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abolir

to abolish

verb ah-boh-LEER Rare
People & Society Law

Origin: From Latin abolere (to destroy, efface).

Usage Note

Abolir is famously a 'defective' verb in traditional prescriptive grammar — it was long taught to conjugate only in forms where the ending begins with -i (so the present indicative abolo was avoided). Modern usage increasingly accepts the full paradigm, and the RAE now endorses all forms. The noun is abolición, as in la abolición de la esclavitud (the abolition of slavery).

Examples

"El parlamento votó para abolir la pena de muerte."

Natural Translation

Parliament voted to abolish the death penalty.

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