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abdicator

abdicator

9.4
A person who gives up an important job or duty, especially a king's throne
  • noun
  • /ˈæb.dɪ.keɪ.tər/
  • Formal
translation icon : abdicador
  • The abdicator made a public announcement to explain his decision to renounce the crown.

Examples

  • It is not, I think, excused by the abdicator's indifference to intellect.

    Academic text (1993)
  • King Edward VIII became an abdicator when he chose to step down from the throne to marry Wallis Simpson.

  • As an abdicator, the former monarch had to give up all his royal duties.

Surface Forms

abdicator singular
abdicators plural

Morphology

abdicator = abdicate (transparent) = abdic + ate + or

The word is a regular agent noun built from the verb 'abdicate' with the productive suffix '-or', so its meaning is directly recoverable.

Etymology

Abdicator comes from the Latin parts ab- 'away' and dicare 'to declare', the same root you see in dictionary. So an abdicator is someone who 'declares away' their office or power, meaning they formally give up a throne, duty, or responsibility.