recant
rih-KANT
/rɪˈkænt/
To formally and publicly withdraw or retract a statement, opinion, or belief, especially one previously held.
Usually involves a dramatic, high-pressure, or official setting, often under threat of punishment or social exile.
The story behind the word. From the Latin recantare, meaning 'to recall by singing' or 'to sing back.' In ancient times, it was associated with chanting a counter-spell to undo a magic charm. By the 16th century, it came to mean taking back your spoken words.
Word relationships
- retract: Retract is a general term for taking back a statement, whereas recant specifically implies a formal, public withdrawal of religious or political beliefs.
- abjure: Abjure is even more formal, meaning to solemnly renounce a belief or cause under oath.
- reaffirm: Reaffirm means to state again strongly, confirming a previous commitment or belief.
- assert: Assert means to state a fact or belief confidently and forcefully.
Commonly confused with
- decant: Decant means to pour liquid (like wine) gradually from one vessel into another, while recant means to take back your words.
Word family
- recantation (noun): The act of publicly taking back a prior statement or belief.
Collocations
- recant a testimony
- recant heresy
- forced to recant
- publicly recant
Idioms & expressions
- eat one's words
- take it back
Example sentences
- "Under threat of torture by the Inquisition, Galileo was forced to recant his belief that the Earth moves around the Sun." Galileo's trial by the Inquisition.
- "The key witness later decided to recant her testimony, admitting she had been bribed to lie." A witness retracting their testimony.
Memory hook
Recant is like 're-chant'—you are chanting your words backward to erase them. Sing your words back.
When not to use
Do not use for casually changing your mind about a minor preference, like your favorite color.
Fun facts
- After Galileo recanted his heliocentric theory, legend has it that he muttered under his breath, 'Eppur si muove' ('And yet it moves').
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