{"id":7308,"date":"2026-03-13T16:20:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T16:20:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/?p=7308"},"modified":"2026-03-13T16:22:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T16:22:52","slug":"word-of-the-day-abjure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/2026\/03\/13\/word-of-the-day-abjure\/","title":{"rendered":"Word of the Day: Abjure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today\u2019s word of the day, courtesy of the Words Coach (https:\/\/www.wordscoach.com\/dictionary<\/a>), is abjure<\/em>. Pronounced \/ \u00e6b\u02c8d\u0292\u028a\u0259r \/ or \/ \u00e6b\u02c8d\u0292\u025cr \/ (I prefer the first pronunciation), this transitive verb means \u201cto renounce, repudiate, or retract, especially with formal solemnity; recant,\u201d \u201cto renounce or give up under oath; forswear,\u201d or \u201cto avoid or shun\u201d (https:\/\/www.dictionary.com\/browse\/abjure<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The word first appears in the English language in the \u201cearly 15c., abjuren<\/em>, \u2018renounce on oath, repudiate, forswear,\u2019 originally especially \u2018renounce or recant (a heresy) on oath,\u2019 from Old French abjurer <\/em>and directly from Latin abiurare \u2018<\/em>deny on oath,\u2019 from ab \u2018<\/em>off, away from\u2019 (see ab-<\/strong><\/a>) + iurare \u2018<\/em>to swear,\u2019 from ius <\/em>(genitive iuris<\/em>) \u2018law\u2019 (see jurist<\/strong>)\u201d (https:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/search?q=abjure<\/a>). Jurist<\/em> enters the language in the \u201cmid-15c., \u2018one who practices law;\u2019 1620s, \u2018a legal writer, one who professes the science of the law,\u2019 from Old French juriste <\/em>(14c.), from Medieval Latin iurista \u2018<\/em>jurist,\u2019 from Latin ius <\/em>(genitive iuris<\/em>)\u2019”a right,\u2019 especially \u2018legal right or authority, law,\u2019 also \u2018place where justice is administered, court of justice,\u2019 from Old Latin ious<\/em>, perhaps literally \u2018sacred formula,\u2019 a word peculiar to Latin (not general Italic) that originated in the religious cults, from PIE root *yewes- \u2018<\/em>law\u2019 (Watkins; compare Latin iurare \u2018<\/em>to pronounce a ritual formula,\u2019 Vedic yos \u2018<\/em>health,\u2019 Avestan yaoz-da- \u2018<\/em>make ritually pure,\u2019 Irish huisse \u2018<\/em>just\u2019). Related: Juristic<\/em>. The more mundane Latin law-word lex <\/em>meant specific laws as opposed to the body of laws\u201d (https:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/word\/abjure<\/a>). It is interesting how the two words have sort of switched positions in English over time. The law now can refer to the whole body of laws, whereas a jurist now sits in judgment over someone who may or may not have violated one or more specific laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its \u201cDid You Know\u201d section, Merriam-Webster says, \u201cJust as a jury swears to produce an unbiased verdict, and a witness swears to tell the truth on pain of perjury, those who abjure their former ways \u2018swear them away.\u2019 Abjure <\/em>(as well as jury<\/a> and perjury<\/a>) comes from Latin jurare<\/em>, which means \u2018to swear\u2019 (and which in turn is based on the root jus<\/em>, meaning \u2018law\u2019), plus the prefix ab-<\/em>, meaning \u2018away.\u2019 These days, we can casually abjure (that is, abstain from) various vices, but in the 15th and 16th centuries to abjure was a matter of renouncing something under oath\u2014and sometimes a matter of life and death. For example, during the Spanish Inquisition, individuals were given the choice between abjuring unacceptable beliefs and being burned at the stake\u201d( https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/abjure<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On this date in 624, \u201cMuhammad’s Muslim forces win a significant victory over the Meccan army\u201d at the Battle of Badr (https:\/\/www.onthisday.com\/events\/march\/13<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muhammad was born in Mecca to one of the Mecca tribes called the Quraysh. From the age of six, he was raised by his grandfather, who was the tribal leader. As an adult, he began a practice of secluding himself in a cave and praying, and it was during one of these sessions, in 610, that he had his first vision. Three years later, after the angel Gabriel had dictated to him what is now called the Quran, he began preaching and gathering followers to his new religion, although he claimed that it was the culmination of Judaism and Christianity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the tribal leaders persecuted Muhammad and his followers. Then, in 622, Muhammad was invited to what is now the city of Medina. \u201cThis event, the Hijrah, marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar, also known as the Hijri calendar. In Medina, Muhammad united the tribes under the Constitution of Medina\u201d (https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Muhammad<\/a>). \u201cAlthough the new Constitution of Medina gave them a modicum of acceptance among the Medinese, the muh\u0101jir\u016bn, as Muhammad\u2019s Meccan followers came to be known, remained a separate class, unabsorbed into the socioeconomic fabric of the city. They began raiding caravans whose wares fed Mecca\u2019s merchant economy, while new revelations of the Qur\u02be\u0101n sanctioned aggression against Mecca\u2019s ruling Quraysh tribe for its own aggression against Muhammad\u2019s followers and for its prevention of their worshipping at al-Masjid al-\u1e24aram, Islam\u2019s holiest site\u201d (https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/Battle-of-Badr<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNearly two years after the Hijrah, in the middle of the month of Ramadan, a major raid was organized against a particularly wealthy caravan escorted by Ab\u016b Sufy\u0101n, head of the Umayyad clan of the Quraysh. According to the traditional accounts, when word of the caravan reached Muhammad, he arranged a raiding party of about 300, consisting of both muh\u0101jir\u016bn and an\u1e63\u0101r (Muhammad\u2019s Medinese supporters), to be led by Muhammad himself. By filling the wells on the caravan route near Medina with sand, Muhammad\u2019s army lured Ab\u016b Sufy\u0101n\u2019s army into battle at Badr, near Medina. There the two parties clashed in traditional fashion: three men from each side were chosen to fight an initial skirmish, and then the armies charged toward one another for full combat. As his army charged forward, Muhammad threw a handful of dust, which flew into the eyes and noses of many of the opposing Meccans. Despite the superior numbers of the Meccan forces (about 1,000 men), Muhammad\u2019s army scored a complete victory, and many prominent Meccans were killed\u201d (ibid.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you look for information online about the Battle of Badr, you\u2019ll find many, many sites telling you the lessons of the battle, that it teaches us that we win battles through trust in Allah, that it\u2019s not about the numbers or the weapons. The battle did give the followers of Muhammad the confidence to continue until they eventually defeated the Quraysh and took control of Mecca and then all of Saudi Arabia. Then they continued after Muhammad\u2019s death until they had conquered, in the name of Allah, much of the Middle East and beyond. And it all begins with the Battle of Badr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Islam describes itself as a religion of peace: \u201cKey verses in the Quran underscore the value of reconciliation and peace, urging Muslims to embrace peace whenever it is offered and to treat all individuals with kindness\u201d (https:\/\/explore-islam.com\/is-islam-a-religion-of-peace\/<\/a>). But starting in 624 on this date, it seems that a lot of people have abjured the dedication to peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s image is of the Kaaba, a cubical building in Mecca that was originally built, perhaps, by the Quraysh, who were the caretakers of the building until Muhammad took over Mecca. Now it serves as the center of Muslim prayer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s word of the day, courtesy of the Words Coach (https:\/\/www.wordscoach.com\/dictionary), is abjure. Pronounced \/ \u00e6b\u02c8d\u0292\u028a\u0259r \/ or \/ \u00e6b\u02c8d\u0292\u025cr \/ (I prefer the first pronunciation), this transitive verb means […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7309,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[970,971,238,395,284],"class_list":["post-7308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-word-of-the-day","tag-abjure","tag-badr","tag-dictionary","tag-etymology","tag-linguistics","clearfix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7308"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7308\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7310,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7308\/revisions\/7310"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}