"act of transferring title of ownership," 1650s, from Latin abalienationem (nominative abalienatio), in law, "transfer of property, sale," noun of action from past-participle stem of abalienare "to separate, transfer the ownership of," from ab "off, away from" (see ab-) + alienare "to separate" (from alius "another, other, different," from PIE root *al- (1) "beyond").

by 1650s, "of or pertaining to Abdera," in Thrace, whose citizens were proverbial as provincials who would laugh at anything or anyone they didn't understand (Abderian laughter), making their town the Hellenic equivalent of Gotham (q.v.). Especially (or alternatively) as it was the birthplace of Democritus the atomist, the "Laughing Philosopher" (born c. 460 B.C.E.) who observed human follies.

"feeling of extreme aversion or detestation," 1650s; see abhorrent + -ence. OED recommends this form for "act or fact of abhorring," abhorrency (c. 1600) for "quality of being abhorrent."

"weaning of a child," 1650s, from Latin ablactationem (nominative ablactatio) "weaning," noun of action from past-participle stem of ablactare "to wean," from ab "off, away from" (see ab-) + lactare "to suckle," from lac (genitive lactis) "milk" (from PIE root *g(a)lag- "milk").

"deny (something) to oneself," 1650s, from Latin abnegatus, past participle of abnegare "to refuse, deny," from ab "off, away from" (see ab-) + negare "to deny" (from PIE root *ne- "not"). Related: Abnegated; abnegating.

1650s, "act of abrading," from Medieval Latin abrasionem (nominative abrasio) "a scraping," noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin abradere "to scrape away, shave off," from ab "off" (see ab-) + radere "to scrape" (see raze (v.)). From 1740 as "result of abrasion."

"to cut off," 1650s, from Latin abscindere "to cut off, divide, part, separate" (see abscissa). Related: Abscinded; abscinding.

1650s, "pertaining to an abyss," formed in English from abysm + -al (1). Perhaps only a dictionary word before 19c. The weakened sense of "extremely bad" is attested by 1904, perhaps from abysmal ignorance (suggestive of its "depth"), an expression attested from 1847. Related: Abysmally.

"tending to accumulation; cumulative," 1650s, from Latin stem accumulat- (see accumulate) + -ive. Related: Accumulatively; accumulativeness.

"the act of drawing toward a common center or median line," 1650s, from French adduction (16c.), from Medieval Latin adductionem (nominative adductio), noun of action from past-participle stem of adducere "lead to, bring to" (see adduce). Related: Adduct; adductor; adductive.