Cede

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /siːd/

Definitions

1. To formally give up control over land or rights to another ; to surrender or yield possession or control to someone else
2. To transfer sovereignty or ownership of property or territory by formal agreement ; to relinquish possession or control voluntarily
3. To hand over authority or territory through legal or official means ; to yield or give possession to another party willingly

Etymology: The Latin verb "cedere" meant "to go, move along, give way," and its core idea was yielding ground to someone else. A Roman who gave up a position or step was doing exactly what the verb described, which is why it later came to cover handing over territory and rights. The Latin word also appears in the Latin verb's descendant forms, such as "concede," where the same sense of yielding survives. The Latin verb passed into Old French as "cedere," then into Middle French as "ceder," and English borrowed the word from that Middle French form. Its ultimate roots go back to a reconstructed Proto-Indo-European form meaning "to drive away" or "to go away," so the notion of moving off, and then of giving way, runs through the whole chain. Related forms in the Tocharian language of ancient Central Asia, meaning "to cross" or "to pass," point to the same old idea of going on and leaving something behind.

Synonyms: relinquish, surrender, yield, give up, transfer

Antonyms: retain, keep, hold