English▸ verb [no object] (of something unpleasant or severe) become less intense or widespread:
the storm suddenly abated.
▪ [with object] make (something) less intense:
nothing abated his crusading zeal.
▪ [with object] Law reduce or remove (a nuisance):
this action would not have been sufficient to abate the odour 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’).