aby

English - English

Definition of aby in English English dictionary

To pay the penalty for; atone for

Lest to thy peril thou aby it dear. - Shakespeare, Midsummer Night's Dream, III,ii.

To pay as penalty, to suffer

To endure; to abide. (Confused with abide.)

But nought that wanteth rest can long aby. - Edmund Spenser.

To pay for; to buy

To endure, to experience, to tolerate. (Confused with abide.)

make amends for; "expiate one's sins"

To endure; to abide

To pay for; to suffer for; to atone for; to make amends for; to give satisfaction

Related Terms

Aby Warburg

{i} (1866-1929) German art historian

Hyphenation

a·by

Etymology

(transitive verb.) before 12th century. From Old English ābycgan (corresponding to a- + buy), from Proto-Germanic. Cognate with Gothic