abnegate

English

WOTD – 29 September 2011

Etymology

First attested in 1657.

Perhaps from Latin abnegō (“to refuse, reject”) from ab (“away from”) + negō (“to deny”),[1][2]
Alternatively, perhaps a back-formation from abnegation.[3][4]

Pronunciation

(US) IPA^(key): /ˈæb.nɪ.ɡeɪt/, /ˈæb.ni.ɡeɪt/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈæb.nɪ.ɡeɪt/
Audio (US) (file)

Verb

abnegate (third-person singular simple present abnegates, present participle abnegating, simple past and past participle abnegated)

(transitive) To deny (oneself something); to renounce or give up (a right, a power, a claim, a privilege, a convenience). [First attested in the early 17^th century.][2]
- 1898 December 10, “Asbell v. State”, in The Pacific Reporter, volume 55, page 339:
  To compel a state, upon theories of doubtful statutory interpretation, to appear as defendant suitor in its own courts, and to litigate with private parties as to whether it had abnegated its sovereignty of exemption, would be intolerable.
- 1875 January 1, Brownson's Quarterly Review, page 20:
  All ancient and modern histories of nations abnegate God.
(transitive) To relinquish; to surrender; to abjure. [First attested in the mid 18^th century.][2]

Related terms

abnegation
abnegator
abnegatory

Translations

to deny oneself something

Armenian: հրաժարվել (hy) (hražarvel)
Dutch: ontzeggen (nl),
Finnish: kieltää (fi), luovuttaa (fi)
German: entsagen (de)
Ido: abnegar (io)

Interlingue: abnegar
Portuguese: abnegar (pt)
Russian: отка́зываться (ru) (otkázyvatʹsja), отрека́ться (ru) (otrekátʹsja)
Spanish: abnegar (es)
Swedish: avsäga sig (sv)

to reject, to deny

Armenian: ուրանալ (hy) (uranal), մերժել (hy) (meržel), ժխտել (hy) (žxtel)
Dutch: verwerpen (nl), ontzeggen (nl), verzaken (nl), afzweren (nl)
Finnish: torjua (fi), kieltää (fi)
Latin: abnegō, negō, dēnegō

Portuguese: abnegar (pt)
Romanian: abnega (ro)
Russian: отрека́ться (ru) (otrekátʹsja), отверга́ть (ru) (otvergátʹ)
Spanish: rechazar (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

Bulgarian: ^{(please verify)} отричам (bg) (otričam), ^{(please verify)} отхвърлям (bg) (othvǎrljam), ^{(please verify)} отказвам (се от) (otkazvam (se ot))

Vietnamese: ^{(please verify)} nhịn (vi), ^{(please verify)} bỏ (vi), ^{(please verify)} từ bỏ (vi), ^{(please verify)} từ chối không nhận

References

“abnegate” in Christine A. Lindberg, editor, The Oxford College Dictionary, 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: Spark Publishing, 2002, ISBN 978-1-4114-0500-4, page 3..
“abnegate” in Lesley Brown, editor, The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-860457-0, page 6.
Elliott K. Dobbie, C. William Dunmore, Robert K. Barnhart, et al. (editors), Chambers Dictionary of Etymology (Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2004 [1998], ISBN 0550142304), page 3
Philip Babcock Gove (editor), Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 [1909], ISBN 0-87779-101-5), page 4

Latin

Verb

abnegāte

first-person plural present active imperative of abnegō

[1] “abnegate” in Christine A. Lindberg, editor, The Oxford College Dictionary, 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: Spark Publishing, 2002, ISBN 978-1-4114-0500-4, page 3..

[SOED-2] “abnegate” in Lesley Brown, editor, The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-860457-0, page 6.

[3] Elliott K. Dobbie, C. William Dunmore, Robert K. Barnhart, et al. (editors), Chambers Dictionary of Etymology (Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2004 [1998], ISBN 0550142304), page 3

[4] Philip Babcock Gove (editor), Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 [1909], ISBN 0-87779-101-5), page 4