abjuration
/ˌæb.d͡ʒʊˈɹeɪ.ʃn̩/
abjuration means A solemn recantation or renunciation on oath; as, an abjuration of heresy. It carries an Arena rating of 1666, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, abjuration ranks #427 of 13,218 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #771 of 13,218 for Most Ponderous Words, #1,139 of 13,218 for Most Incisive Words, #1,971 of 13,218 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
abjuration is pronounced /ˌæb.d͡ʒʊˈɹeɪ.ʃn̩/.
Why “abjuration” is a great word
A formal renunciation or repudiation of a belief, cause, or allegiance, typically made under oath. From Middle English abjuracioun, from Latin abiūrātiō ("forswearing, abjuration"), from ab ("from, away from") + iūrō ("to swear an oath"), from iūs ("law, right, duty"); first attested around 1439. Unlike "recantation," which retracts a statement, or "renunciation," which broadly rejects a claim, abjuration is a public ritual of un-swearing, a legal undoing of a sacred vow. It is the heretic's signature drying on the parchment of capitulation, the cold weight of a regimental badge returned to the table, the deliberate snuffing of a candle that once symbolized faith—the solemn architecture by which a self is dismantled in full view.
Etymology
First attested around 1439. From Middle English abjuracioun, from Latin abiūrātiō (“forswearing, abjuration”), from ab (“from, away from”) + iūrō (“swear or take an oath”), from iūs (“law, right, duty”). Compare French abjuration.
noun
- A solemn recantation or renunciation on oath; as, an abjuration of heresy.
- A repudiation on oath of a religious or political principle.
- The act of abjuring.
Words closest in meaning
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