re·lin·quish
(rĭ-lĭnǵkwĭsh)
[Middle English relinquisshen, from Old French relinquir, relinquiss-, from Latin relinquere, re-, re-, + linquere, to leave.]
transitive verb: -quished, -quish·ing, -quish·es.
- To retire from; give up or abandon.
- To put aside or desist from (something practiced, professed, or intended).
- To let go; surrender.
- To cease holding physically; release: relinquish a grip.
derivatives
- re·lińquish·er
- noun
- re·lińquish·ment
- noun
synonyms:
relinquish, yield, resign, abandon, surrender, cede, waive, renounce These verbs mean letting something go or giving something up. Relinquish, the least specific, may connote regret: can't relinquish the idea. Yield implies giving way, as to pressure, often in the hope that such action will be temporary: had to yield ground. Resign suggests formal relinquishing ( resigned their claim to my land ) or acquiescence arising from hopelessness ( resigned himself to forgoing his vacation ). Abandon and surrender both imply no expectation of recovering what is given up; surrender also implies the operation of compulsion or force: abandoned all hope for a resolution; surrendered control of the company. Cede connotes formal transfer, as of territory: ceded the province to the victorious nation. Waive implies a voluntary decision to dispense with something, such as a right: waived all privileges. To renounce is to relinquish formally and usually as a matter of principle: renounced worldly goods.
