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meliorate

- 5 dictionary results

mel⋅io⋅rate

[meel-yuh-reyt, mee-lee-uh-]
–verb (used with object), verb (used without object), -rat⋅ed, -rat⋅ing.
ameliorate.

Origin:
1545–55; < L meliōrātus (ptp. of meliōrāre) to make better, improve, equiv. to meliōr- (s. of melior) better + -ātus -ate 1


mel⋅io⋅ra⋅ble [meel-yer-uh-buhl, mee-lee-er-uh-] , adjective
mel⋅io⋅ra⋅tive [meel-yuh-rey-tiv, -yer-uh-tiv, mee-lee-uh-rey-, -er-uh-] , adjective
mel⋅io⋅ra⋅tor, noun
mel·io·rate   (mēl'yə-rāt', mē'lē-ə-)   
v.   mel·io·rat·ed, mel·io·rat·ing, mel·io·rates

v.   tr.
To make better; improve.
v.   intr.
To grow better.

[Latin meliōrāre, meliōrāt-, from melior, better; see mel-2 in Indo-European roots.]
mel'io·ra·ble (-rə-bəl) adj., mel'io·ra'tive adj. & n., mel'io·ra'tor n.

Meliorate

Mel"io*rate\ (m[=e]l"y[-o]*r[=a]t), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Meliorated (-r[=a]`t[e^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. Meliorating.] [L. melioratus, p. p. of meliorare to meliorate, fr. melior better; akin to Gr. ma^llon rather, ma`la very. Cf. Ameliorate.] To make better; to improve; to ameliorate; to soften; to make more tolerable.

Nature by art we nobly meliorate. --Denham.

The pure and bening light of revelation has had a meliorating influence on mankind. --Washington.

Meliorate

Mel"io*rate\, v. i. To grow better.

meliorate 
1552, "to make better," from L.L. melioratus, pp. of L. meliorare "improve," from melior "better," used as comp. of bonus "good," but probably originally meaning "stronger," from PIE base *mel- "strong, great, numerous" (cf. Gk. mala "very much, very," L. multus "much").
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