about
/əˈbaʊ̯t/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: 6.40 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
prep
In a circle around; all round; on every side of; on the outside of; around.
prep
Over or upon different parts of; through or over in various directions; here and there in; to and fro in; throughout.
prep
Indicates that something will happen very soon; indicates a plan or intention to do something.
Obsolete
prep
Concerning; with regard to; on account of; on the subject of.
prep
Concerned or occupied with; engaged in; intent on.
prep
Within or in the immediate neighborhood of; in contiguity or proximity to; near, as to place.
Example Sentences
- "The snake was coiled about his ankle."
- "So look about you; know you any here?"
- "Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:"
- "Pagondas […] sent two companies of horse secretly about the hill; whereby that wing of the Athenians which was victorious, apprehending upon their sudden appearing that they had been a fresh army, was put into affright:[…]"
- "[…] for they could not get about the cape, because the wind on this coast is commonly between the NW. and SW., which makes it very difficult getting to the westward; but they left four canoes with forty-six men at the cape,[…]"
- "The Roman soldier found Me lying dead, my crown about my brows, […]"
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *ana- Proto-West Germanic *ana- Old English on-? Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bi Proto-West Germanic *bī Proto-West Germanic *bi- Proto-Indo-European *úd Proto-Germanic *ūt Proto-West Germanic *ūtō Proto-West Germanic *ūtan Proto-West Germanic *biūtan Old English būtan Old English onbūtan Middle English aboute English about Preposition and adverb from Middle English aboute, abouten, from Old English abūtan, onbūtan, from on (“in, on”) + būtan (“outside of”) (compare modern English but, bout), itself from be (“by”) + ūtan (“outside”); equivalent to on + be + out or on + but. Cognate with Old Frisian abûta (“outside; except”). Not related to bout (“period of time”) Adjective from Middle English about (adverb).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /əˈbaʊ̯t/
- British English: /əˈbaʊ̯t/
Usage
Inflected Forms
aboot (alternative, Northumbria)
abowt (alternative)
a. (alternative)
ab. (alternative)
abt. (alternative)
abouts (present, singular)
abouting (participle, present)
abouted (participle, past)
abouted (past)
Derived Forms
Phrases
Synonyms
apropos
as for
about
anent
apropos of
as far as
as regards
as relates to
as respects
as to
concerned with
connected with