To break a promise or go back on a commitment you previously made.
From Spanish 'renegado' via Latin 'renegatus,' meaning 'denied' or 'renounced.' The word originally meant to deny or renounce, which evolved into breaking promises.
In card games, 'renege' originally meant playing the wrong suit—the card meaning came first, then it broadened to any kind of rule-breaking or promise-breaking, showing how games shaped everyday language.
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