derelict
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈdɛr.ə.lɪkt/
ipa: /ˈdɛɹəˌlɪk(t)/
Forms: form: derelicts
form: derelicting
form: derelicted
form: derelicted
Etymology: PIE word
 *de
The adjective and verb are a learned borrowing from Latin dērelictus (“(completely) abandoned, deserted, forsaken; discarded”), the perfect passive participle of dērelinquō (“to abandon, desert, forsake; to discard”), from dē- (prefix meaning ‘away from; completely, thoroughly’) + relinquō (“to abandon, desert, forsake, leave (behind); to depart (from); to give up, relinquish”) (from Proto-Italic *wrelinkʷō, from *wre (“again”) (whence Latin rē- (prefix meaning ‘again’)) + *linkʷō (“to leave”) (whence linquō (“to forsake; depart from, leave, quit”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leykʷ- (“to leave”))). Doublet of relict, relic, and relinquish.
The noun is derived from the adjective.
Senses: examples: text: [H]e finds a poor young fellow, a famished, sick young man, derelicted of his master, and left for dead in the march, and by the means and conduct of this wretch, David recovers the enemy, recovers the spoil, recovers his honour, and the love of his people.
ref: 1630 (date delivered), John Donne, “Sermon LXXI. [At the Hague, December 19, 1619, I preached upon this Text. Since, in My Sickness at Abrey-hatch, in Essex, 1630, Revising My Short Notes of that Sermon, I Digested Them into These Two.]”, in Henry Alford, editor, The Works of John Donne, D.D., […], volume III, London: John W[illiam] Parker, […], published 1839, →OCLC, page 267:
text: [F]or the public, for the redemption of the whole world, God hath (shall we say, pretermitted?) derelicted, forsaken, abandoned, his own, and only Son.
ref: a. 1632 (date written), John Donne, “Sermon LXXXII. Preached at a Marriage.”, in Henry Alford, editor, The Works of John Donne, D.D., […], volume IV, London: John W[illiam] Parker, […], published 1839, →OCLC, page 20:
text: Goods derelicted, that is, deſerted by the Ovvners, and caſt into the Sea, vvhich happens upon various occaſions, as coming from infected Tovvns or places, and for many other reſpects, vvill be VVreck if caſt on ſhoar aftervvards, tho' never purpoſed for Merchandiſe: (But Goods caſt over-board to lighten a Ship, are not by [Henry de] Bracton, nor from him in Sir H. Conſtable's Caſe, eſteemed Goods derelicted; vvhich is a Queſtion not thoroughly examined.)
ref: a. 1675 (date written), John Vaughan, “Edmund Sheppard Junior, Plaintiff; in Trespass, against George Gosnold, William Booth, William Haggard, and Henry Heringold, Defendants”, in Edward Vaughan, editor, The Reports and Arguments of that Learned Judge, Sir John Vaughan, Kt. Late Lord Chief Justice of the Court of Common-Pleas, Being All of Them Special Cases; […], 2nd edition, London: […] [T]he assigns of Richard and Edward Atkins […]; and are to be sold by C. Harper, […], published 1706, →OCLC, page 168:
text: The principle of the lavv of nations is, that vvhere the protection and povver are, there is the ſubjection. If theſe perſons had abſolutely derelicted all inhabitancy in the colonies and territories of the King of France, and it appeared that there vvas neither an intention, nor a poſſibility of their returning thither again, the analogy of the caſe of the exiled Americans might have been ſet up as better argument in their favour, though even that caſe vvould not be exactly parallel.
ref: 1779 January 21 (date written), “The Kronta Ancharet [et al.]”, in Decisions in the High Court of Admiralty; during the Time of Sir George Hay, and of Sir James Marriott, Late Judges of that Court, volume I (Michaelmas Term, 1776, to Hilary Term, 1779), London: […] R. Bickerstaff, […], by George Cooke, […], published 1801, →OCLC, pages 261–262:
text: Had I not so marv'lously done / My works, ye had not had such heinous sin, / Of so damning, derelicting nature; / But now ye have no excuse, no cover.
ref: 1803, John Holmes, “On the Son of God in Union with the Father and the Holy Ghost”, in Poetical Essays. […], London: […] [F]or the author; and sold by W. Baynes, […]; and W. Warr, […], →OCLC, pages 31–32:
text: Against the accredited axioms of experience and practice, it would be unwise as well as useless to content; but without derelicting upon a broad scale, there are certain deviations from common and received modes of conduct and notion, perfectly admissible with the highest integrity of principle; […]
ref: 1861, Ella Catharine Houlton, Chance Thoughts on Chance Subjects, London: Judd & Glass, […], →OCLC, page 53:
text: [T]here is a long and established trajectory in Ireland of derelicting and then demolishing difficult sites […] because they are unnerving and uncomfortable presences.
ref: 2022, Laura McAtackney, “Transitional Sites and ‘Material Memory’: Impermanence and Ireland’s Derelict Magdalene Laundries”, in Haidy Geismar, Ton Otto, Cameron David Warner, editors, Impermanence: Exploring Continuous Change across Cultures, London: UCL Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 230:
glosses: To abandon or forsake (someone or something).
examples: text: [I]t has occurred to me, that where so momentous a point as the liberty of the subject is concerned, I should be derelicting from my duty, did I not avail myself of the assistance of His Majesty's law officer, where a doubt existed in my mind.
ref: 1825 April 16 (date written), Geo[rge] Wyke, “Slaves in the Colonies. [Letter to the Hon. Richard Musgrave, Acting Advocate General. No. 6.]”, in Papers and Correspondence: […] Relating to New South Wales Magistrates; the West Indies; Liberated Africans; Colonial and Slave Population; Slaves; the Slave Trade; &c. […], volume XXVI, [London]: [Her Majesty’s Stationery Office], published 1826, page 39:
text: I don't remember vowing to be calmly cheerful under the infliction of the Pottingers and others of that ilk; but I must have done it, or Arthur wouldn't look as if I was so flagrantly derelicting from my duty.
ref: 1869, Annie Thomas, “The Bride at Home”, in False Colours. […], volume II, London: Tinsley Brothers, […], →OCLC, pages 50–51:
glosses: To neglect a duty.