Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To recant solemnly; renounce or repudiate.
  • transitive verb To renounce under oath; forswear.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To renounce upon oath; forswear; withdraw formally from: as, to abjure allegiance to a prince.
  • To renounce or repudiate; abandon; retract; especially, to renounce or retract with solemnity: as, to abjure one's errors or wrong practices.
  • To take an oath of abjuration.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To renounce on oath.
  • transitive verb To renounce upon oath; to forswear; to disavow. To abjure the realm, is to swear to abandon it forever.
  • transitive verb To renounce or reject with solemnity; to recant; to abandon forever; to reject; repudiate.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To abstain from; to avoid; to shun.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English abjuren, from Old French abjurer, from Latin abiūrāre : ab-, away; see ab– + iūrāre, to swear; see yewes- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English abjuren, then from either Middle French abjurer or directly from Latin abiūrō ("deny upon oath"), formed from ab ("from, away from") + iūro ("swear or take an oath"), from iūs ("law, right, duty").

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Examples

  • Indeed, as George Orwell observed, "Those who 'abjure' violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf."

    Archive 2009-04-01 Dr. Sanity 2009

  • These are the very people Orwell was describing, who 'abjure' violence and are not even aware that they are kept safe by 'rough men' ready to do violence on their behalf.

    Archive 2009-04-01 Dr. Sanity 2009

  • This is Orwell's definition of a particular segement of society: "Those who" abjure "violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf."

    Sound Politics: "Are Iraqi rebels cheering Dems big election wins?" 2006

  • And you'll impress your pals when you drop "abjure" or "loquacity" in conversation.

    Dan Brown: This Videogame Makes You Smarter and Helps the Hungry: The FreeRice Phenomenon 2008

  • "Those who 'abjure' violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf."

    Shame on NBC News. Ann Althouse 2007

  • And in his 'Notes on Nationalism' (1945) he wrote: "Those who" abjure "violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf."

    George Orwell FAQ - George Orwell: The Chestnut Tree Cafe 2003

  • That, presumably, is why he must 'abjure' this 'rough magic' by breaking his magical staff and drowning his book.

    Shakespeare Bevington, David 2002

  • Erard exclaimed that she must "abjure" or be burnt at once.

    The Story of Rouen Theodore Andrea Cook 1897

  • There was some murmuring among the crowd during this long ceremony; for while Jeanne was alive the English soldiery dared attempt nothing fresh; and they only saw in her refusals to "abjure" an immediate reason for handing her over from the ecclesiastical justice to the secular, whose ways were swifter.

    The Story of Rouen Theodore Andrea Cook 1897

  • 'Pak has evidence about India's involvement in Balochistan' today said Government was willing to open talks with the Maoists provided they "abjure" violence which, he said, was the only hurdle to hold

    WN.com - Articles related to Pak charge of funding Taliban absurd, baseless: Antony 2009

Comments

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  • (v.t.) to renounce, foreswear, or deny upon oath; to reject, recant, abandon, repudiate.

    December 30, 2008

  • “I abjure with a sincere heart and unfeigned faith, I curse and detest the said errors and heresies, and generally all and every error and sect contrary to the Holy Catholic Church.” - Galileo Galilei

    December 15, 2010

  • To renounce or reject upon oath,

    May 21, 2018