Word of the Day 5.22.09
enervating
en·er·vate (
n
r-v
t
)
tr.v. en·er·vat·ed, en·er·vat·ing, en·er·vates
1. To weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of: “the luxury which enervates and destroys nations” Henry David Thoreau. See Synonyms at deplete.
2. Medicine To remove a nerve or part of a nerve.
adj. (
-nûrvt)
Deprived of strength; debilitated.
[Latin 
nervre, nervt- : -, ex-, ex- + nervus, sinew; see (s)neu- in Indo-European roots.]
ener·vation n.
ener·vative adj.
ener·vator n.
Usage Note: Sometimes people mistakenly use enervate to mean “to invigorate” or “to excite” by assuming that this word is a close cousin of the verb energize. In fact enervate does not come from the same source as energize (Greek energos, “active”). It comes from Latin nervus, “sinew.” Thus enervate means “to cause to become ‘out of muscle’,” that is, “to weaken or deplete of strength.”
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
| Adj. | 1. | enervating – causing debilitation
debilitating – impairing the strength and vitality
|
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
