unswear

Etymology

From un- + swear.

unswear means to recall a previously sworn oath. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.

Why this word is great

UNSWEAR — [Verb] To retract or recall a previously sworn oath or statement. From the prefix un- (expressing reversal) + the verb swear ("to take an oath"). Unlike "recant," which withdraws a stated opinion, or "abjure," which renounces a belief with public finality, to unswear is the private, precise act of severing a bond one has made with one's own word. It is the hand slowly unprying its grip from a sacred text, the signature scratched through on a yellowing contract, or the whispered name taken back after a betrayal—a quiet archaeology of the self that leaves the universe of trust slightly more disordered.

verb

To recall a previously sworn oath.“The Ape was glad to end the strife so light , And there - to swore ; for who would not oft swear , And oft unswear , a diadem to bear ?”