'abmho' originates from the combination of 'ab-' and 'mho', where 'ab-' is a prefix used in the CGS (centimeter-gram-second) system, and 'mho' is 'ohm' spelled backward, representing the reciprocal of resistance.

'mho' was coined as a playful reversal of 'ohm', and 'abmho' was later introduced in the CGS system to denote a larger unit of conductance.

Initially, it was used to denote a unit of conductance in the CGS system, and this meaning has remained consistent.