English▸ verb [no object] (of something perceived as hostile, threatening, or negative) become less intense or widespread:
the storm suddenly abated.
▪ [with object] cause to become smaller or less intense:
nothing abated his crusading zeal.
▪ [with object] Law lessen, reduce, or remove (especially a nuisance):
this action would not have been sufficient to abate the odor nuisance.
– ORIGIN Middle English (in the legal sense): from Old French abatre ‘to fell’, from a- (from Latin ad ‘to, at’) + batre ‘to beat’ (from Latin battere, battuere ‘to beat’).