Other forms: relinquished, relinquishing, relinquishes
To relinquish is to let go of power or possession, usually reluctantly. Relinquish control, relinquish the title, relinquish his claim.
The reluctance is what the word carries: relinquishing is giving up something you would rather keep, which is why it suits titles, control and claims. It is formal. Note the difference from abandon, which implies leaving something behind entirely, and from surrender, which implies giving it to somebody. Note also that the Latin means to leave behind, the same linquo that gives derelict.
1verbrelinquishTo let go of power or possession, reluctantly.
“The old king refused to relinquish power to his son.”
relinquish is a giving up.
Also accepted in games: give up, surrender
Latin relinquere is re- plus linquere, to leave. Derelict, delinquent and relic come from the same leaving.
Proto-Indo-European
*leykʷ-
Middle French
relinquir
Middle English
relinquisshen
English, today
relinquish
Built from
From Middle English relinquisshen, from Middle French relinquir. From Middle English relinquisshen, from the inflected stem relinquiss- of Middle French relinquir, from Latin relinquo, itself from re- + linquo (“to leave”). Compare also Sanskrit रिणक्ति (“to leave”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA