See also: à bord

English edit

Pronunciation edit

Etymology 1 edit

From French abord, from aborder (to aboard).

Noun edit

abord (plural abords)

  1. (obsolete) The act of approaching or arriving; approach. [17th–19th c.]
    • 1777, Frances Burney, Journals & Letters, Penguin, published 2001, page 77:
      He entered with an air so immensely conceited and affected, and, at the same Time, so uncommonly bold, that I could scarce stand his Abord […].
  2. (rare) A road, or means of approach. [from 17th c.]

Etymology 2 edit

Alternative forms.

Verb edit

abord (third-person singular simple present abords, present participle abording, simple past and past participle aborded)

  1. Alternative form of aboard
    • 1919, Ronald Firbank, Valmouth, hardback edition, Duckworth, page 82:
      Mrs Hurstpierpoint aborded her with a smile.

Anagrams edit

French edit

Etymology edit

Inherited from Middle French [Term?], from aborder, from Old French aborder (to hit a ship in order to board it), from bord (side of a ship, edge), from Frankish *bord (side of a ship or vessel), from Proto-Germanic *burdą (edge, border, side), from Proto-Indo-European *bheredh- (to cut). Cognate with Old High German bort (edge, rim, rand), Old English bord (ship, side of a ship), Old Norse borð (edge, side of a vessel). More at board.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

abord m (plural abords)

  1. (literary) the manner with which one acts in the presence of another person or persons, especially in a first encounter
    • 2008, Amphibiens et reptiles, →ISBN, page 80:
      Au premier abord, la caouanne est une tortue à très grosse tête.
      At first glance, the loggerhead is a turtle with a very large head.
  2. (rare) the surroundings of a place
  3. (archaic) arrival or accessibility by water

Usage notes edit

  • In the sense "surroundings", the word is almost always a pluralia tantum.
  • The sense "manner of acting" is usually now perceived as a backformation from aborder (to approach), and is most common in the expression être d'un abord and variations of it.

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Further reading edit

Anagrams edit

Middle English edit

Etymology edit

From a- +‎ bord (exterior of a ship).

Pronunciation edit

Adverb edit

abord

  1. On board; into or within a ship or boat
  2. (nautical) Alongside.

Preposition edit

abord

  1. On board of; onto or into a ship, boat, train, plane.

Descendants edit

  • English: aboard
  • Scots: aboord, abaird

References edit