verb, -vat⋅ed, -vat⋅ing, adjective | 1. | to deprive of force or strength; destroy the vigor of; weaken. |
| 2. | enervated. |
en·er·vate (ěn'ər-vāt') tr.v. en·er·vat·ed, en·er·vat·ing, en·er·vates
Deprived of strength; debilitated. [Latin ēnervāre, ēnervāt- : ē-, ex-, ex- + nervus, sinew; see (s)neəu- in Indo-European roots.] en'er·va'tion n., en'er·va'tive adj., en'er·va'tor n. Usage Note: Sometimes people mistakenly use enervate to mean "to invigorate" or "to excite" by assuming that this word is a close cousin of the verb energize. In fact enervate does not come from the same source as energize (Greek energos, "active"). It comes from Latin nervus, "sinew." Thus enervate means "to cause to become 'out of muscle'," that is, "to weaken or deplete of strength." |
enervate en·er·vate (ěn'ər-vāt')
v. en·er·vat·ed, en·er·vat·ing, en·er·vates
To remove a nerve or nerve part.
To cause weakness or a reduction of strength.