'aboil' originates from Middle English, specifically the word 'aboylen,' where 'a-' was a prefix meaning 'in' and 'boil' meant 'to bubble or heat.'

'aboylen' transformed into the modern English word 'aboil' through gradual phonetic changes.

Initially, it meant 'to be in a state of boiling,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.