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abject

Pronunciation: /ˈæbd͡ʒɛkt/

The English word “abject” has 9 meanings listed here.

adjective

  1. Existing in or sunk to a low condition, position, or state; contemptible, despicable, miserable.
  2. Complete; downright; utter.
  3. Lower than nearby areas; low-lying.
  4. Of a person: cast down in hope or spirit; showing utter helplessness, hopelessness, or resignation; also, grovelling; ingratiating; servile.
  5. Marginalized as deviant.

noun

  1. A person in the lowest and most despicable condition; an oppressed person; an outcast; also, such people as a class.

verb

  1. To cast off or out (someone or something); to reject, especially as contemptible or inferior.
  2. To cast down (someone or something); to abase; to debase; to degrade; to lower; also, to forcibly impose obedience or servitude upon (someone); to subjugate.
  3. Of a fungus: to (forcibly) give off (spores or sporidia).

Etymology

PIE word *h₂epó The adjective is derived from Late Middle English abiect, abject (adjective) [and other forms], from Middle French abject (modern French abject, abjet (obsolete)), and from its etymon Latin abiectus (“abandoned; cast aside”), an adjective use of the perfect passive participle of abiciō (“to discard, throw away”), from ab- (prefix meaning ‘away from’) + iaciō (“to throw”)…

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.