Nearby Words

vivify

[viv-uh-fahy] Origin

viv·i·fy

[viv-uh-fahy]
verb (used with object), -fied, -fy·ing.
1.
to give life to; animate; quicken.
2.
to enliven; brighten; sharpen.

Origin:
1535–45; alteration (with -fy for -ficate) of late Middle English vivificate < Latin vīvificātus (past participle of vīvificāre). See vivi-, -ficate

viv·i·fi·ca·tion, noun
viv·i·fi·er, noun
un·viv·i·fied, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Vivify is one of our favorite verbs.
So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:
to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
to spend time idly; loaf.
Collins
World English Dictionary
vivify (ˈvɪvɪˌfaɪ)
 
vb , -fies, -fying, -fied
1.  to bring to life; animate
2.  to make more vivid or striking
 
[C16: from Late Latin vīvificāre, from Latin vīvus alive + facere to make]
 
vivification
 
n
 
'vivifier
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

vivify
1590s, from O.Fr. vivifier (12c.), from L.L. vivificare "make alive, restore to life," from vivificus "enlivening," from L. vivus "alive" (see vivid) + root of facere "to make" (see factitious). Vivificate in same sense is recorded from early 15c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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