abnegate

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 12, 2020 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>abnegate</strong> &#149; \AB-nih-gayt\&nbsp; &#149; <em>verb</em><br /> <p><strong>1</strong> <em>formal</em> <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deny">deny</a>, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/renounce">renounce</a></p> <p><strong>2</strong> <em>formal</em> <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surrender">surrender</a>, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relinquish">relinquish</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"If the goal is only ensuring balance, then journalists can feel their work is done when they have reported accusations flung from each side, <em>abnegating</em> the responsibility to examine the validity of the attacks." — <a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1022/p09s01-coop.html">Deborah Tannen, <em>The Christian Science Monitor</em>, 22 Oct. 2004</a></p> <p>"The chief obstacle just might be<em>—</em>boredom. After all, how often can people reasonably apply themselves to grilled chicken, brown rice and vegetables (or similar worthies)? Does watching what you eat necessarily mean <em>abnegating</em> flavor and variety?" — <a href="https://www.rgj.com/story/life/food/2020/01/28/reno-catering-company-blend-catering-chefs-healthy-eating-taste-good/4586792002/">Johnathan L. Wright, <em>The Reno (Nevada) Gazette Journal</em>, 28 Jan. 2020</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>There's no denying that the Latin root <em>negāre</em> has given English some useful words. That verb, which means "to deny," is the source of the noun <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abnegation">abnegation</a></em>, a synonym of <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/denial">denial</a></em>. In time, people concluded that if