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relinquish

[ri-ling-kwish]
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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.
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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

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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. 2018

Related Words

abandonmentself-denialabstentionquitclaimrepealresignationremissionvetosacrificeabjurationrenunciationdenialrebuffsurrenderyieldingcancellationabnegationrepudiationwaiverdisclaimer

Examples from the Web for relinquishment

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • In return for the relinquishment Cullison had been released.

    Crooked Trails and Straight

    William MacLeod Raine

  • When he permits a driver to pass, there is a touch of the contemptuous in that relinquishment.

    The Pacific Triangle

    Sydney Greenbie

  • I understand that he purchased what is called a relinquishment.

    The Homesteader

    Oscar Micheaux

  • He could not only sell me a relinquishment, but could also take my filing.

    The Conquest

    Oscar Micheaux

  • With the relinquishment of responsibility, she appeared to grow almost cheerful.

    The Builders

    Ellen Glasgow

British Dictionary definitions for relinquishment

relinquish

verb (tr)
  1. to give up (a task, struggle, etc); abandon
  2. to surrender or renounce (a claim, right, etc)
  3. to release; let go
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Derived Formsrelinquisher, nounrelinquishment, noun

Word Origin

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 relinquishment

relinquish

v.

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper