Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Abortion has 3 different meanings across 1 category:
termination of pregnancy
"The doctor explained that an abortion is the medical termination of a pregnancy before it reaches full term."
failure of a plan
"The project was an abortion, as it failed to materialize after years of planning."
The expulsion from the womb of a foetus or embryo before it is fully developed, with loss of the foetus; either naturally as a spontaneous abortion (now usually called a miscarriage), or deliberately as an induced abortion.
"The tragic event was confirmed by doctors to be an early-term abortion after they detected fetal distress during the pregnancy."
In plain English: Abortion is when a pregnancy ends before the baby can be born, usually because of medical reasons or personal choice.
"She faced difficult decisions after learning of her pregnancy and considering an abortion."
Usage: In everyday conversation and legal contexts, this term refers specifically to the intentional termination of a pregnancy by medical procedure. Use "spontaneous" only when describing natural miscarriage rather than an induced event.
The word comes from the Latin abortiōnem, meaning "miscarriage," which is derived from the verb aborior ("to miscarry"). It replaced an older native English term that literally meant "throwing out" or "rejection."