Abortion in Different Languages
Discover 'Abortion' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Abortion is a significant and often controversial topic, sparking heated debates and discussions around the world. It refers to the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, often performed during the first 28 weeks. The cultural importance of abortion cannot be overstated, as it raises questions about women's rights, healthcare, and morality.
Moreover, understanding the translation of abortion in different languages can shed light on how different cultures and societies approach this complex issue. For instance, in Spanish, abortion is translated as 'el aborto,' while in French, it is 'l'avortement.' In German, the term is 'die Abtreibung,' and in Japanese, it is 'abortus'.
Delving into the translations of abortion in various languages can provide fascinating insights into the historical, cultural, and social contexts that have shaped attitudes towards this polarizing subject. Join us as we explore the many facets of abortion, both at home and abroad, and discover how this single word can mean so much more than just a medical procedure.
Abortion
Abortion in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | aborsie | ||
| The Afrikaans word "aborsie" originates from the Latin word "abortus", meaning "miscarriage". | |||
| Amharic | ፅንስ ማስወረድ | ||
| The word ፅንስ ማስወረድ is derived from the Ge'ez word ፅንስ, meaning "fetus" or "embryo", and the verb ማስወረድ, meaning "to cause to descend" or "to bring down". It can also refer to the process of inducing a miscarriage or the termination of a pregnancy. | |||
| Hausa | zubar da ciki | ||
| "Zubar da ciki" is the Hausa word for "abortion." It literally means "the removal of pregnancy." | |||
| Igbo | ite ime | ||
| The Igbo word "ite ime" also means "womb" or "uterus". | |||
| Malagasy | fanalan-jaza | ||
| "fanalan-jaza" combines "fanalana," meaning "to throw away," and "jaza," meaning "childbearing," indicating the termination of a pregnancy and the rejection of the resulting infant. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuchotsa mimba | ||
| In Nyanja, the word "kuchotsa mimba" can also mean "to remove a tumor". | |||
| Shona | kubvisa pamuviri | ||
| The Shona word 'kubvisa pamuviri' can also mean 'to remove a pregnancy', highlighting the potential for ambiguity in its usage. | |||
| Somali | ilmo iska soo ridid | ||
| "Ilmo iska soo ridid" means "abortion" in Somali. It is a compound word that literally means "to remove knowledge from oneself" | |||
| Sesotho | ho ntša mpa | ||
| The Sesotho word "ho ntša mpa" literally means "to throw out the seed." | |||
| Swahili | utoaji mimba | ||
| In Swahili, the word "utoaji mimba" is a compound word that literally means "the removal of a pregnancy". | |||
| Xhosa | ukuqhomfa | ||
| 'Ukuqhomfa' in Xhosa also means 'to extinguish a fire' or 'to put out a light', suggesting that unborn children are seen as a source of life and light in the culture. | |||
| Yoruba | iṣẹyun | ||
| "Iṣẹyun" can also mean "a miscarriage" or "a stillbirth". | |||
| Zulu | ukukhipha isisu | ||
| "Ukukhipha isisu" literally translates to "remove something that was planted" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | kɔnɔtiɲɛ | ||
| Ewe | fuɖeɖe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gukuramo inda | ||
| Lingala | kosopa zemi | ||
| Luganda | okuggyamu embuto | ||
| Sepedi | go ntšha mpa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nyinsɛn a woyi gu | ||
Abortion in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الإجهاض | ||
| In Arabic, "إجهاض" (ijhâd) primarily means "to miscarry" or "to suffer a miscarriage," and only secondarily means "to abort" (in the sense of intentionally terminating a pregnancy). | |||
| Hebrew | הפלה | ||
| Hebrew term "הפלה" also carries the meaning of "omission" or "neglect". | |||
| Pashto | سقط | ||
| The word "سقط" in Pashto can also refer to a "miscarriage" or a "stillbirth". | |||
| Arabic | الإجهاض | ||
| In Arabic, "إجهاض" (ijhâd) primarily means "to miscarry" or "to suffer a miscarriage," and only secondarily means "to abort" (in the sense of intentionally terminating a pregnancy). | |||
Abortion in Western European Languages
| Albanian | aborti | ||
| In Albanian, 'aborti' also means 'miscarriage' or 'stillbirth'. | |||
| Basque | abortua | ||
| The Basque word "abortua" also means "stillbirth". | |||
| Catalan | avortament | ||
| The word "avortament" in Catalan is cognate with the French word for the same concept and ultimately descends from the Latin verb *abortare* meaning to miscarry, which also gave rise to the English verb "abort" | |||
| Croatian | abortus | ||
| U hrvatskom jeziku, riječ `abortus` dolazi od latinskog glagola `abortiri`, što znači `pobaciti`, `izbaciti`. | |||
| Danish | abort | ||
| In Danish, "abort" also means "to break off, to terminate". | |||
| Dutch | abortus | ||
| In Dutch, "abortus" can also refer to a miscarriage or a stillbirth. | |||
| English | abortion | ||
| The word "abortion,' meaning miscarriage, has been used since the 1300s and comes from the Latin "abortus," meaning "coming forth prematurely." | |||
| French | avortement | ||
| "Avortement" derives from the French word "avorter," meaning "to miscarry" or "to fail." | |||
| Frisian | abortus | ||
| In medieval Frisian law, "abortus" meant both "abortion" and "rape". | |||
| Galician | aborto | ||
| In Galician, the word "aborto" also means "miscarriage". | |||
| German | abtreibung | ||
| The German word "Abtreibung" can also mean "drifting away" or "going astray". | |||
| Icelandic | fóstureyðing | ||
| The word "fóstureyðing" is a compound of the words "fóstur" (fetus) and "eyðing" (destruction). | |||
| Irish | ginmhilleadh | ||
| The Irish word 'ginmhilleadh' is sometimes associated with the Old Irish word 'gin' (birth). | |||
| Italian | aborto | ||
| The word "aborto" also means "miscarriage" in Italian and "miscarraige (or premature birth)" in Spanish. | |||
| Luxembourgish | ofdreiwung | ||
| In Luxembourgish, the word "Ofdreiwung" shares its etymology with the German word "Abtreibung", both derived from the Latin "abortus" (miscarriage). | |||
| Maltese | abort | ||
| The Maltese word 'abort' is derived from the Latin word 'abortus', meaning 'miscarriage'. | |||
| Norwegian | abort | ||
| The Norwegian word "abort" originates from Latin and originally meant "to miscarry" or "to have a spontaneous abortion." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | aborto | ||
| Portuguese 'aborto' derives from Latin 'abortus', also meaning 'miscarriage' | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ginmhilleadh | ||
| "Ginmhilleadh" is thought to come from Welsh "gan" (birth or delivery), "mi" (with) and "hillaeth" (pain). | |||
| Spanish | aborto | ||
| In Spanish, "aborto" comes from the Latin roots "ab-," meaning "away," and "ortus," meaning "origin" or "birth." | |||
| Swedish | abort | ||
| In Swedish, the word "abort" derives from the Latin "aboriri," meaning "to perish." The feminine form "abortio" referred to a termination of pregnancy, giving rise to the modern sense of "abortion." | |||
| Welsh | erthyliad | ||
| In Welsh, the word “erthyliad” not only means “abortion” but also refers to “miscarriage” and “stillbirth.” | |||
Abortion in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | аборт | ||
| The word 'аборт' ultimately derives from the Latin 'orior', meaning 'to arise'. | |||
| Bosnian | pobačaj | ||
| The word "pobačaj" in Bosnian has its roots in the Slavic verb "bačiti", meaning "to throw" or "to cast out". | |||
| Bulgarian | аборт | ||
| In Bulgarian, "аборт" originally meant "premature birth of a live baby" before its meaning shifted to "termination of pregnancy". | |||
| Czech | potrat | ||
| The word "potrat" shares the same etymology and meaning with "abortion" in other Slavic languages. | |||
| Estonian | abort | ||
| In Estonian, the word "abort" derives from the German word "abtreiben", meaning "to drive away" or "to expel", which reflects its original meaning of "to expel a fetus". | |||
| Finnish | abortti | ||
| The word 'abortti' is derived from the Latin word 'abortus', meaning 'miscarriage' or 'premature birth'. | |||
| Hungarian | abortusz | ||
| The word "abortusz" is derived from the Latin word "abortus", which means "miscarriage". | |||
| Latvian | aborts | ||
| In Latvian, "aborts" also means "an unfinished piece of work, a failure, or a miscarriage", from the German "Abort". | |||
| Lithuanian | abortas | ||
| The word "abortas" in Lithuanian shares roots with the word "abortuoti", meaning "to remove a part of a plant." | |||
| Macedonian | абортус | ||
| It was borrowed from Russian which borrowed it from Latin where it means "miscarriage". In Macedonian, it might have also had a medical meaning of "miscarriage." | |||
| Polish | poronienie | ||
| The word "poronienie" also means "miscarriage" or "stillbirth". | |||
| Romanian | intrerupere de sarcina | ||
| The Romanian word "intrerupere de sarcina" derives from Latin "interruptus" meaning "broken" and "sarcina" meaning "burden" or "load". | |||
| Russian | аборт | ||
| The word "аборт" (abortion) is derived from the Latin word "abortus", meaning "miscarriage". | |||
| Serbian | абортус | ||
| The Serbian word "абортус" originates from the Latin word "abortus" and also means "miscarriage". | |||
| Slovak | potrat | ||
| Slovak 'potrat' comes from 'potratit', meaning 'to lose' or 'to waste', and has the same root as the Czech 'potrat' and the Polish 'poronienie'. | |||
| Slovenian | splav | ||
| The word "splav" also means "raft" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | аборт | ||
| The word "аборт" comes from the Latin word "abortus", meaning "miscarriage" or "untimely birth". | |||
Abortion in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | গর্ভপাত | ||
| The word "গর্ভপাত" ("abortion") also means "miscarriage" in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | ગર્ભપાત | ||
| The Gujarati word 'ગર્ભપાત' also means to fail or a failure (of a plan, crop or scheme). | |||
| Hindi | गर्भपात | ||
| The word "गर्भपात" (garbhapāt) has an alternate meaning of 'miscarriage' and is derived from the Sanskrit words 'गर्भ' (garbha) meaning 'womb' and 'पात' (pāta) meaning 'fall'. | |||
| Kannada | ಗರ್ಭಪಾತ | ||
| The word "ಗರ್ಭಪಾತ" originally meant "miscarriage" or "stillbirth" in Kannada. | |||
| Malayalam | അലസിപ്പിക്കൽ | ||
| The word "അലസിപ്പിക്കൽ" originates from the Sanskrit word "alasya", meaning "laziness" or "inactivity", and refers to the termination of pregnancy before the fetus is viable. | |||
| Marathi | गर्भपात | ||
| The word 'गर्भपात' in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'गर्भापति' (garbhāpati), meaning 'lord of the womb'. | |||
| Nepali | गर्भपात | ||
| The word गर्भपात (garbhapāt) is derived from the Sanskrit words गर्भा (garbhā), meaning "womb" or "foetus", and पात (pāta), meaning "to fall", and can also mean "miscarriage" when used in a medical context. | |||
| Punjabi | ਗਰਭਪਾਤ | ||
| The word "ਗਰਭਪਾਤ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "गर्भपात" (garbhapāta), which literally means "falling of the womb" or "miscarriage". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ගබ්සාව | ||
| In medieval Sinhala, "ගබ්සාව" also referred to the termination of a pregnancy due to an accidental fall or injury. | |||
| Tamil | கருக்கலைப்பு | ||
| The Tamil word கருக்கலைப்பு ("abortion") can also be used as an alternate term for the Sanskrit word गर्भपात ("miscarriage") and thus may not always indicate an intentional termination of pregnancy. | |||
| Telugu | గర్భస్రావం | ||
| Urdu | اسقاط حمل | ||
| The word "اسقاط حمل" is often used in both Arabic and Urdu as a euphemism for abortion. | |||
Abortion in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 流产 | ||
| 流产 also refers to the process of miscarriage (involuntary termination of pregnancy). | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 流產 | ||
| 流產 (abortion) is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus before it is able to survive outside the uterus. | |||
| Japanese | 中絶 | ||
| 中絶 ('chūzetsu') literally means 'in-between ceasing' in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 낙태 | ||
| 낙태 can refer to either induced abortion or premature delivery, depending on the context, which differs from the usage of "abortion" in English. | |||
| Mongolian | үр хөндөлт | ||
| The Mongolian word "үр хөндөлт" is a calque of the Russian word "аборт," which is itself derived from the Latin word "abortus," meaning "miscarriage." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကိုယ်ဝန်ဖျက်ချ | ||
Abortion in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | abortus | ||
| The word "abortus" in Latin can also refer to a miscarriage or a failure to develop. | |||
| Javanese | aborsi | ||
| The word 'aborsi' is derived from the Dutch word 'abortus', which means 'miscarriage'. | |||
| Khmer | ការរំលូតកូន | ||
| Lao | ເອົາລູກອອກ | ||
| The Lao word "ເອົາລູກອອກ" can also mean "taking a child out" or "removing a child" from a place or situation. | |||
| Malay | pengguguran | ||
| The term "pengguguran" in Malay is derived from the Arabic word "qatra", meaning "to cut or break"} | |||
| Thai | การทำแท้ง | ||
| In Thai, "การทำแท้ง" (abortion) literally means "to do away with the pregnancy." | |||
| Vietnamese | sự phá thai | ||
| The word "sự phá thai" literally means "fetus destruction" in Vietnamese and is thus considered disrespectful. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagpapalaglag | ||
Abortion in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | abort | ||
| The word "abort" in Azerbaijani comes from the French word "avorter", meaning "to miscarry". | |||
| Kazakh | аборт | ||
| The word "аборт" in Kazakh is a loanword from the Russian word аборт, which itself is derived from the Latin word “aborior,” meaning “I perish.” | |||
| Kyrgyz | бойдон алдыруу | ||
| "Бойдон алуу" refers both to induced abortion and to pregnancy termination due to spontaneous miscarriage. | |||
| Tajik | исқоти ҳамл | ||
| The word "исқоти ҳамл" is derived from the Arabic word "الإسقاط", which means "to cause to fall". | |||
| Turkmen | abort | ||
| Uzbek | abort | ||
| Abortion is derived from the word abort which is a latin word that means "to end". | |||
| Uyghur | بالا چۈشۈرۈش | ||
Abortion in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hāpai keiki | ||
| The word "hāpai keiki" literally translates to "carrying a child," but has come to mean "abortion" in Hawaiian. | |||
| Maori | materoto | ||
| The word 'materoto' originally meant 'to kill an infant' in Maori, but has since come to mean 'abortion'. | |||
| Samoan | faapau pepe | ||
| The Samoan term "faapau pepe" also refers to "family planning" and "birth control". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pagpapalaglag | ||
| The word "pagpapalaglag" in Tagalog is also used to refer to the act of miscarriage or spontaneous abortion. | |||
Abortion in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | aborto luraña | ||
| Guarani | aborto rehegua | ||
Abortion in International Languages
| Esperanto | aborto | ||
| "Aborto" also means "miscarriage" in Spanish and "to abort" in Italian. | |||
| Latin | abortum | ||
| "Abortium" in Latin can also refer to a miscarriage, stillbirth, or premature birth. | |||
Abortion in Others Languages
| Greek | άμβλωση | ||
| The Greek word 'άμβλωση', derived from 'ἀμβλίσκω', also carries meanings related to 'miscarriage', 'premature birth', 'delay', or 'hindrance'. | |||
| Hmong | rho menyuam | ||
| The word 'rho menyuam' literally means 'to remove a child'. | |||
| Kurdish | ji berxwegirtin | ||
| Ji berxwegirtin has also come to mean a miscarriage as well as induced abortion. | |||
| Turkish | kürtaj | ||
| Kürtaj, Arapça kökenli bir kelime olup 'kesmek' anlamına gelen 'qurta' kökünden türemiştir. | |||
| Xhosa | ukuqhomfa | ||
| 'Ukuqhomfa' in Xhosa also means 'to extinguish a fire' or 'to put out a light', suggesting that unborn children are seen as a source of life and light in the culture. | |||
| Yiddish | אַבאָרשאַן | ||
| The Yiddish word "אַבאָרשאַן" (abortions) derives from the Hebrew word "הַפָּלָה" (hapala), which means "falling" or "casting down". | |||
| Zulu | ukukhipha isisu | ||
| "Ukukhipha isisu" literally translates to "remove something that was planted" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | গৰ্ভপাত কৰা | ||
| Aymara | aborto luraña | ||
| Bhojpuri | गर्भपात करावे के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | އެބޯޝަން ކުރުމެވެ | ||
| Dogri | गर्भपात कराना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagpapalaglag | ||
| Guarani | aborto rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | aborsion | ||
| Krio | fɔ pwɛl bɛlɛ | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | لەبارچوون | ||
| Maithili | गर्भपात करब | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯦꯕꯣꯔꯁꯟ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | nau pai tihtlem | ||
| Oromo | ulfa baasuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଗର୍ଭପାତ | ||
| Quechua | abortay | ||
| Sanskrit | गर्भपातः | ||
| Tatar | аборт | ||
| Tigrinya | ምንጻል ጥንሲ | ||
| Tsonga | ku susa khwiri | ||