rə̇ˈliŋkwish, rēˈ-, -ink-, -wēsh, esp in pres part -wəsh verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English relinquisshen, from Middle French relinquiss-, lengthened stem of relinquir, from Latin relinquere, literally, to leave behind, from re- + linquere to leave — more at loan
transitive verb
1.
a. obsolete : forsake
b. : to withdraw or retreat from : abandon
the shores they have relinquished shrink to … remoteness — George Meredith
2.
a. : to desist from : leave off : cease from considering, practising, exercising, or cherishing
relinquishing the law, Webster resumed teaching — H.E.Scudder
the … scheme had been deferred, not relinquished — Jane Austen
b. : to assent to withdrawal, dropping, or cessation of : give up : renounce
his concealment from herself of the name he had relinquished — Charles Dickens
refused to relinquish his claim to the inheritance
relinquished all hope of finding survivors
3.
a. : to let go of physically : stop holding : release
relinquished his grip on his armchair
b. : to give over possession or control of : yield , surrender
the ambition which incites a man to seize power seldom allows him to relinquish it — Times Literary Supplement
intransitive verb
obsolete : to go away : disappear , vanish
Synonyms:
leave , abandon , waive , resign , cede , yield , surrender : relinquish , a word wide in meaning, as the preceding definitions indicate, usually does not suggest forceful action or strong feeling in dropping, desisting, renouncing; it sometimes suggests regret at giving up or delay in the process
and your system … have courage to cast the dream of it out of you; relinquish an impossible project — George Meredith
did not lightly relinquish his hope of victory — American Guide Series: Ind.
it cost him a few struggles to relinquish her — Jane Austen
leave may connote more peremptory and definite action than relinquish
“he has left me,” Sophia interrupted him in her weak and fatigued voice — Arnold Bennett
always carries his mouth open, a practice which, it is prophesied, he will soon leave off in this land of flies — Rachel Henning
abandon may stress finality and completeness in giving up, especially before dangers, hostile advances, encroachments that cannot be checked, or against the claims of duty or loyalty
the stations were withdrawn … and northern Texas abandoned to the savages — R.A.Billington
abandoning wife and children, home and business, and renouncing normal morality and humanity — G.B.Shaw
waive may suggest either temporary or permanent forgoing; it often connotes a voluntary, complaisant giving up of something in the interests of conciliation or convenience
from that time onward the office rule was waived — E.H.Collis
resign may suggest either a formal and definite giving up or relinquishing or a wistful, stoic, or confiding yielding or acceptance without struggle
Britain rightly refused to budge from the position that it would not resign its trusteeship — Nation
these saintly self-deniers, these resigned sufferers, who would not strive nor cry — Matthew Arnold
cede suggests giving up or granting formally by or as if by treaty, negotiation, or arbitration holdings, either willingly or under duress and compulsion, but always peacefully
strongly urging the states to cede these lands to the United States — R.B.Taney
the Dutch were forced to cede New Amsterdam — Stringfellow Barr
yield may suggest a giving up through diplomatic concession but is more likely to connote submitting and giving over to superior force
he already saw that his friend and employer was a man who knew no moderation in his requests and impulses and he yielded gracefully — Thomas Hardy
after a spirited contest lasting three quarters of a century, theocratic Puritanism yielded to ecclesiastical democracy — V.L.Parrington
surrender is likely to indicate giving up under compulsion to superior forces, especially after resistance or preparation for or show of resistance
Fort Orange surrendered to the English — A.C.Flick