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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Disavow \Dis'a*vow"\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Disavowed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Disavowing}.] [F. d['e]savouer; pref. d['e]s- (L. dis-) + avouer to avow. See {Avow}, and cf. {Disavouch}.]
1. To refuse strongly and solemnly to own or acknowledge; to deny responsibility for, approbation of, and the like; to disclaim; to disown; as, he was charged with embezzlement, but he disavows the crime.
A solemn promise made and disavowed. --Dryden.
2. To deny; to show the contrary of; to disprove.
Yet can they never Toss into air the freedom of my birth, Or disavow my blood Plantagenet's. --Ford.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
disavow
verb: refuse to acknowledge; disclaim knowledge of; responsibility for, or association with; "Her husband disavowed her after 30 years of marriage and six children" [ant: {avow}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
46 Moby Thesaurus words for "disavow": abjure, assert the contrary, back down, back out, backwater, belie, climb down, contest, contradict, contravene, controvert, counter, crawfish out, cross, deny, disaffirm, disallow, disclaim, disown, disprove, dispute, eat crow, eat humble pie, forswear, gainsay, impugn, join issue upon, negate, negative, not accept, not admit, nullify, oppose, recant, refuse to admit, refute, renege, renounce, repudiate, retract, revoke, swallow, take back, take issue with, unsay, withdraw
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