To help or encourage someone to do something wrong or illegal.
From Old French *abeter* meaning “to urge on, incite,” especially dogs to attack. It likely comes from a Germanic root meaning “to bait” or “to set dogs on.”
You almost never see ‘abet’ without ‘aid’—as in ‘aid and abet’ in legal language. It shows how law likes to be extra clear: you didn’t just help; you encouraged. The word still carries that old image of egging someone on to do something bad.
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