Meaning of abdicate

ab•di•cate

Pronunciation: (ab'di-kāt"), [key]

— v., -cat•ed, -cat•ing.

—v.i.

to renounce or relinquish a throne, right, power, claim, responsibility, or the like, esp. in a formal manner: The aging founder of the firm decided to abdicate.

—v.t.

to give up or renounce (authority, duties, an office, etc.), esp. in a voluntary, public, or formal manner: King Edward VIII of England abdicated the throne in 1936.

Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.

See also:

abdicate (Thesaurus)

abdicant abdication

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