abolitionist
UK: ˌæb.əˈlɪʃ.ən.ɪst | US: ˌæb.əˈlɪʃ.ən.ɪst
n. a person who advocates or supports the abolition of a practice or institution, especially slavery.
abolitionist = abolition<abolishing> + ist<advocate>
- abolition: Derived from Latin abolitio (destruction, annulment), from abolere (to destroy, efface). The root ab- (away) + olere (to grow, nourish) originally implied "to cause to wither." Over time, it evolved to mean "formal termination."
- ist: A suffix from Greek -istes, via Latin -ista, denoting a person who practices or advocates something.
Etymology Origin:
The word emerged in the late 18th century during movements to end slavery. "Abolition" retained its Latin sense of "destroying a system," while "-ist" tagged the human agent behind the cause. The term crystallized around the anti-slavery campaign, reflecting its moral and systemic dismantling goals.
Frederick Douglass was a prominent abolitionist who fought tirelessly against slavery.
The abolitionist movement gained momentum in the 19th century.
She wrote speeches as an abolitionist to rally support for emancipation.
Many Quakers were early abolitionists, opposing slavery on religious grounds.
The museum honors abolitionists who risked their lives to free enslaved people.