abet

Meaning

1. To incite; to assist or encourage by aid or countenance in crime.
2. To support, countenance, maintain, uphold, or aid (any good cause, opinion, or action); to maintain.
3. (obsolete) To urge on, stimulate (a person to do) something desirable.
4. (obsolete) To back up one's forecast of a doubtful issue, by staking money, etc., to bet.

incite

instigate

give relief to

help along

benefact

conduce

connive at

Pronounced as (IPA)

/əˈbɛt/

From Middle English abetten, abette, from Old French abeter (“to entice”), from a- (“to”) + beter (“hound on, urge, to bait”), either from Middle Dutch bētan (“incite”) or from Old Norse beita (“to cause to bite, bait, incite”), from Proto-Germanic *baitijaną (“to cause to bite”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- (“to split”). Cognate with Icelandic beita (“to set dogs on; to feed”). Alternate etymology traces the Middle English and Old French words through Old English *ābǣtan (“to hound on”), from ā- + bǣtan (“to bait”), from the same source (Proto-Germanic *baitijaną). See also bait, bet.

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