/ fəˈseɪk; NAmE fərˈs-/ verb ( for·sook / fəˈsʊk; NAmE fərˈs-/, for·saken / fəˈseɪkən; NAmE fərˈs-/) [ vn ] forsake sb/sth (for sb/sth) ( literary )
1.
to leave sb/sth, especially when you have a responsibility to stay
SYN abandon :
He had made it clear to his wife that he would never forsake her.
2.
to stop doing sth, or leave sth, especially sth that you enjoy
SYN renounce :
She forsook the glamour of the city and went to live in the wilds of Scotland.
—see also godforsaken
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English forsacan renounce, refuse , of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch verzaken , and ultimately to for- and sake (I).