a|bort´er

a|bort «uh BRT», verb, noun.

–v.i.

1. to fail to develop or come to completion; end a mission, test, or experiment prematurely: »

The rocket flight aborted.

2. to give birth before the embryo can live outside the mother's body because it is still dependent upon her body system to support its own; miscarry.

3. to end prematurely and fruitlessly.

4. Biology. to be arrested in growth, as an organ; fail to develop.

–v.t.

1. to end or abandon (a mission, test, or experiment) before completion.

2. to cause to give birth prematurely.

–n.

1. an aborting or being aborted: »

Any malfunction of the power plant, which must be completely automatic, … will cause an abort and loss of the missile (Ben I. Funk).

2. U.S. a test, operation, or mission, as of a missile launching, broken off or abandoned prior to completion.

3. U.S. a mechanism that fails to begin, or to complete, a scheduled operation or test.

4. an aircraft mission, sortie, or flight given up for reasons other than enemy action.

╂[< Latin abortus, past participle of aborīrī miscarry < ab- amiss + orīrī be born]

–a|bort´er, noun.