'abdication' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'abdicatio', where 'ab-' meant 'away' and 'dicare' meant 'to proclaim'.

'abdicatio' transformed into the French word 'abdication', and eventually became the modern English word 'abdication' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'to renounce a position of power', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.