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the act or state of ; renunciation.
contemporary examples

abdication brought her to the throne, but it will not be the way she leaves it.
to the queen, on her 83rd birthday robert lacey april 20, 2009

bergoglio is 76 years old—nine years younger than benedict at the time of his abdication.
introducing pope francis, your new papa eliza shapiro, lizzie crocker march 13, 2013

well, maybe the abdication was a bigger deal, but still, a harry video will be huge, and a major nightmare for the palace.
rumours of naked harry video gather force tom sykes august 27, 2012

tuesday was declared a day to “save the nation,” and people across the country once again demanded the abdication of scaf.
ahdaf soueif’s cairo: remembering a city wracked by the arab spring ahdaf soueif january 25, 2014

and if anyone thought this was an abdication and a letting go of the unruly region they need to think again.
eastern ukraine braces for ‘full-scale war’ jamie dettmer november 16, 2014

historical examples

they who have abdicated and have clung to their abdication have always lost by it.
phineas finn anthony trollope

the fundamental condition of life is the innate heat, the abdication of which is death.
the legacy of greece various

it was one last chance, and the king tore up the act of abdication.
bismarck and the foundation of the german empire james wycliffe headlam

we can’t fire him, we don’t dare to approach him to suggest his abdication.
trail’s end george w. ogden

england would not tolerate bonaparte; she would not even tolerate his abdication in favour of his own son.
the bronze eagle emmuska orczy, baroness orczy

n.

1550s, “a disowning,” from latin abdicationem (nominative abdicatio) “renunciation, abdication,” noun of action from past participle stem of abdicare (see abdicate); sense of “resignation of sovereignty” is from 1680s.