Plural of about; locations or positions, or the surrounding area of something.
From Old English 'abutan' (around) + -s plural suffix; 'about' originally meant 'on the outside of' before developing broader meanings.
This archaic plural shows how 'about' used to be more concrete—referring to actual positions around something, before it became the vague word we use constantly today.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.