abrenunciar

An archaic, mostly liturgical verb meaning to formally renounce or abjure something — historically used in baptismal and exorcism rites ('abrenunciar de Satanás'). Essentially extinct outside religious and legal-historical texts; modern Spanish uses renunciar for everyday renouncing.

• En el rito bautismal, el padrino abrenuncia a Satanás en nombre del niño. — In the baptismal rite, the godfather renounces Satan on the child's behalf.
• El texto medieval recoge la fórmula en la que el reo abrenunciaba a sus antiguos derechos. — The medieval text records the formula by which the accused renounced his former rights.
• Pocos hablantes actuales reconocerían el verbo abrenunciar fuera de un contexto litúrgico. — Few speakers today would recognize the verb abrenunciar outside a liturgical context.

Don't reach for abrenunciar in everyday speech — it reads as archaic or overly formal; renunciar (a algo) is the verb any modern speaker would use and expect.

Often confused with renunciar.