Word
abdicate
Phoneticsab·di·cate
US/ˈæbdəˌkeɪt/
UK/ˈæbdɪkˌeɪt/
Definitions
01to give up a throne
v. to officially step down from being a king, queen, or leader.
v. to formally renounce or relinquish sovereign power or a high office. Often used intransitively when referring to a monarch.
“The king decided to abdicate so his son could lead the country.”
“Faced with overwhelming public pressure and a fractured parliament, the emperor chose to abdicate the throne in favour of his youngest daughter.”
Formal
Usage
Can be used with or without a direct object; when transitive, the object is usually 'the throne' or 'power'.
02to fail a duty
v. to stop doing a job or responsibility that you should be doing.
v. to fail to fulfill or undertake a duty or responsibility. Transitive use, often appearing in the phrase 'abdicate responsibility'.
“The government must not abdicate its responsibility to protect the environment.”
“Critics argued that the board had abdicated its fiduciary duties by failing to investigate the CEO's questionable financial transactions.”
Formal
Usage
Almost always takes a direct object like 'responsibility', 'duty', or 'role'.
Real-World Examples
“The king ascended the Scandinavian country's throne in January 1991 and has openly ruled out abdicating.” “In February 1917, widespread strikes escalated into a full-blown uprising that soon saw Nicholas abdicate on behalf of both himself and his sickly son.” Etymology
First attested in 1532; borrowed from Latin abdicātus (“renounced”), perfect passive participle of abdicō (“to renounce, reject, disclaim”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), formed from ab (“away”) + dicō (“proclaim, dedicate, declare”), akin to dīcō (“to say”). Compare Middle English abdicat (“forsaken, renounced”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.