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abîmer
/a.bi.me/
damage
Il a abîmé sa voiture en la garent mal.
He damaged his car by parking it poorly.
general
To cause physical harm or deterioration to something, making it less functional or valuable.
La pluie a abîmé les récoltes.
The rain damaged the crops.
Ce tissu s'abîme facilement.
This fabric wears out easily.
Commonly used for objects, materials, or abstract concepts (e.g., reputation).
Medicine
Medical
To harm someone's health or well-being, often gradually.
Son stress chronique a abîmé son cœur.
His chronic stress damaged his heart.
Less common than the physical sense but still idiomatic.
Collocations
abîmer la santéto damage one's healthabîmer un vêtementto damage clothing
Synonyms
Pro Tip
Reflexive vs. Non-reflexive
Use *s'abîmer* for self-inflicted damage (e.g., *Il s'est abîmé les mains* = 'He damaged his hands'). Non-reflexive *abîmer* requires an object (e.g., *La chaleur a abîmé le tableau* = 'The heat damaged the painting').
Gold Rule
Physical vs. Abstract Damage
For physical damage, *abîmer* is neutral (e.g., *abîmer un livre* = 'to damage a book'). For abstract harm (e.g., reputation), it implies irreparable damage (e.g., *abîmer sa réputation* = 'to ruin one's reputation').
Word Origin
From Old French *abimer* (12th century), from *à* (to) + *bimer* (to plunge), from Frankish *bim* (edge, point). Evolved from literal 'to sink' to metaphorical 'to damage'.
Usage Notes
Often used reflexively (*s'abîmer*) for self-inflicted damage (e.g., *Il s'est abîmé les yeux à force de lire* = 'He ruined his eyes from reading'). In informal speech, *abîmer* can imply 'to ruin' in a broader sense (e.g., *Ce film abîme le genre* = 'This film ruins the genre').
Dictionnaire Français-Anglais