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Jan 22, 2009

This week's theme
Words from Obama

This week's words
cohere
syncretic
endemic
abrogate
sui generis

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A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

abrogate

PRONUNCIATION:

(AB-ruh-gayt)

MEANING:

verb tr. To put aside or treat as nonexistent, especially by an authoritative act.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin abrogatus (repealed), past participle of abrogare (to repeal a law), from ab- (away from) + rogare (to ask, propose a law). Ultimately from the Indo-European root reg- (to move in a straight line, to lead or rule) that is also the source of regent, regime, direct, rectangle, erect, rectum, alert, source, and surge.

USAGE:

"I am proud to be sponsoring this amendment with the senior senator from West Virginia [Robert Byrd]. He's absolutely right that Congress has abrogated its oversight responsibilities."
Remarks of Senator Barack Obama on the Military Commission Legislation; Sep 28, 2006.

See more usage examples of abrogate in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

There is as much difference between us and ourselves as between us and others. -Michel de Montaigne, essayist (1533-1592)

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