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deprecate - 3 dictionary results
dep⋅re⋅cate
[dep-ri-keyt] 
–verb (used with object), -cat⋅ed, -cat⋅ing.
| 1. | to express earnest disapproval of. |
| 2. | to urge reasons against; protest against (a scheme, purpose, etc.). |
| 3. | to depreciate; belittle. |
| 4. | Archaic. to pray for deliverance from. |
Origin:
1615–25; < L dēprecātus prayed against, warded off (ptp. of dēprecārī), equiv. to dē- de- + prec(ārī) to pray + -ātus -ate 1
1615–25; < L dēprecātus prayed against, warded off (ptp. of dēprecārī), equiv. to dē- de- + prec(ārī) to pray + -ātus -ate 1
Related forms:
dep⋅re⋅cat⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
dep⋅re⋅ca⋅tion, noun
dep⋅re⋅ca⋅tor, noun
Usage note:
An early and still the most current sense of deprecate is “to express disapproval of.” In a sense development still occasionally criticized by a few, deprecate has come to be synonymous with the similar but etymologically unrelated word depreciate in the sense “belittle”: The author modestly deprecated the importance of his work. In compounds with self-, deprecate has almost totally replaced depreciate in modern usage: Her self-deprecating account of her career both amused and charmed the audience.
An early and still the most current sense of deprecate is “to express disapproval of.” In a sense development still occasionally criticized by a few, deprecate has come to be synonymous with the similar but etymologically unrelated word depreciate in the sense “belittle”: The author modestly deprecated the importance of his work. In compounds with self-, deprecate has almost totally replaced depreciate in modern usage: Her self-deprecating account of her career both amused and charmed the audience.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To deprecate
| dep·re·cate (děp'rĭ-kāt') tr.v. de·pre·cat·ed, de·pre·cat·ing, de·pre·cates
[Latin dēprecārī, dēprecāt-, to ward off by prayer : dē-, de- + precārī, to pray; see prek- in Indo-European roots.] dep're·cat'ing·ly adv., dep're·ca'tion n., dep're·ca'tor n. Usage Note: Deprecate originally meant "to pray in order to ward off something, ward off by prayer." Perhaps because the occasion of such prayers was invariably one of dread, the word developed the more general meaning of disapproval, as in this quotation from Frederick Douglass, "Those who profess to favor freedom, yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground." From here it was a small step to add the meaning "to make little of, disparage," what was once the proper meaning of depreciate. This meaning of depreciate appears to have been overwhelmed by the word's use in the world of finances, where it means "to diminish (or cause to diminish) in price or value." In similar fashion, the "disparage" sense of deprecate may be driving out the word's other uses. In our 2002 survey, only 50 percent of the Usage Panel accepted deprecate when it meant "to express disapproval of" in the sentence He advocates a well-designed program of behavior modification and deprecates the early use of medication to address behavioral problems. Moreover, a similar example in the same survey elicited the same split in opinions among Panelists: He acknowledged that some students had been wronged by the board's handling of the matter and deprecated the board's decision to intervene. It seems clear, then, that the Panel has very mixed feelings about the use of deprecate to mean "disapprove of." But a great majority of Panelists accept deprecate when used to mean "make little of, disparage." Fully 78 percent accepted the example He deprecated his own contribution to the success of the project, claiming that others had done just as much. It may be that the widespread use of the word in the compound adjective self-deprecating has helped bolster this use of the verb. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Deprecate
Dep"re*cate\ (d[e^]p"r[-e]*k[=a]t), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deprecated (-k[=a]`t[e^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. Deprecating (-k[=a]`t[i^]ng).] [L. deprecatus, p. p. of deprecari to avert by prayer, to deprecate; de- + precari to pray. See Pray.] To pray against, as an evil; to seek to avert by prayer; to desire the removal of; to seek deliverance from; to express deep regret for; to disapprove of strongly. His purpose was deprecated by all round him, and he was with difficulty induced to adandon it. --Sir W. Scott.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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