abdicate
Definitions
To formally give up a throne or high position of power
退位，逊位
To fail to fulfil a duty or responsibility (abdicate responsibility)
放弃（职责）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom Latin abdicāre (ab- 'away' + dicāre 'to proclaim'). To abdicate is to 'proclaim away' — to formally declare that you give up your office. A king abdicates the throne; more broadly, you can abdicate responsibility by declaring (in effect) that it's no longer yours.
Root dic still carries 82 more wordsWhy It Means This
Another dicāre member, mirroring dedicate: where dedicate 'declares something set apart' for a purpose, abdicate 'declares something away' from yourself. The ab- 'away' prefix makes it the act of formally renouncing — most famously a crown.
Common Collocations
- 1.abdicate the throne退位
Example Sentences
- 1.
The king chose to abdicate in favor of his younger brother.
- 2.
Leaders who ignore problems are abdicating their responsibility.