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meliorate

 - 3 dictionary results

mel⋅io⋅rate

  [meel-yuh-reyt, mee-lee-uh-]
Use meliorate in a Sentence
–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

Related forms:
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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To meliorate
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.
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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Word Origin & History

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").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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