Abate, Abet

Is the global economic recession abating or increasing? Irrespective of its abatement or rise, it is not uniformly felt across the world but those countries that rely hugely on exports and imports have borne the brunt of recession.

Abate means to become less, make less such as the wind, noise, pain, downpour or rain.

When something abates it means it has decreases (Thank God, the pain is abating in my back), slowing, declining, easing, weakening, relieving; attenuating, extenuating and alleviating.

The opposite of abate is increase.

The flights can fly smoothly when the storms or rough winds abate.

The bikers rode as the rain abated.

A minority of people are struggling to bring in laws to abate the sound (or noise?) emanating from worshipping places like temples, churches and mosques in the countryside, towns and cities.

The residents of the village returned to their homes after the river had abated from flooding.

The community representatives in the area met to discuss as how to abate the noise levels because every place of worship was using loudspeakers!

The derivatives of the verb abate are abates, abated, abating; and abatement (noun: alleviation, attenuation, extenuation).

Abet means to assist, back him or her, support, urge, egg on, giving succour for the crime doer.

Abet means help or encourage somebody to commit something such as an offence, to encourage someone to do something wrong; encourage a crime or give support in unleashing it.

The politician abetted one of his followers in red sandalwood smuggling but abandoned him when he was caught.

When you abet somebody it means you are helping him or her to commit an offence, to violate the law, to do something unlawful.

Aid and abet is an idiom: to be accomplice to someone in an illegal act, to be part of someone’s wrongdoing not unknowingly or unwittingly but with knowingness that it is not correct.

When the police starts to investigate a crime, they will also try to find out those people who had aided and abetted the wrongdoer.
You can give aid (money or materials) to someone but to abet may not give you rewards except to be targeted by the law enforcing bodies.

The derivatives of the verb abet are abets, abetting, abetted; and abettor (noun).

Abetting also functions as a noun: abetting is abetment, abettal, giving assistance or encouragement to someone to do something that is incorrect or unlawful.

Abetting is a punishable act unless done without knowingly and proven as such that help was rendered to him or her with good intention.

By: Kovuuri G Reddy