Abortion
Merriam-Webster
1: the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus: such as
a : spontaneous expulsion of a human fetus during the first 12 weeks of gestation — compare miscarriage
b : induced expulsion of a human fetus
Medical
1 The termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus:
1a : spontaneous expulsion of a human fetus during the first 12 weeks of gestation—compare miscarriage
1b : induced expulsion of a human fetus
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin abortiōn-, abortiō, from aborīrī “to miscarry, abort” + –tiōn-, tiō, suffix of action nouns
First known use: circa 1537
Oxford
1 The deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy.
Medical
1 The expulsion of a fetus from the uterus by natural causes before it is able to survive independently.
Etymology
Mid 16th century: from Latin abortio(n-), from aboriri ‘miscarry’ (see abort).
Page created 2018-07-17 : Page updated 2018-07-17