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Meaning of ABDICATE

Pronunciation:  'abdu`keyt

WordNet Dictionary
 
 Definition: [v]  give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations; "The King abdicated when he married a divorcee"
 
 Websites: 
 
 Synonyms: renounce
 
 See Also: give up, resign, vacate

 

 

Webster's 1913 Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
  1. \Ab"di*cate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Abdicated}; p. pr. &
    vb. n. {Abdicating}.] [L. abdicatus, p. p. of abdicare; ab +
    dicare to proclaim, akin to dicere to say. See {Diction}.]
    1. To surrender or relinquish, as sovereign power; to
       withdraw definitely from filling or exercising, as a high
       office, station, dignity; as, to abdicate the throne, the
       crown, the papacy.
    Note: The word abdicate was held to mean, in the case of
          James II., to abandon without a formal surrender.
                The cross-bearers abdicated their service.
                                                   --Gibbon.
    2. To renounce; to relinquish; -- said of authority, a trust,
       duty, right, etc.
             He abdicates all right to be his own governor.
                                                   --Burke.
             The understanding abdicates its functions. --Froude.
    3. To reject; to cast off. [Obs.] --Bp. Hall.
    4. (Civil Law) To disclaim and expel from the family, as a
       father his child; to disown; to disinherit.
    Syn: To give up; quit; vacate; relinquish; forsake; abandon;
         resign; renounce; desert.
    Usage: To {Abdicate}, {Resign}. Abdicate commonly expresses
           the act of a monarch in voluntary and formally
           yielding up sovereign authority; as, to abdicate the
           government. Resign is applied to the act of any
           person, high or low, who gives back an office or trust
           into the hands of him who conferred it. Thus, a
           minister resigns, a military officer resigns, a clerk
           resigns. The expression, ``The king resigned his
           crown,'' sometimes occurs in our later literature,
           implying that he held it from his people. -- There are
           other senses of resign which are not here brought into
           view.
    
  2. \Ab"di*cate\, v. i.
    To relinquish or renounce a throne, or other high office or
    dignity.
          Though a king may abdicate for his own person, he
          cannot abdicate for the monarchy.        --Burke.
    
 
Thesaurus Terms
 
 Related Terms: abandon, abjure, acknowledge defeat, be pensioned, be superannuated, cashier, cast, cease, cede, cry quits, demit, desist from, drop, forgo, forswear, give over, give up, hand over, have done with, jettison, lay down, leave, leave off, pension off, quit, reject, relinquish, renounce, renounce the throne, resign, retire, retire from office, scrap, shed, slough, stand aside, stand down, step aside, superannuate, surrender, throw away, throw out, throw up, vacate, waive, withdraw from, wrest, yield
 

 

 

 

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