You searched for: “enervates”
enervate (EN uhr vayt") (verb), enervates; enervated; enervating
1. To weaken or to destroy the strength or vitality of: Some people become enervated by corruption or dishonest activities.
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".

To cause someone to feel drained of energy or vitality.
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This entry is located in the following unit: nervo-, nerv-, nervi- (page 1)
Word Entries at Get Words: “enervates”
enervate (EN uhr vayt") (verb), enervates; enervated; enervating
1. To weaken or to destroy the strength or vitality of.
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".

to deprive of strength.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

This entry is located in the following unit: Misleading Meanings of English Words (page 1)