'abutter' originates from the verb 'abut', which comes from Old French 'abouter', meaning 'to join at the end'.

'abouter' transformed into the Middle English word 'abuten', and eventually became the modern English word 'abut', from which 'abutter' is derived.

Initially, it meant 'to join or touch at the end', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a person whose property is adjacent to another's'.