Crossword Genius

In the morning I depart, leaving friend (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

amigo

'friend' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'in the morning i depart' is the wordplay.
'in the morning' becomes 'am'.
'depart' becomes 'go' ('go' can be a synonym of 'depart').
'am'+'i'+'go'='AMIGO'

'leaving' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for amigo that I've seen before include "friend abroad" , "Quixote's friend" , "Mexican's mate" , "friend in Uruguay" , "China (in Spain's view)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph and The Times.
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