Crossword Dictionary
abet
abet - v
assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing
synonyms
brew, ferment, foment, incite, instigate, pick, provoke, raise, stir (up), whip (up)
in a sentence
She abetted the thief in his getaway.
Did he abet the commission of a crime?
Their actions were shown to abet terrorism.
etymology
late 14c., "urge on, incite" (implied in abetting), from Old French abeter "to bait, to harass with dogs," literally "to cause to bite," from a-"to" (see ad-) + beter "to bait." This verb is probably from Frankish or some other Germanic source (perhaps Low Franconian betan"incite," or Old Norse beita "cause to bite"); ultimately from Proto-Germanic *baitjan, from PIE root *bheid- "to split," with derivatives in Germanic referring to biting. Sense of "encourage by aid or approval" is from 1779. Related: Abetted; abetting.