abjure

(ăb-jʊr')
tr.v., -jured, -jur·ing, -jures.

1. To recant solemnly; renounce or repudiate: "For nearly 21 years after his resignation as Prime Minister in 1963, he abjured all titles, preferring to remain just plain 'Mr.'" (Time).
2. To renounce under oath; forswear.

[Middle English abjuren, from Old French abjurer, from Latin abiūrāre : ab-, away; see ab-¹ + iūrāre, to swear.]

abjuration ab'ju·ra'tion n.
abjurer ab·jur'er n.

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Abjure means 'to renounce on oath'

(He had abjured, he thought, all superstitions—Iris Murdoch, 1985)

and to abjure one's country (or realm) is to swear to abandon it for ever. It is also used in the weakened sense 'to renounce'

(Are faculty members willing to abjure e-mail in communicating with their students and colleagues?—The Nation, 2002 [Old English (up to 1150)C]).

By contrast, adjure means 'to request earnestly' with or (now) more frequently without an oath (They were all talking at once, adjuring each other to have fresh cups of tea). Neither word is in everyday use, but they are found in literature and can cause confusion when wrongly used.

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verb

To disavow (something previously written or said) irrevocably and usually formally: recall, recant, retract, take back, withdraw. See accept/reject.

Retract, recant, or repudiate.

IN BRIEF: To promise or swear to give up.

The heavens rejoice in motion, why should I abjure my so much loved variety. — John Donne (1572-1631)

Tutor's tip: A defendant may "abjure" (or recant) his confession, while his lawyer "adjures" (earnestly urges) him to tell the truth.

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For a list of words related to abjure, see:

• Opposition, Disagreement, and Attack - abjure: (vb) repudiate or renounce firmly and solemnly

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See words rhyming with "abjure."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Abjure.

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - afsværge, fornægte, opgive

Nederlands (Dutch)
afzweren

Français (French)
v. tr. - renoncer à

Deutsch (German)
v. - abschwören

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - αποκηρύσσω (με όρκο), απαρνούμαι (θρησκεία, πεποιθήσεις)

Italiano (Italian)
abiurare, sconfessare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - abjurar

Русский (Russian)
отрекаться, отступиться

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - renunciar a, abjurar

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - avsvärja sig, förneka

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
发誓放弃, 公开放弃, 避免

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 發誓放棄, 公開放棄, 避免

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 포기하다, 맹세하고 버리다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 誓ってやめる, 控える

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يعد, يقسم أمام الجمهور, يجتنب‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮נשבע לוותר על, התנער מ-, התכחש, כפר ב-‬

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