Building a Better Vocabulary

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z As you probably suspect, the de- in denude means “away.” The

nude comes from the Latin verb nudo meaning “to strip.”

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z The Latin preposition ab- PHDQW³RIIDZD\ ́WKXVWKLVSUH¿[LV

close in meaning to one of the de- meanings we’ve just seen. The

abSUH¿[DSSHDUVLQVXFKZRUGVDVabsent, abnormal, and abduct.

Abdicate (verb)

To renounce or relinquish a throne, right, power, or responsibility.

z When we look at abdicate, the ab SUH¿[ LPPHGLDWHO\ VWDQGV

out. What’s left is the word part dicate, which contains the root

dic, meaning “speak.” Thus, etymologically, abdicate means “to

speak away” and originally meant to “disown and disinherit one’s

children.” In fact, it wasn’t until the 1600s that abdicate began to

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Abnegate (verb)

1. To deny or renounce.


2. To relinquish power.

z Again, if we look at the word parts of abnegate, we immediately

see ab-, meaning “away.” The remaining part, negate, comes from

the Latin nego, “to deny.” Etymologically, when you abnegate, you

“deny something away.”

z The second meaning of abnegate, “to relinquish power,” often causes

confusion with abdicate. However, according to vocabulary.com,

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words, you’re more likely to hear of a queen abdicating the throne

and a project manager abnegating responsibility.