What does "abortive" mean?
Abortive: Made from the skin of a still-born animal; as, abortive vellum. [Obs.]
Additional senses
- 2.Rendering fruitless or ineffectual. [Obs.] "Plunged in that abortive gulf." Milton.
- 3.Coming to naught; failing in its effect; miscarrying; fruitless; unsuccessful; as, an abortive attempt. "An abortive enterprise." Prescott.
- 4.(Biol.) Imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile; as, an abortive organ, stamen, ovule, etc.
- 5.(Med.) (a) Causing abortion; as, abortive medicines. Parr. (b) Cutting short; as, abortive treatment of typhoid fever.
- 6.That which is born or brought forth prematurely; an abortion. [Obs.] Shak.
- 7.A fruitless effort or issue. [Obs.]
- 8.A medicine to which is attributed the property of causing abortion. Dunglison.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00