entry
about
/əˈbaʊt/around, concerning, approximately, or soon to happen
From Proto-Germanic on (on) + O.English butan (outside of) + Proto-Germanic be (be).
from Old English abutan (adv., prep.), earlier onbutan "on the outside of; around the circumference of, enveloping; in...
+1 more sourcefrom Old English abutan (adv., prep.), earlier onbutan "on the outside of; around the circumference of, enveloping; in...
+1 more sourcefrom Old English abutan (adv., prep.), earlier onbutan "on the outside of; around the circumference of, enveloping; in...
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English aboute, abouten
from Middle English aboute, abouten
Word Ancestry
from Old English abutan (adv., prep.), earlier onbutan "on the outside of; around the circumference of, enveloping; in...
+1 more sourcefrom Old English abutan (adv., prep.), earlier onbutan "on the outside of; around the circumference of, enveloping; in...
+1 more sourcefrom Old English abutan (adv., prep.), earlier onbutan "on the outside of; around the circumference of, enveloping; in...
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English aboute, abouten
from Middle English aboute, abouten
Picture an Old English speaker pointing to a hut and saying something like “on the outside”: that clumsy little spatial package became abūtan, the ancestor of about. Its heart is a miniature map—on plus “be by” plus outside—so “around the fire,” “near the village,” and “in various places” were all natural extensions. By about 1300, the word could describe circular motion; later it wandered into abstraction, giving us “about the matter,” “about ten,” and “be about to,” as if intention were something you could physically stand around preparing. English eventually pushed aside the older ymbe, which was related to the PIE root *ambhi- “around”; yet its echo survives in words such as ambient and embrace. So whenever you say you are about to leave, you are preserving an ancient image of someone already moving around the edge of an action.
The Story
Picture an Old English speaker pointing to a hut and saying something like “on the outside”: that clumsy little spatial package became abūtan, the ancestor of about. Its heart is a miniature map—on plus “be by” plus outside—so “around the fire,” “near the village,” and “in various places” were all natural extensions. By about 1300, the word could describe circular motion; later it wandered into abstraction, giving us “about the matter,” “about ten,” and “be about to,” as if intention were something you could physically stand around preparing. English eventually pushed aside the older ymbe, which was related to the PIE root *ambhi- “around”; yet its echo survives in words such as ambient and embrace. So whenever you say you are about to leave, you are preserving an ancient image of someone already moving around the edge of an action.
Modern Usage
In some British street slang, a dismissive interjection meaning “no way” or “nonsense”; a low-confidence secondary use reverses the meaning of a following adjective.
Popularized by: British street slang and grime usage
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entries describing “about” as a negating slang interjection
Kin & Kindred
From 'on'·on, at, in contact with
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'butan'·outside of, except
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'be'·be, exist, become
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'utan'·outside, outward
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary