Definition of abjure
abjured
;abjuring
formal
transitive verb
1a : to renounce upon oath He abjured his allegiance to his former country.b : to reject solemnly She abjured her old beliefs.
2 : to abstain from : avoid abjure extravagance
abjurer
nounRead the Latest from M-W
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Examples of abjure in a Sentence
abjured some long-held beliefs when she converted to another religion
a strict religious sect that abjures the luxuries, comforts, and conveniences of the modern world
Recent Examples of abjure from the Web
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Constructed in response to the disaster that was the Iraq War, the Obama doctrine abjures direct U.S. military intervention in countries that don’t represent a direct security threat to the United States, such as Syria.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abjure'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Just as a jury swears to produce an unbiased verdict, and a witness swears to tell the truth on pain of perjury, those who abjure their former ways "swear them away." "Abjure" (as well as "jury" and "perjury") comes from Latin jurare, which means "to swear" (and which in turn is based on the root jus, meaning "law"), plus the prefix ab-, meaning "away." These days, we can casually abjure (that is, abstain from) vices such as smoking or overeating, but in the 15th and 16th centuries to abjure was a matter of renouncing something under oath-and sometimes a matter of life and death. For example, during the Spanish Inquisition, individuals were given the choice between abjuring unacceptable beliefs and being burned at the stake.
Origin and Etymology of abjure
Middle English abjuren, borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French abjurer, borrowed from Medieval Latin abjūrāre, “to repudiate, renounce (a right or claim), swear to stay away from,” going back to Latin, “to deny knowledge of falsely under oath, repudiate,” from ab- ab- + jūrāre “to swear” — more at 1jury
Synonym Discussion of abjure
Law Dictionary
Origin and Etymology of abjure
Latin abjurare, from ab- off + jurare to swear
Learn More about abjure
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See words that rhyme with abjure Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for abjure Spanish Central: Translation of abjure Nglish: Translation of abjure for Spanish speakers
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