re·lin·quish
Audio Help [ri-ling-kwish] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
Audio Help [ri-ling-kwish] Pronunciation Key –verb (used with object)
| 1. | to renounce or surrender (a possession, right, etc.): to relinquish the throne. |
| 2. | to give up; put aside or desist from: to relinquish a plan. |
| 3. | to let go; release: to relinquish one's hold. |
[Origin: 1425–75; late ME relinquissen, relinquisshen < MF relinquiss-, long s. of relinquir ≪ L relinquere to leave behind, equiv. to re- re- + linquere to leave (akin to lend)
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] —Related forms
re·lin·quish·er, noun
re·lin·quish·ment, noun
—Synonyms 2. yield, cede, waive, forego, abdicate, leave, quit, forswear, desert, resign. See abandon1.
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
relinquish
To learn more about relinquish visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| re·lin·quish
Audio Help (rĭ-lĭng'kwĭsh) Pronunciation Key
tr.v. re·lin·quished, re·lin·quish·ing, re·lin·quish·es
[Middle English relinquisshen, from Old French relinquir, relinquiss-, from Latin relinquere : re-, re- + linquere, to leave; see leikw- in Indo-European roots.] re·lin'quish·er n., re·lin'quish·ment n. Synonyms: These verbs mean letting something go or giving something up. Relinquish, the least specific, may connote regret: can't relinquish the idea. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
relinquish
1472, from M.Fr. relinquiss-, prp. stem of relinquir (12c.), from L. relinquere "leave behind, forsake, abandon, give up," from re- "back" + linquere "to leave," from PIE *linkw-, from base *leikw- "to leave behind" (cf. Skt. reknas "inheritance, wealth," rinakti "leaves;" Gk. leipein "to leave;" Goth. leihvan, O.E. lænan "to lend;" O.H.G. lihan "to borrow;" O.N. lan "loan").
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| relinquish | |
verb | |
| 1. | part with a possession or right; "I am relinquishing my bedroom to the long-term house guest"; "resign a claim to the throne" [syn: release] |
| 2. | do without or cease to hold or adhere to; "We are dispensing with formalities"; "relinquish the old ideas" [syn: waive] |
| 3. | turn away from; give up; "I am foreswearing women forever" [syn: foreswear] |
| 4. | release, as from one's grip; "Let go of the door handle, please!"; "relinquish your grip on the rope--you won't fall" [syn: let go of] [ant: hold] |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
relinquish [rəˈliŋkwiʃ] verb
to give up
Example: The dictator was forced to relinquish control of the country.
Example: The dictator was forced to relinquish control of the country.
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
Relinquish
Der"e*lict\, a. [L. derelictus, p. p. of derelinquere to forsake wholly, to abandon; de- + relinquere to leave. See Relinquish.]1. Given up or forsaken by the natural owner or guardian; left and abandoned; as, derelict lands. The affections which these exposed or derelict children bear to their mothers, have no grounds of nature or assiduity but civility and opinion. --Jer. Taylor. 2. Lost; adrift; hence, wanting; careless; neglectful; unfaithful. They easily prevailed, so as to seize upon the vacant, unoccupied, and derelict minds of his [Chatham's] friends; and instantly they turned the vessel wholly out of the course of his policy. --Burke. A government which is either unable or unwilling to redress such wrongs is derelict to its highest duties. --J. Buchanan.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
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