Abortionist
/əˈbɔːr.ʃən.ɪst/noun
A person who performs or induces abortions.
Did you know?The core root behind *abortion* comes from Latin *abortus*, linked to *ab-* (“away”) + *oriri* (“to rise, be born”), so the word originally carried the sense of a birth being driven off course.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
abortus
“a miscarriage; a failure to be born”
Latin
Latin
abortio
“miscarriage; premature ending of pregnancy”
Late Latin
Latin
abortiōnistā
“one associated with abortion (later formation)”
17th-18th Century
English
abortion
“miscarriage; premature ending of a pregnancy”
19th Century
English
abortionist
“a person who performs abortions”
Explore more surprising origins