abate
to lessen, subside, or beat down in force
Root
- batt / batter: beat, strike, or knock down
Other words with the batt / batter root
Abate comes through the beat-down image: force gets knocked lower until it subsides.
The noise abated after midnight, as if the city had finally been beaten down into quiet.
The strongest memory is French abattre: to beat down, strike down, or bring down. When a storm, fever, noise, or pressure abates, its force has been knocked lower.