about

== English == === Alternative forms === aboot (Northumbria) (archaic) abowt; (abbreviation) a., (abbreviation) ab.,* (abbreviation) abt. === Etymology === Preposition and adverb from Middle English aboute, abouten, from Old English abūtan, onbūtan, from on (“in, on”) +‎ būtan (“outside of”), itself from be (“by”) +‎ ūtan (“outside”). Cognate with Old Frisian abûta (“outside; except”). Adjective from Middle English about (adverb). === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /əˈbaʊt/, [əˈbaʊ̯t] (Canada) IPA(key): /əˈbaʊ̯t/, (Canadian raising) [əˈbʌʊ̯t], (Canadian raising) [əˈbɐʊ̯t], (Canadian raising) [əˈboʊ̯t] (Nova Scotia) IPA(key): [əˈbɵu̯t] (Southern Ontario) IPA(key): [əˈbɛʊ̯t] (Ireland, Virginia) IPA(key): /əˈbɛʊ̯t/ (Local Dublin) IPA(key): /əˈbɛʊ̯/, [əˈbɛʊ̯ʔ] (Northumbria) IPA(key): /əˈbuːt/ Rhymes: -aʊt Hyphenation: about === Preposition === about In a circle around; all round; on every side of; on the outside of; around. [from before 1150] 1769, King James Bible, Oxford Standard text, Proverbs, iii, 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: Over or upon different parts of; through or over in various directions; here and there in; to and fro in; throughout. [from ca. 1150–1350] Indicates that something will happen very soon; indicates a plan or intention to do something. (with 'to' and verb infinitive) See about to. (with present participle, obsolete or dialect) On the point or verge of. Concerning; with regard to; on account of; on the subject of. [from ca. 1150–1350] Synonyms: apropos, as for; see also Thesaurus:about c. 1597-1602, William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor: Doe you meane to stoppe any of Williams wages, about the Sacke he lost the other day? 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain) Well, let’s not talk about yesterday. Concerned or occupied with; engaged in; intent on. [from ca. 1150–1350] Have you much hay about? (Chester) ― Have you much in the process of making? “What’s Mary doin'?” “Oh! oo’s about th’ butter.” (Chester) ― “What’s Mary doing?” “Oh, she’s making the butter.” 1769, King James Bible, Oxford Standard text, Luke, ii, 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? 2013 March 14, Parks and Recreation, season 5, episode 16, Bailout: RON: And I’ll have the number 8. WAITER: That’s a party platter, it serves 12 people. RON: I know what I’m about, son. Within or in the immediate neighborhood of; in contiguity or proximity to; near, as to place. [from ca. 1350–1470] On one’s person; nearby the person. [from ca. 1350–1470] (figurative) On or near (one's person); attached as an attribute to; in the makeup of, or at the command of. [from ca. 1350–1470] ==== Usage notes ==== (Indicates that something will happen very soon): In modern English, always followed by an infinitive that begins with to ("I am about to bathe"); see about to. In the past, it was possible to instead follow the about with the present participle ("I am about swimming"), but this format is no longer used or widely understood. (concerning): Used as a function word to indicate what is dealt with as the object of thought, feeling, or action. ==== Translations ==== === Adverb === about (not comparable) On all sides, or in every or any direction from a point; around. [from before 1150] 1610-11, William Shakespeare, The Tempest: all the blessings / Of a glad father compass thee about Here and there; around; in one place and another; up and down. [from before 1150] From one place or position to another in succession; indicating repeated movement or activity. 1769, King James Bible, Oxford Standard text, 1 Timothy, v,13, And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. Indicating unproductive or unstructured activity. Nearly; approximately; with close correspondence in quality, manner, degree, quantity, or time; almost. [from before 1150] 1769, King James Bible, Oxford Standard text, Matthew, xx, 3, And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace 1769, King James Bible, Oxford Standard text, Exodus, ix, 18 Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now. 1769, King James Bible, Oxford Standard text, Exodus, xxxii,28: And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. Near; in the vicinity. [from ca. 1350–1470] To a reversed order, direction, or condition; half round; in (or to, or from) the opposite direction. [from ca. 1350–1470] (nautical) To the opposite tack: see go about. [from late 15th c.] (obsolete or rare) In succession, one after another. [from before 1150] 1818, James Hogg, published in The Scots Magazine, Vol. 86, p. 218, "On the Life and Writings of James Hogg" [1] [Quoted in the OED] When he had finished, he drew his plaid around his head, and went slowly down to the little dell, where he used every day to offer up his morning and evening prayers, and where we have often sat together on Sabbath afternoons, reading verse about with our children in the Bible. (obsolete or rare) In rotation or revolution. [from before 1150] (possibly obsolete, outside set phrases) In the course of events. to bring about, to come about (archaic) In circuit or circumference; circularly. [from ca. 1350–1470] c. 1597-1602, William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor: Indeede I am in the waste two yards about. (archaic) By a circuitous way; circuitously. ==== Synonyms ==== (many senses): around ==== Translations ==== === Adjective === about (not comparable) Moving around or in motion; astir. c. 1600, William Shakespeare, Hamlet: About, my Braine! c. 1597-1602, William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor: About, about; Search Windsor Castle, elves, within and out. In existence; being in evidence; apparent. 2006, Great Britain Parliament: House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, Energy: Meeting With Malcolm Wicks MP, Is not this sudden interest in capturing CO2 — and it has been about for a little while — simply another hidey-hole for the government to creep into? Near; in the vicinity or neighbourhood. ==== Synonyms ==== (moving around): around, active, mobile, astir (in existence): around === Verb === about (third-person singular simple present abouts, present participle abouting, simple past and past participle abouted) (nautical, uncommon) To change the course of (a ship) to the other tack; to bring (a ship) about. (uncommon, possibly humorous) To about-face (turn 180 degrees, like a soldier). For quotations using this term, see Citations:about. === Derived terms === See also: Category:English phrasal verbs formed with "about" === References === “about”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “about”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. === Anagrams === Touba, Tuoba, U-boat == Finnish == === Alternative forms === öbaut === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English about === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈøbɑut/, [ˈø̞bɑ̝ut̪] IPA(key): /ˈəbɑu̯t/, [ˈəbɑ̝u̯t̪] IPA(key): /ˈɑbɑut/, [ˈɑ̝bɑ̝ut̪] Rhymes: -øbɑut === Adverb === about (slang) about (around, approximately, roughly) Synonyms: noin, suunnilleen == French == === Noun === about m (plural abouts) (technical) the extremity of a metallic or wooden element or piece === Further reading === “about”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 === Anagrams === bouta, tabou