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enervate - 6 dictionary results

en⋅er⋅vate

  [v. en-er-veyt; adj. i-nur-vit] verb, -vat⋅ed, -vat⋅ing, adjective
Use enervate in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to deprive of force or strength; destroy the vigor of; weaken.
–adjective
2. enervated.
Origin:
1595–1605; < L ēnervātus weakened (ptp. of ēnervāre) equiv. to ē- e- + nerv(us) sinew (see nerve ) + -ātus -ate 1 ; 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
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To enervate
en·er·vate   (ěn'ər-vāt')   
tr.v.   en·er·vat·ed, en·er·vat·ing, en·er·vates
  1. To weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of: "the luxury which enervates and destroys nations" (Henry David Thoreau). See Synonyms at deplete.
  2. 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."
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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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.

Enervate

E*ner"vate\, a. [L. enervatus, p. p.] Weakened; weak; without strength of force. --Pope.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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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
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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enervate en·er·vate (ěn'ər-vāt')
v. en·er·vat·ed, en·er·vat·ing, en·er·vates

  1. To remove a nerve or nerve part.
  2. 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.
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