Relinquish

How to spell relinquish

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce relinquish

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does relinquish mean?

1. verbTo voluntarily give up, surrender, or let go of something such as a right, possession, or control.

Relinquish in a sentence

• The founder agreed to relinquish control of the company to the new board.

• She refused to relinquish her claim to the inheritance without a fight.

Where does relinquish come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin relinquere, meaning 'to leave behind' or 'to abandon', formed from the intensive prefix re- and the verb linquere, which simply meant 'to leave'. English took it up in the early 1400s through Old French relinquir, originally in legal and religious senses of giving something up or surrendering a claim. The same Latin linquere lies behind the word 'relic' (something left behind) and 'derelict' (abandoned), so the family is all about things left or let go. The spelling trap is the silent run of letters in the middle: the 'qu' makes a 'kw' sound and the ending is '-quish', not '-quash' or '-kwish'. Remembering its cousin 'relic' can help anchor that this is a word about leaving and letting go.

How the word is built

• re- (intensive, back)
• linqu (from Latin linquere: to leave)
• -ish (verb-forming suffix via Old French)