Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Abatement"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Abatement \A*bate"ment\ (-ment), n. [OF. abatement, F.
abattement.]
1. The act of abating, or the state of being abated; a
lessening, diminution, or reduction; removal or putting an
end to; as, the abatement of a nuisance is the suppression
thereof.
2. The amount abated; that which is taken away by way of
reduction; deduction; decrease; a rebate or discount
allowed.
3. (Her.) A mark of dishonor on an escutcheon.
4. (Law) The entry of a stranger, without right, into a
freehold after the death of the last possessor, before the
heir or devisee. --Blackstone.
{Defense in abatement}, {Plea in abatement}, (Law), plea to
the effect that from some formal defect (e.g. misnomer,
want of jurisdiction) the proceedings should be abated.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
abatement
n 1: an interruption in the intensity or amount of something
[syn: {suspension}, {respite}, {reprieve}, {hiatus}]
2: the act of abating; "laws enforcing noise abatement"
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