recant

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re·cant / riˈkant/ • v. [intr.] say that one no longer holds an opinion or belief, esp. one considered heretical: heretics were burned if they would not recant | [tr.] Galileo was forced to recant his assertion that the earth orbited the sun. DERIVATIVES: re·can·ta·tion / ˌrēˌkanˈtāshən/ n.re·cant·er n.