ABATE most nearly means:

ABATE means to reduce in degree or intensity; to lessen or decrease. Example: 'The storm abated by evening.' The Latin root 'ab-' means away from, and 'batere' means to beat — literally to beat down or away. ASVAB Word Knowledge questions test vocabulary recognition. The format gives a word and asks for its closest meaning (synonym). Strategies: (1) Look for the word in your own knowledge; (2) Try to recall the word in context — where have you heard it used?; (3) Look at root words, prefixes, and suffixes for clues; (4) Use process of elimination on clearly wrong choices; (5) If stuck, guess and move on (no penalty for wrong answers on ASVAB). Related: ABATEMENT (noun form, the act of reducing); UNABATED (continuing without lessening). The opposite of abate is increase, intensify, or amplify.