An archaic past tense of 'abye' or 'abuy,' meaning to pay the penalty for something or suffer consequences for a wrongdoing.
From Old English 'abycgan,' combining 'a-' (prefix) + 'bycgan' (to buy); the meaning evolved from 'to buy one's way out' to 'to pay/suffer for' in Middle English.
The word 'buy' in its original sense meant 'to atone for'—so when we say someone 'bought it,' we're echoing medieval ideas about balancing accounts with fate.
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