abrupt

Definition

Broken away (from restraint).

Etymology

First attested in 1583. Borrowed from Latin abruptus (“broken off”), perfect passive participle of abrumpō (“break off”), formed from ab (“from, away from”) + rumpō (“to break”).

Example Sentences

• "The party came to an abrupt end when the parents of our host arrived."
• "The cause of your abrupt departure."
• "There was something in this abrupt allusion to the treasured and hidden past, that at once shocked and silenced Norbourne. He was annoyed to find that his heart's sweetest secret was in the possession of one so little likely to keep it;..."