Etymologically
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renegade

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɹɛ.nəˌɡeɪd/ (UK); /ˈɹɛ.nɪˌɡeɪd/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is probably borrowed from Spanish renegado (“a Christian turned Muslim; apostate”),[2][3][4][5][6] from Medieval Latin renegatus (“one who has denied”),[2][3][4][5][6] past participle of renegāre “to deny”,[2][3][4][5] from re- and Latin negare (“to deny”).[2][5][6] It replaced Middle English renegat (about 1390), taken directly from Medieval Latin.[3][4] It is related to renege and negate.[3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

An apostate from a religious faith, especially a Christian who became a Muslim (1583).[7][3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

The general sense of a turncoat, one who deserts a party, person or principle for another, is from 1665.[7][4] The verb, to turn renegade, appears in 1611[7][5] and the adjective in 1705.[7][4][5] In modern use the word also describes an outlaw or a person who rejects conventional behaviour.[2][5][1]

Timeline

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person who deserts a religion, cause or group for another; a traitor or deserter.
  2. An outlaw or rebel; a person who rejects lawful or conventional behaviour.

Adjective

  1. Of or like a renegade; traitorous.
  2. Unconventional.

Verb

  1. To become a renegade.
  • negate
  • abnegate
  • negative
  • renege
  • apostate

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press