Abate

a. [Fr. abattre, to beat down.] To le en, to moderate, to diminish, to mitigate; as, to abate zeal, to abate a demand, to abate a pain; - to cause to fail; to overthrow; as, to abate a writ; - to deduct; - to annul; to deject; to depre ; as, to abate the soul. Abate, v. n. To fail; to be defeated; as, a writ abates; to grow le ; to decrease; as, pain or storm abates. ( Law .) To enter into a freehold after the death of the last occupant, and before the heir or devisee takes po e ion. (Horsemanship.) To perform well a downward motion. A horse is said to abate , or take down his curvets, when, working upon curvets, he puts both his hind-legs to the ground at once, and observes the same exactne in all the times.