disavow

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 1, 2009 is: disavow • \dis-uh-VOW\  • verb 1 : to deny responsibility for : repudiate 2 : to refuse to acknowledge or accept : disclaim Examples: The candidate has disavowed any knowledge of the letter -- received by thousands of voters -- in which her opponent was maligned. Did you know? If you trace the etymology of "disavow" back through Middle English to Anglo-French, you'll arrive eventually at the prefix "des-" and the verb "avouer," meaning "to avow." The prefix "des-" in turn derives from the Latin prefix "dis-," meaning "apart." That Latin prefix plays a significant role in many current English words, including "disadvantage," "disappoint," and "disagree." "Avouer" is from Latin "advocare," meaning "to summon," and is also the source of our word "advocate." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.