Egyptian

Romanization

Aby

1. Manuel de Codage transliteration of 3by.

English

Alternative forms

• abigg (obsolete)
• abye
• abuy

Verb

aby ‎(third-person singular simple present abys, present participle abying, simple past and past participle abought)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To pay for; to buy. [12th-16th c.]^[1]
2. (transitive, archaic) To pay the penalty for; to atone for, to make amends. [from 12th c.]^[1]
   • c. 1385, William Langland, chapter 2, in Piers Plowman:

     Ȝe shul abiggen it bothe · bi god þat me made.

   • 1605, Shakespeare, Midsummer Night's Dream, III,ii:

     Lest to thy peril thou aby it dear.

3. (intransitive, obsolete) To pay the penalty; atone. [12th-16th c.]^[1]
4. (transitive, archaic) To pay as penalty, to suffer. [from 12th c.]^[1]
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.4:

     Who dyes, the utmost dolor doth abye; / But who that lives is lefte to waile his losse […] .

   • 1896, William Morris, The Earthly Paradise:

     Thou wouldst abye a heavy fate.

5. (intransitive, obsolete) Endure; remain. [14th-16th c.]^[1]
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, volume III:

     Nought that wanteth rest can long aby.

6. (transitive, obsolete, now limited to Scotland) Endure; experience; tolerate. [from 16th c.]^[1]
   • 1893, Robert Louis Stevenson, David Balfour:

     I never could abye the reek of them.

Usage notes

• Aby and abide became confused with each other for a period of time.

References

1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lesley Brown (editor), The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition (Oxford University Press, 2003 [1933], ISBN 978-0-19-860575-7), page 11

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /abɪ/

Conjunction

aby

1. so that, in order to, so

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈabɨ]

Verb

aby ‎(defective, invariable)

1. Contraction of až by ‎(“that... would”).

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈabɨ/

Conjunction

aby

1. to, in order to, so that