The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Resign \Re*sign"\ (r?-z?n"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Resigned
(-z?nd"); p. pr. & vb. n. Resigning.] [F. r['e]signer, L.
resignare to unseal, annul, assign, resign; pref. re- re- +
signare to seal, stamp. See Sign, and cf. Resignation.]
[1913 Webster]
1. To sign back; to return by a formal act; to yield to
another; to surrender; -- said especially of office or
emolument. Hence, to give up; to yield; to submit; -- said
of the wishes or will, or of something valued; -- also
often used reflexively.
[1913 Webster]
I here resign my government to thee. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
Lament not, Eve, but patiently resign
What justly thou hast lost. --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
What more reasonable, than that we should in all
things resign up ourselves to the will of God?
--Tiilotson.
[1913 Webster]
2. To relinquish; to abandon.
[1913 Webster]
He soon resigned his former suit. --Spenser.
[1913 Webster]
3. To commit to the care of; to consign. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
Gentlement of quality have been sent beyong the
seas, resigned and concredited to the conduct of
such as they call governors. --Evelyn.
[1913 Webster]
Syn: To abdicate; surrender; submit; leave; relinquish;
forego; quit; forsake; abandon; renounce.
Usage: Resign, Relinquish. To resign is to give up, as if
breaking a seal and yielding all it had secured;
hence, it marks a formal and deliberate surrender. To
relinquish is less formal, but always implies
abandonment and that the thing given up has been long
an object of pursuit, and, usually, that it has been
prized and desired. We resign what we once held or
considered as our own, as an office, employment, etc.
We speak of relinquishing a claim, of relinquishing
some advantage we had sought or enjoyed, of
relinquishing seme right, privilege, etc. "Men are
weary with the toil which they bear, but can not find
it in their hearts to relinquish it." --Steele. See
Abdicate.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Re-sign \Re-sign"\ (r?-s?n"), v. t. [Pref. re- + sign.]
To affix one's signature to, a second time; to sign again.
[1913 Webster]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
113 Moby Thesaurus words for "resign":
abandon, abdicate, abjure, accede, accept, acknowledge defeat,
acquiesce, assent, be agreeable, be pensioned, be superannuated,
cease, cede, circulate, come across with, come off, comply,
consent, cry quits, cut out, deliver, deliver over, demit, desist,
desist from, discontinue, disgorge, dispense with, dispose of,
distribute, disuse, do without, drop, dump, face the music, forgo,
fork over, forsake, forswear, forward, get along without,
get rid of, give away, give in, give notice, give out, give over,
give up, go, go along with, hand, hand in, hand out, hand over,
have done with, kiss good-bye, knock under, knuckle down,
knuckle under, lay down, leave, leave off, let go, live with it,
make a sacrifice, nol-pros, not pursue with, not resist, obey,
part with, pass, pass out, pass over, pension off, put behind one,
quit, quitclaim, reach, recant, release, relent, relinquish,
render, render up, renounce, renounce the throne, retire,
retire from office, retract, sacrifice, spare, stand aside,
stand down, step aside, stop, submit, succumb, superannuate,
surrender, swallow it, swallow the pill, swear off, take, take it,
terminate, throw up, transfer, turn over, turn up, vacate, waive,
withdraw from, yield
The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906):
RESIGN, v.t. To renounce an honor for an advantage. To renounce an
advantage for a greater advantage.
'Twas rumored Leonard Wood had signed
A true renunciation
Of title, rank and every kind
Of military station --
Each honorable station.
By his example fired -- inclined
To noble emulation,
The country humbly was resigned
To Leonard's resignation --
His Christian resignation.
Politian Greame