unking

English

Etymology

un- + king

Verb

unking (third-person singular simple present unkings, present participle unkinging, simple past and past participle unkinged)

  1. (archaic) To remove (a king) from power.
    Synonyms: depose, dethrone, discrown, disenthrone, uncrown, unthrone
    • c. 1595, William Shakespeare, Richard II, Act IV, Scene 1,
      God save King Harry, unking’d Richard says,
      And send him many years of sunshine days!
    • 1649, John Milton, The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, London, p. 28,
      [] the Scots were a free Nation, made King whom they freely chose, and with the same freedome un-Kingd him if they saw cause, by right of ancient laws and Ceremonies yet remaining,
    • 1754, Arthur Murphy, The Gray’s-Inn Journal, No. 66, 19 January, 1754, in Volume 2, London: P. Vaillant, 1756, p. 85,
      The jesting of his Fool wholly turns upon his unkinging himself and retaining nothing, which Lear minutely attends to,
    • 1850, Herman Melville, White-Jacket, Chapter 56,
      “Yes,” cried Jonathan; “that greenhorn, standing there by the Commodore, is sailing under false colours; he's an impostor, I say; he wears my crown.”
      [] I say, Jonathan, my lad, don’t pipe your eye now about the loss of your crown; for, look you, we all wear crowns, from our cradles to our graves, and though in double-darbies in the brig, the Commodore himself can’t unking us.”
  2. (archaic) To deprive (a king) of his royal qualities.
    • 1665, Robert South, Twelve Sermons upon Several Subjects and Occasions, London: Thomas Bennet, 1698, Volume 3, “A Sermon Preached At St Mary’s, Oxon. [] Christmas-Day, 1665,” p. 371,
      But if a Prince shall deign to be familiar and to converse with those upon whom he might trample, shall His condescension therefore Unking Him? And His familiarity rob Him of His Royalty?
    • 1677, Charles Davenant, Circe, London: Richard Tonson, Act III, Scene 6, p. 31,
      My swelling rage, in privacy I’le shrowd,
      And not un-King my self before the Crowd.
    • 1845, James Russell Lowell, Conversations on Some of the Old Poets, Cambridge, MA: John Owen, Third Conversation, p. 215,
      The soul is indifferent what garment she wears, or of what color and texture; the true king is not unkinged by being discrowned.
  3. (archaic, figuratively) To remove (something) from a position of power or paramount importance.
    • 1638, John Suckling, Aglaura, London: Thomas Walkley, Act I, Scene 1, p. 9,
      —Oh ’tis well y’are come,
      there was within me fresh Rebellion,
      and reason was almost unking’d agen.

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