abdicate

English

Etymology

From Latin abdicātus, perfect passive participle of abdicō (“abdicate”), formed from ab + dicō (“proclaim, dedicate”), akin to dīcō (“say”).

Pronunciation

• (RP)
  • IPA: /ˈæbdɪkeɪt/
• (US)
  • SAMPA: /{bdIkEt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

abdicate (third-person singular simple present abdicates, present participle abdicating, simple past and past participle abdicated)

1. (transitive) To surrender, renounce 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.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Edward Gibbon:

     The cross-bearers abdicated their service.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Edmund Burke:

     He abdicates all right to be his own governor.

   • (Can we date this quote?) James Anthony Froude:

     The understanding abdicates its functions.

2. (transitive, obsolete) To reject; to cast off.
3. (transitive, law) To disclaim and expel from the family, as a father his child; to disown; to disinherit.
4. (intransitive) To relinquish or renounce a throne, or other high office or dignity; to renounce sovereignty.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Edmund Burke:

     Though a king may abdicate for his own person, he cannot abdicate for the monarchy.

Synonyms

• (surrender, renounce, or relinquish): give up, relinquish, renounce, quit, vacate, surrender, relent
• (reject; cast off): forsake, abandon, desert, renounce, relent
• (disclaim and expel from family; disown; disinherit): forsake, give up
• (relinquish or renounce a high office or sovereignty): relinquish, renounce, resign, quit, give up, vacate, relent

Derived terms

• abdicable
• abdicant
• abdicator

Related terms

• abdication

Translations

surrender or relinquish

Bulgarian: отказвам се от (bg) Chinese: Mandarin: (give up throne) 禪讓 (zh), 禅让 (zh) (shànràng), (leave any position) 退位 (zh) (tuìwèi), 退出 (zh) (tuìchū) Croatian: abdicírati (hr) Dutch: afstand doen (van) Finnish: luopua (fi) French: abdiquer (fr) German: abdanken (de) Greek: αποποιούμαι (apopee-oómay)

Italian: abdicare (it) Norwegian: Bokmål: frasi seg (no) Nynorsk: fråseie seg (nn) Novial: abdika Portuguese: abdicar (pt) Spanish: abdicar (es) Swedish: ge upp (sv) Vietnamese: từ bỏ (vi)

reject

Chinese: Mandarin: 拒絕 (zh), 拒绝 (zh) (jùjué) Dutch: weigeren (nl), afwijzen (nl) Finnish: hylätä (fi) German: verweigern (de) Interlingua: abdicar Italian: abdicare (it) Norwegian: Bokmål: avvise (no) Nynorsk: avvise (nn)

Portuguese: abdicar (pt) Russian: отказываться (ru) Spanish: abdicar (es) Swedish: avvisa (sv) Vietnamese: từ bỏ

disinherit

Chinese: Mandarin: 辭職 (zh), 辞职 (zh) (cízhí) Dutch: onterven (nl) Finnish: tehdä perinnöttömäksi (fi) German: ausstoßen (de) Italian: abdicare (it)

Norwegian: Bokmål: fornekte (no) Nynorsk: fornekte (nn) Portuguese: deserdar Spanish: abdicar (es) Vietnamese: từ bỏ, bỏ

renounce a throne

Bulgarian: абдикирам (bg) Chinese: Mandarin: (give up throne) 禪讓 (zh), 禅让 (zh) (shànràng), (leave any position) 退位 (zh) (tuìwèi), 退出 (zh) (tuìchū) Croatian: abdicírati (hr) Danish: abdicere (da) Dutch: aftreden, troonsafstand doen, abdiceren Finnish: luopua (fi) French: abdiquer (fr) German: abdanken (de) Greek: παραιτούμαι (paretoómay)

Italian: abdicare (it) Japanese: 退位する (taii suru) Norwegian: Bokmål: abdisere (no) Nynorsk: abdisere (nn) Novial: abdika Portuguese: abdicar (pt) Russian: отрекаться (ru) (от престола) Spanish: abdicar (es) Swedish: abdikera (sv) Vietnamese: thoái vị, từ ngôi

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Macedonian: се одкажува (se odkažuva)

Slovak: vzdať sa (úradu), odstúpiť, zriecť sa

Shorthand

• Gregg (Version: Centennial,Series 90,DJS): a - b - d - e - k - a - t

(Version: Simplified,Anniversary,Pre-Anniversary): a - b - d - e - k

References

• abdicate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

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Italian

Verb form

abdicate

1. second-person plural present tense of abdicare
2. second-person plural imperative of abdicare

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Latin

Verb

abdicāte

1. first-person plural present active imperative of abdicō