relinquish

[ri-ling-kwish]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR relinquish ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to renounce or surrender (a possession, right, etc.): to relinquish the throne.

to give up; put aside or desist from: to relinquish a plan.

to let go; release: to relinquish one's hold.

Origin of relinquish

1425–75; late Middle English relinquissen, relinquisshen < Middle French relinquiss-, long stem of relinquir ≪ Latin relinquere to leave behind, equivalent to re- re- + linquere to leave (akin to lend)

Related formsre·lin·quish·er, nounre·lin·quish·ment, nounnon·re·lin·quish·ment, nounun·re·lin·quished, adjectiveun·re·lin·quish·ing, adjective

Synonyms for relinquish

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR relinquish ON THESAURUS.COM

2. yield, cede, waive, forego, abdicate, leave, quit, forswear, desert, resign. See abandon¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for relinquish

cede, abdicate, renounce, waive, quit, yield, abandon, forgo, withdraw, vacate, surrender, forbear, shed, abnegate, dump, repudiate, sacrifice, drop, resign, leave

Examples from the Web for relinquish

Contemporary Examples of relinquish

To be a hero, you must accept your fate and relinquish control to it.
The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical Hero
Regina Lizik
October 28, 2014
She has yet to relinquish her anonymity and is unavailable for any comment.
Alleged U.Va. Abductor Accused of Rape at Christian College
Michael Daly
September 28, 2014
He would not relinquish presidential power and live to regret it, like his cousin.
From The Square Deal to The New Deal: The Overlapping Political Identities of TR and FDR
John Avlon
September 9, 2014
Should I relinquish my passport and book permanent passage on an infantilizing escorted “adventure” to the Mall of America next?
I Can’t Shake Hawaii: An Ode to Returning to Places You’ve Been Before
Debra A. Klein
October 7, 2013
Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown called for Akin to relinquish his Senate nomination.
Who Is Mrs. “Legitimate Rape”? Meet Todd Akin’s Wife, Lulli
Allison Yarrow
August 20, 2012

Historical Examples of relinquish

But not for that did aunt Ann relinquish her quest for the betterment of the domestic world.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
The term of your imprisonment ceases when you relinquish the hope of Beatriz.
Calderon The Courtier
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Casanova promptly moved as if to relinquish his seat in the carriage.
Casanova's Homecoming
Arthur Schnitzler
Rather than relinquish her, however, he would have set Rome on fire.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
I determined to relinquish every advantage to Grushnitski; I wanted to test him.
A Hero of Our Time
M. Y. Lermontov

British Dictionary definitions for relinquish

relinquish

verb (tr)

to give up (a task, struggle, etc); abandon

to surrender or renounce (a claim, right, etc)

to release; let go

Derived Formsrelinquisher, nounrelinquishment, noun

Word Origin for relinquish

C15: from French relinquir, from Latin relinquere to leave behind, from re- + linquere to leave

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for relinquish

mid-15c., "desert, abandon;" late 15c., "give up, desist," from Old French relinquiss-, present participle stem of relinquir (12c.), from Latin relinquere "leave behind, forsake, abandon, give up," from re- "back" (see re-) + linquere "to leave," from PIE *linkw-, from root *leikw- "to leave behind" (cf. Sanskrit reknas "inheritance, wealth," rinakti "leaves;" Greek leipein "to leave;" Gothic leihvan, Old English lænan "to lend;" Old High German lihan "to borrow;" Old Norse lan "loan"). Related: Relinquished; relinquishing.