▪ I. renegade, n. (and a.)
(ˈrɛnɪgeɪd)
Also 6 Sc. rannu-, rannigard, 7 renegad.
[Anglicized form of renegado: see -ade 3 b.]
1. An apostate from any form of religious faith, esp. a Christian who becomes a Muslim.
| 1583 Leg. Bp. St. Androis 10 Ane fals, forloppen, fenyeit freir, Ane rannugard [v.r. rannigard] for greed of geir. 1598 R. Barckley Felic. Man (1631) 232 The renegades in place of defending the king joyned with them [the Turks] in the spoyle. 1611 Florio, Rinegato,..a renegade, a foresworne man, or one that hath renounced his religion or country. 1645 E. Pagitt Heresiogr. (1662) Ep. Ded., Some of the watch⁓men ought to have been watched themselvs, who..in conclusion run over and turned renegads. 1712 Blackmore Creation Pref. (ed. 2) 20 Renegades and Deserters of Heaven, who renounce their God for the Favour of Men. 1814 Southey Roderick viii, How best they might evade The Moor, and renegade's more watchful eye. 1873 Smiles Huguenots Fr. i. vii. (1881) 147 Like all renegades, he was a bitter and furious persecutor. |
2. One who deserts a party, person, or principle, in favour of another; a turn-coat.
| 1665 Manley Grotius' Low C. Warres 127 Not a few English turning Renegades, and being contemned by the Spaniard. 1751 Affect. Narr. of Wager 31 For if these Renegades had formed such a Conspiracy, what hindered their accomplishing it? 1817 Moore Lalla R., Veiled Prophet 690 Must he..be driven A renegade like me from Love and Heaven? 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. iv. I. 451 The renegade soon found a patron in the obdurate and revengeful James. 1872 C. Gibbon For the King ii, The past makes me seem in my own eyes, and in the eyes of others—a renegade. |
3. attrib., passing into adj.
| 1705 Arbuthnot Coins, etc. (1727) 242 If the Roman Government subsisted now, they would have had renegade Seamen and Ship-wrights enough. 1837 W. Irving Capt. Bonneville II. 6 Kosato, the renegade Blackfoot, had recovered from the wound. 1870 Lowell Among my Bks. Ser. i. (1873) 98 The renegade Christian must forswear the true Deity. |
Hence ˈrenegadism (ˈrenegadeism), the practice of deserting one's religion or party.
| 1826 B. R. Haydon Jrnl. 25 Feb. in Autobiogr. (1853) II. 115 The Academy is certainly modified, but still John Bull never pardons an appearance of renegadeism. 1859 Blackw. Mag. Apr. 455/2 We..tacitly acknowledged renegadism..as the standard of moral feeling. 1877 Gladstone Glean. (1879) IV. 315 This population was liable to be thinned by renegadism and constant war. 1939 A. J. Toynbee Study of Hist. VI. 104 The..profanity of Jason..gave Hellenism such a vogue and Renegadism such an impetus. |
▪ II. ˈrenegade, v.
[f. prec.]
intr. To turn renegade; to go over from a religion, party, etc.
| 1611 Cotgr., Maranisé, marranized, renegaded. 1716 M. Davies Athen. Brit. II. 316 Which last [rivalling] both High and Low, do Precaution themselves against..more than against their Converts Renegading or Starving. 1861 Meredith Evan Harrington III. xv. 236 That was before he renegaded. 1893 Leland Mem. II. 140 Johnson had renegaded from the Confederacy. |