recant
/rɪˈkænt/verb
no obj.
- say that one no longer holds an opinion or belief, especially one considered heretical放弃主张（或信仰, 尤指被视为异端的主教或信仰）：
heretics were burned if they would not recant
异教徒不肯放弃信仰就被烧死
with obj. Galileo was forced to recant his assertion that the earth orbited the sun.伽利略被迫放弃地球围绕太阳转的断言。
派生词
recantation
/ˌriːkænˈteɪʃən/ nounrecanter
noun词源
mid 16th cent.: from Latin recantare 'revoke', from re- （expressing 'reversal'） + cantare 'sing, chant'.