Abandoned
/əˈbæn.dənd/noun
Left completely and no longer cared for, occupied, or supported.
Did you know?The word’s ancestor, Old French abandon, described something surrendered to another’s control or jurisdiction before it developed its modern sense of desertion.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic period
Germanic
*bannan
“To command, proclaim, or forbid; the ancestral idea behind ban and jurisdiction.”
Old High German
Old High German
bannan
“To command or prohibit under authoritative power.”
12th Century
Old French
à bandon
“At someone’s disposal or under someone’s control.”
12th–13th Century
Old French
abandoner
“To surrender, relinquish, or give over to another’s control.”
14th Century
Anglo-French/English
abandounen
“To give up, forsake, or leave behind.”
Modern English
English
abandoned
“Left deserted, forsaken, or without care.”