noun

• (medicine) The expulsion from the womb of a foetus or embryo before it is fully developed, with loss of the foetus.
• A spontaneous abortion; a miscarriage.
• An induced abortion.
• (now rare) An aborted foetus; an abortus.
• (figuratively) A misshapen person or thing; a monstrosity.
• (figuratively) Failure or abandonment of a project, promise, goal etc.
• (biology) Arrest of development of any organ, so that it remains an imperfect formation or is absorbed.
• The cessation of an illness or disease at a very early stage.