ab-dĭco, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. (prop. to indicate, announce something as not belonging to one; hence),
I In gen., to deny, disown, refuse, reject .—With acc. und inf.: mortem ostentant, regno expellunt, consanguineam esse abdicant, deny her to be , Pac. ap. Non. 450, 30 (Trag. Rel. p. 84 Rib.): abdicat enim voluptati inesse bonitatem, Pseudo Apul. de Dogm. Plat. 3 init. —With acc. (so very freq. in the elder Pliny): naturam abdico, Pac. ap. Non. 306, 32 (Trag. p. 120 Rib.): ubi plus mali quam boni reperio, id totum abdico atque eicio, Cic. de Or. 2, 24, 102: legem agrariam, Plin. 7, 30, 31, § 116: corticem, id. 13, 22, 43, § 124: ea (signa) in totum, id. 10, 4, 5, § 16; cf.: utinam posset e vita in totum abdicari (aurum), be got rid of , id. 33, 1, 3, § 6: omni venere abdicata, id. 5, 17, 15, § 73 al.
II In partic.
A Jurid. t. t., to renounce one, partic. a son, to disinherit (post-Aug.): qui ex duobus legitimis alterum in adoptionem dederat, alterum abdicaverat, Quint. 3, 6, 97; cf.: minus dicto audientem fllium, id. 7, 1, 14: ex meretrice natum, id. 11, 1, 82 al.: quae in scholis abdicatorum, haec in foro exheredatorum a parentibus ratio est, id. 7, 4, 11.— Absol. : pater abdicans, Quint. 11, 1, 59; cf.: filius abdicantis, id. 4, 2, 95; and: abdicandi jus, id. 3, 6, 77.—Hence, patrem, to disown , Curt. 4, 10, 3.
B Polit. t. t.: abdicare se magistratu, or absol . (prop. to detach one's self from an office, hence), to renounce an office, to resign, abdicate (syn.: deponere magistratum): consules magistratu se abdicaverunt, Cic. Div. 2, 35, 74; so, se magistratu, id. Leg. 2, 12, 31; Liv. 4, 15, 4 al.: se dictaturā, Caes. B. C. 3, 2; Liv. 2, 31, 10; 9, 26, 18 al.: se consulatu, id. 2, 2, 10; Vell. 2, 22, 2: se praeturā, Cic. Cat. 3, 6, 14: se aedilitate, Liv. 39, 39, 9 etc. Likewise: se tutelā, Cic. Att. 6, 1, 4; and fig.: se scriptu, Piso ap. Gell. 6, 9, 4; cf.: eo die (Antonius) se non modo consulatu, sed etiam libertate abdicavit, Cic. Phil. 3, 5, 12. — Absol. : augures rem ad senatum; senatus, ut abdicarent consules: abdicaverunt, Cic. N. D. 2, 4, 11.—
b With acc. a few times in the historians: (patres) abdicare consulatum jubentes et deponere imperium, Liv. 2, 28 fin. : abdicando dictaturam, id. 6, 18, 4.—In pass. : abdicato magistratu, Sall. C. 47, 3; cf.: inter priorem dictaturam abdicatam novamque a Manlio initam, Liv. 6, 39: causa non abdicandae dictaturae, id. 5, 49 fin.