2. To deprive of strength; to debilitate: Being in the hospital for three weeks following her surgery enervated Jane so much that she didn’t have any strength left when she got home again.
Sometimes people mistakenly use enervate with the meaning "to invigorate" or "to excite". Too many people assume that this word is a close cousin of the verb energize.
In fact enervate does not come from the same source as "energize" which is from Greek energos, "active".
3. Etymology: from Latin nervus, "sinew" and so enervate means "to cause to become out of muscle"; that is, "to weaken" or "to deplete of strength".
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2. To supply an organ or a body part with nerves: The finger tips are equipped with sensitive nerves that can innervate people to make them aware of objects around them.
There was no need to innervate the crowd in the stadium because the people were enthusiastic enough.
If anything, it would be more important to enervate their enthusiasm before they head out onto the streets.
2. To deprive of strength; to debilitate.
Sometimes people mistakenly use enervate with the meaning "to invigorate" or "to excite". Too many people assume that this word is a close cousin of the verb energize.
In fact enervate does not come from the same source as "energize" which is from Greek energos, "active". It actually comes from Latin nervus, "sinew" and so enervate means "to cause to become out of muscle"; that is, "to weaken" or "to deplete of strength".