See Also: Abortive(medicine)
Abortive(health)
abortive(dictionary)
abortive(dictionary)
abortive neurofibromatosis(medicine)
abortive transduction(medicine)
Abortive polio(health)

abortive (iou)



abortive noun, adjective, & verb. ME.
[Old & mod. French abortif, -ive from Latin abortivus, formed as ABORTION: see -IVE.]
A. noun.
A stillborn child or animal. ME-M18.
An imperfect result of an action. E17-E18.
b. adjective.
Of or pertaining to abortion; born prematurely; causing or experiencing abortion. LME-M18.
Shakespeare Richard III If ever he have child, abortive be it.
Fruitless, unsuccessful. L16.
Scott Fitzgerald An abortive attempt at a laugh. T. Pynchon An abortive firing, a warhead that didn't explode.
Biology. Arrested in development. M18.
fig.: S. Spender An abortive tower at one corner.
C. verb trans. Cause abortion of; render fruitless. Only in 17.
abortively adverb M16.
abortiveness noun E17.