Enervate - Definitions from Dictionary.com

7 results for: Enervate

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

en·er·vate

Audio Help [v. en-er-veyt; adj. i-nur-vit] Pronunciation Key verb, -vat·ed, -vat·ing, adjective

–verb (used with object)

1.	to deprive of force or strength; destroy the vigor of; weaken.

–adjective

2.	enervated.

[Origin: 1595–1605; < L énervātus weakened (ptp. of énervāre) equiv. to é- e- + nerv(us) sinew (see nerve) + -ātus -ate¹; cf. AF enervir, F énerver

]

—Related forms

en·er·va·tion, noun

en·er·va·tive, adjective

en·er·va·tor, noun

—Synonyms 1. enfeeble, debilitate, sap, exhaust.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Enervate

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

en·er·vate Audio Help (ěn'ər-vāt') Pronunciation Key
tr.v. en·er·vat·ed, en·er·vat·ing, en·er·vates

To weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of: "the luxury which enervates and destroys nations" (Henry David Thoreau). See Synonyms at deplete.
Medicine To remove a nerve or part of a nerve.

adj. (ĭ-nûr'vĭt)
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."

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

enervate
verb
1.	weaken mentally or morally
2.	disturb the composure of [syn: faze]

American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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.

en'er·va'tion n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: en·er·vate
Pronunciation: 'en-&r-"vAt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: -vat·ed; -vat·ing
1 obsolete : to cut the nerves or tendons of
2 : to lessen the vitality or strength of enervates people> —en·er·va·tion /"en-&r-'vA-sh&n/ noun

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Enervate

E*ner"vate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Enervated; p. pr. & vb. n. Enervating.] [L. enervatus, p. p. of enervare, fr. enervis nerveless, weak; e out + nervus nerve. See Nerve.] To deprive of nerve, force, strength, or courage; to render feeble or impotent; to make effeminate; to impair the moral powers of.

A man . . . enervated by licentiousness. --Macaulay.

And rhyme began t' enervate poetry. --Dryden.

Syn: To weaken; enfeeble; unnerve; debilitate.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Enervate

E*ner"vate\, a. [L. enervatus, p. p.] Weakened; weak; without strength of force. --Pope.

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