abjure

/əbˈd͡ʒʊə(ɹ)/

//əbˈd͡ʒʊə(ɹ)// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"abjure" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“abjure” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To solemnly reject (someone or something); to abandon (someone or something) forever; to disavow, to disclaim, to repudiate.

Key facts for abjure
PropertyValue
Headwordabjure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əbˈd͡ʒʊə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “abjure” sits in English frequency

abjure falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for abjure is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əbˈd͡ʒʊə(ɹ)/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

abjure has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English abjuren (“to give up (something); to recant or renounce (something) under oath”), from Anglo-Norman abjurer, Middle French abiurer, abjurer, and Old French abjurer (“to reject or renounce (something) on oath”) (modern French abjurer… The correct English form is abjure, spelled A-B-J-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To solemnly reject (someone or something); to abandon (someone or something) forever; to disavow, to disclaim, to repudiate.
  2. 2
    To renounce (something) upon oath; to forswear; specifically, to recant or retract (a heresy or some other opinion); to withdraw.
  3. 3
    To cause (someone) to recant or retract (a heresy or some other opinion).
  4. 4
    Especially in abjure the realm: to swear an oath to leave (a place) forever.
  5. 5
    To cause or compel (someone) to leave a place forever; to banish.
  6. 6
    To solemnly reject; to abandon forever.
  7. 7
    To recant or retract a heresy on oath.
  8. 8
    To swear an oath to leave a place forever.

Etymology

From Late Middle English abjuren (“to give up (something); to recant or renounce (something) under oath”), from Anglo-Norman abjurer, Middle French abiurer, abjurer, and Old French abjurer (“to reject or renounce (something) on oath”) (modern French abjurer), and from their etymon Latin abiūrāre, the present active infinitive of abiūrō (“to deny on oath, recant, renounce, repudiate, abjure”), from ab- (prefix meaning ‘away from, from’) + iūro (“to take an oath, swear, vow”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂yew- (“(adjective) right; straight; upright; (noun) justice; law; right”).

This word in other languages

abjurar(Español)abjurer(Français)abschwören(Deutsch)abjurar(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "abjure"?
"abjure" is spelled A-B-J-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əbˈd͡ʒʊə(ɹ)/.
What does "abjure" mean?
As a verb, "abjure" means: To solemnly reject (someone or something); to abandon (someone or something) forever; to disavow, to disclaim, to repudiate.
How do you pronounce "abjure"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abjure" is /əbˈd͡ʒʊə(ɹ)/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "abjure"?
From Late Middle English abjuren (“to give up (something); to recant or renounce (something) under oath”), from Anglo-Norman abjurer, Middle French abiurer, abjurer, and Old French abjurer (“to reject or renounce (something) on oath”) (modern Fren... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “abjure”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-B-J-U-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əbˈd͡ʒʊə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list