abjure

American  

[ab-joor, -jur] / æbˈdʒʊər, -ˈdʒɜr /

verb (used with object)

abjured, abjuring

1. to renounce, repudiate, or retract, especially with formal solemnity; recant.

   to abjure one's errors.

2. to renounce or give up under oath; forswear.

   to abjure allegiance.

3. to avoid or shun.

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abjure British  

/ əbˈdʒʊə /

verb

1. to renounce or retract, esp formally, solemnly, or under oath

2. to abstain from or reject

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Other Word Forms

• abjuration
  noun
• abjuratory
  adjective
• abjurer
  noun
• nonabjuratory
  adjective
• unabjuratory
  adjective
• unabjured
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of abjure

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin abjūrāre to deny on oath, equivalent to ab- ab- + jūrāre to swear; see jury ¹

Explanation

Abjure means to swear off, and it applies to something you once believed. You can abjure a religious faith, you can abjure your love of another person, and you can abjure the practice of using excessive force in interrogation. Abjure is a more dramatic way to declare your rejection of something you once felt or believed. When you see its Latin roots, it makes sense: from ab- (meaning "away") and jurare ("to swear"). When you abjure something, you swear it away and dissociate yourself with it. You might abjure the field of astrology after receiving a bad fortune, or you might abjure marriage after a bitter divorce.

Example Sentences

Abjure all fopperies, such as white silk linings, silk collars, etc.; above all, the shirt-front should be plain.

From Frost's Laws and By-Laws of American Society A condensed but thorough treatise on etiquette and its usages in America, containing plain and reliable directions for deportment in every situation in life. by Frost, Sarah Annie

Abjure fast boarding-houses, you silly old bachelors, and go to grass in a marsh!

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 06, No. 36, October, 1860 by Various

"Abjure all together," said Coconnas; "for one Credo, three souls and one life."

From Marguerite de Valois by Dumas père, Alexandre

Abjure, discard, forswear, recall, recant, renounce, retract, and revoke, like abandon, imply some previous connection.

From English Synonyms and Antonyms With Notes on the Correct Use of Prepositions by Fernald, James Champlin

Abjure, ab-jōōr′, v.t. to renounce on oath or solemnly: to recant: to repudiate.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various