unking

Verb

1. To remove (a king) from power.
   • God save King Harry, unking’d Richard says, And send him many years of sunshine days! - 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William...
   • […] 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, - 1649, J[ohn] M[ilton], The Tenure...
   • 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...

   Synonyms: depose dethrone discrown disenthrone uncrown unthrone

2. To deprive (a king) of his royal qualities.
   • 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? - 1692–1717, Robert South,...
   • 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.
   • The soul is indifferent what garment she wears, or of what color and texture; the true king is not unkinged by being discrowned. - 1845, James Russell Lowell, Conversations on Some of the Old Poets, Cambridge: MA: John...
3. To remove (something) from a position of power or paramount importance.
   • —Oh ’tis well y’are come, there was within me fresh Rebellion, and reason was almost unking’d agen. - 1638, John Suckling, Aglaura, London: Thomas Walkley, act I, scene 1, page 9: