abjure

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*h₂yew-“(adjective) right; straight; upright; (noun) justice; law; right”
2. Latin · derived fromabiūrāre
3. Old French · derived fromabjurer“to reject or renounce (something) on oath”
4. Middle French · derived fromabiurer
5. Anglo-Norman · derived fromabjurer
6. Middle English · inherited fromabjuren“to give up (something); to recant or renounce (something) under oath”
7. English todayabjure

From Late Middle English abjuren (“to give up (something); to recant or renounce (something) under oath”), from Anglo-Norman abjurer, Middle French abiurer, abjurer, and Old French abjurer (“to reject or renounce (something) on oath”) (modern French abjurer), and from their etymon Latin abiūrāre, the present active infinitive of abiūrō (“to deny on oath, recant, renounce, repudiate, abjure”), from ab- (prefix meaning ‘away from, from’) + iūro (“to take an oath, swear, vow”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂yew- (“(adjective) right; straight; upright; (noun) justice; law; right”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 15th c. To solemnly reject (someone or something); to abandon (someone or something) forever; to disavow, to disclaim, to repudiate.
• from 15th c. To renounce (something) upon oath; to forswear; specifically, to recant or retract (a heresy or some other opinion); to withdraw.
• from 15th c. To cause (someone) to recant or retract (a heresy or some other opinion).