Noah Webster
Abatement
ABA'TEMENT, noun
1. The act of abating; the state of being abated.
2. A reduction, removing, or pulling down as of a nuisance.
3. Diminution, decrease, or mitigation, as of grief or pain.
4. Deduction, sum withdraw, as from an account.
5. Overthrow, failure or defeat, as of a writ.
6. The entry of a stranger into a freehold after the death of the tenant, before the heir or devisee.
7. In heraldry, a mark of dishonor in a coat of arms, by which its dignity is debased for some stain on the character of the wearer.