
Verb – Necessitate When you think of how something “necessary” is needed, and how a “necessity” is a thing that you need, then it makes sense that they both trace back to the Latin necesse, meaning “unavoidable,” or more literally, Read More …
Verb – Necessitate When you think of how something “necessary” is needed, and how a “necessity” is a thing that you need, then it makes sense that they both trace back to the Latin necesse, meaning “unavoidable,” or more literally, Read More …
Verb – Roil We’re not sure where the word “roil” comes from, but we’ve been using it since about 1590. To roil liquid things is to stir them up, making them muddy, dirty, or choppy. And to roil situations is Read More …
Verb – Exculpate This word has Latin roots meaning “to (clear) from blame.” To exculpate people is to free them from blame, guilt, or punishment, usually in an official, public way. Pronunciation: Either “EX cull pate” (my preference) or “ex Read More …
Verb – Yoke This word comes from Old English. Strictly speaking, a yoke is a device that fastens animals together so they can do work. And loosely speaking, a yoke is something that forces you down, or forces you to Read More …
Verb – Slacken Something slack is slow, loose, weak, or not strict. So, to slacken something is to slow it down or make it looser. And when something slackens on its own, it becomes slower, looser, weaker, or less strict. Read More …
Verb – Mollify This word has Latin roots that mean “to make soft.” We hardly ever use the literal sense of this word: “to make soft,” as in “to mollify rough hair.” Here’s Sylvia Plath: “Water mollifies the flint lip, Read More …
Verb – Instill This word has Latin roots that mean “to drop in.” Literally speaking, to instill something is to put it in one drop at a time. “Instill two drops of this medicine into each eye.” And figuratively speaking, Read More …
Here’s one of those basic verbs we all know, one that could be put to good use more often. “Fabric” and “fabricate” trace back to a Latin word meaning “artisan: person who creates things out of materials.” To fabricate things Read More …
Verb – Excoriate This word has Latin roots that mean “to strip off the hide or skin.” To excoriate people and things literally is to strip off their skin. And to excoriate people and things figuratively is to talk so Read More …
Verb – Instigate To instigate something–usually something bad–is to cause it or to stir it up, often by persuading people or by firing up their emotions. Pronunciation: IN stih gate Part of speech: Verb, the transitive kind: people and their Read More …