abit

See also: a bit

English

Adverb

abit (not comparable)

1. (nonstandard, proscribed) Alternative form of a bit.

Usage notes

This spelling of "a bit" is frequent in informal writing but not generally accepted by arbiters of English usage.

See also

• alot
• awhile

Finnish

Noun

abit

1. nominative plural of abi

Latin

Verb

abit

1. third-person singular present active indicative of abeō

Middle English

Verb

abit

1. third-person singular simple present indicative of abide
   • 1387–1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, [Westminster: William Caxton, published 1478], →OCLC; Charles Cowden Clarke, editor, The Canterbury Tales of Chaucer. […], 2nd edition, volume III, Edinburgh: James Nichol; London: James Nisbet & Co.; Dublin: W. Robertson, 1860, →OCLC, line 1175, page 163:

     He is so variaunt, he abit nowhere.

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

Old French

Alternative forms

• habit

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin habitus.

Noun

abit m (oblique plural abiz or abitz, nominative singular abiz or abitz, nominative plural abit)

1. item of clothing

Descendants

• French: habit
  • → German: Habit
• → Middle Dutch: habijt
  • Dutch: habijt
    • Afrikaans: habyt
    • → Papiamentu: habeit
• → Middle English: abit, habit
  • English: habit
  • Scots: haibit

Scots

Alternative forms

• a'bit, a' bit, ebbit, abut

Etymology

a' (“ah,aye”) +‎ bit (“but”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑːbət/
• (Roxburgh) IPA^(key): /ˈɛbit/

Conjunction

abit

1. ah, but
2. aye, but

References

• “abit, conj. phr.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.