Origin: 1575–85; < Spanish renegado < Medieval Latin renegātus (noun use of past participle of renegāre to desert, renege), equivalent to re-re- + neg-, base of negāre to deny + -ātus-ade1
1580s, "apostate," probably (with change of suffix) from Sp. renegado, originally "Christian turned Muslim," from M.L. renegatus, prop. pp. of renegare "deny" (see renege). General sense of "turncoat" is from 1660s. The form renegate, directly from M.L., is attested in Eng. from late 14c.