forswear means to renounce or deny something, especially under oath. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 80 out of 100.
Why this word is great
FORSWEAR — [Verb] To renounce or deny something under oath, or to commit perjury. From Middle English forsweren, from Old English forswerian ("to swear falsely"), composed of the intensive prefix for- ("completely, away") + swerian ("to swear"). Unlike "abjure," which implies a solemn, public rejection for moral reasons, or "recant," which suggests withdrawing a belief under pressure, to forswear is to break the very vow that once bound you. It is the metallic taste of a lie spoken before a notary's seal, the cold sweat of denying a former love under solemn questioning, or the quiet, irreversible snap of a principle under the weight of expediency—a severance so complete it retroactively poisons the past it purports to leave behind.
verb
- To renounce or deny something, especially under oath.“We forswear allegiance and support for the Economic Freedom Fighters.”
- To commit perjury; to break an oath.