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aby

verb
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\ ə-ˈbī How to pronounce aby (audio) \
variants: or abye
abyed; abying or abyeing; abys or abyes

Definition of aby

transitive verb

archaic
: to suffer a penalty for

First Known Use of aby

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for aby

Middle English abien, abiggen, abuggen "to pay for, obtain at the cost of labor or suffering, redeem, pay a penalty for," from a-, weak perfective prefix (going back to Old English a-) + bien, biggen "to purchase, pay for" — more at abide, buy entry 1

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The first known use of aby was before the 12th century

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Cite this Entry

“Aby.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aby. Accessed 6 December 2019.

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