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abacus n. a frame with beads on wires in rows of fives and twos separated by a reckoning bar, of Chinese origin The abacus is one of the earliest arithmetic calculators. Dont confuse an abacus with the very similar Japanese soroban that has rows of beads split into fours and ones. aberration n. 1. a departure from the normal; 2. a deviation from what is right or correct Barbaras taking the shortcut home was an aberration from her normal driv-ing pattern. Jack was prone to mental aberrations that caused him to believe he was being persecuted. abeyance n. a temporary suspension or delay of a function or activity The rainstorm caused the baseball game to be held in abeyance. The judge decided to hold sentencing in abeyance until the convicted per-sons counsel could arrange for character witnesses. abjure vt. 1. to give up rights, allegiance, and so on under oath; to renounce; 2. to recant By his divorce agreement, Ken abjured all rights to the family car. On cross-examination, Doris abjured her previous testimony about having seen the burglar. abrade vt. scrape; wear out by rubbing; rub off Sally used a pumice stone to abrade the dead skin off her right foot. | 
