, without)inherited from Middle English about.
Origin
Middle English
about
Gloss
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- -s English
- about-face English
- aboutness English
- abouts English
- anent English
- anon English
- asunder English
- cast English
- cast about English
- east English
- eastabout English
- face English
- haul English
- haulabout English
- here English
- hereabout English
- hereabouts English
- kick English
- kickabout English
- knock English
- knockabout English
- lay English
- layabout English
- mini-roundabout English
- near English
- nearabout English
- nearabouts English
- race English
- raceabout English
- round English
- roundabout English
- roundaboutly English
- roundaboutness English
- run English
- runabout English
- stir English
- stirabout English
- tear English
- tearabout English
- then English
- thenabout English
- there English
- thereabout English
- thereabouts English
- tour English
- tourabout English
- turn English
- turnabout English
- west English
- westabout English
- when English
- whenabout English
- where English
- whereabout English
- whereabouts English
- whirl English
- whirlabout English
- *ana Proto-Germanic
- *sunder Proto-Germanic
- *ūtiniz Proto-Germanic
- アバウト Japanese
- abūtan Old English
- be Old English
- butan Old English
- būtan Old English
- on Old English
- on ecnesse Old English
- onbutan Old English
- onbūtan Old English
- ongemang Old English
- onmiddan Old English
- onweg Old English
- utanlandes Old English
- wiþutan Old English
- ūtan Old English
- abak Middle English
- about Middle English
- aboute Middle English
- but Middle English
- on Middle English
- outen Middle English
- nabaut Tok Pisin
- -s
- lay
- run
- east
- anon
- stir
- when
- near
- tour
- here
- west
- haul
- tear
- kick
- face
- turn
- then
- cast
- race
- there
- knock
- where
- round
- whirl
- anent
- abouts
- asunder
- runabout
- layabout
- tourabout
- tearabout
- whenabout
- aboutness
- eastabout
- stirabout
- westabout
- haulabout
- kickabout
- nearabout
- thenabout
- raceabout
- hereabout
- turnabout
- whirlabout
- thereabout
- about-face
- roundabout
- whereabout
- cast about
- knockabout
- nearabouts
- hereabouts
- thereabouts
- whereabouts
- roundaboutly
- roundaboutness
- mini-roundabout