definitions

relinquish

[ ri-ling-kwish ]
/ rɪˈlɪŋ kwɪʃ /
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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.

RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

religiosity, religious, religious house, religious order, religious right, relinquish, reliquary, relique, reliquiae, relish, relive

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 forms

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

Examples from the Web for relinquish

British Dictionary definitions for relinquish

relinquish

/ (rɪˈlɪŋkwɪʃ) /

verb (tr)

to give up (a task, struggle, etc); abandon
to surrender or renounce (a claim, right, etc)
to release; let go

Derived Forms

relinquisher, 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