abdication

IPA: æbdɪkˈeɪʃʌn

(obsolete) The act of disowning or disinheriting a child.
The act of abdicating; the renunciation of a high office, dignity, or trust, by its holder.
The voluntary renunciation of sovereign power.
(obsolete, law) The renunciation of interest in a property or a legal claim; abandonment.
(obsolete) The action of being deposed from the seat of power.

Examples of "abdication" in Sentences

The word abdication conciliated politicians of a more timid school.
God's apparent abdication from the affairs of the world seemed unforgivable.
Somers vindicated the use of the word abdication by quotations from Grotius and Brissonius, Spigelius and Bartolus.
Probably a primary false note in this tragedy was his abdication from a prestigious New York law organisation given a white cabinet partial of insulted him.
They hinted at the means of preserving it, but durst not pronounce the word abdication: so difficult it is to overcome the respect, that a great man inspires.
It called for freedom from Spain, a provisional Government and the ultimate formation of an independent "Empire of Mexico" with either King Ferdinand VII, who was considering abdication from the Spanish Throne, or some other member of the Spanish Royal family, heading a Constitutional Monarchy.
What else but a commitment to the long-term abdication of critical thinking could explain why millions of whites take so quickly to Rush Limbaugh: a guy whose motto for years was that he would "tell you what to think" and whose fans call themselves "ditto" heads (as in, "same as above," which is nearly the perfect metaphor for people who follow someone else like sheep).