Word of the Day

Friday, June 13, 2008

apprise

\uh-PRYZ\ , transitive verb;

To give notice to; to inform; -- often followed by of; as, we will apprise the general of an intended attack; he apprised the commander of what he had done.

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Quotes:

When Tyler, tuning in to channel seven, became apprised of this news, he raised his eyebrows and smiled.

-- William T. Vollmann, The Royal Family

I felt it a duty almost to stifle opinion: as a doctor, you are there to support the patient, apprise him of the bare clinical facts only.

-- David Loxterkamp M.D., A Measure of My Days

Baum soon apprised Denslow of his plan to mount a Wizard of Oz musical, and Denslow, eager to participate in the project, began to shop around for a producer.

-- Mark Evan Swartz, Oz Before the Rainbow

Origin:

Apprise comes from French appris, past participle of apprendre, from Old French aprendre, "to learn," from Vulgar Latin apprendere, from Latin apprehendere, "to take hold of (by the mind)," from ad- + prehendere, "to lay hold of, to seize."