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[DreamWeaver]

• enervate
• EN-er-vayt

• DEFINITION

verb

1

: to reduce the mental or moral vigor of

2

: to lessen the vitality or strength of

• EXAMPLES

Dehydration and prolonged exposure to the sun had enervated the shipwrecked crew, leaving them almost too weak to hail the passing vessel.

"This is a life-saving practice because it greatly helps reduce the stress and tension that both wears our physical organism and enervates our energies, which is our life force and vitality." -- From an article by Lama Surya Das on The Huffington Post, June 4, 2011

• DID YOU KNOW?

"Enervate" is a word that some people use without really knowing what it means. They seem to believe that because "enervate" looks a little bit like "energize" and "invigorate" it must share their meaning -- but it is actually their antonym. "Enervate" comes from the Latin word "enervare," which was formed from the prefix "e-," meaning "out of," and "-nervare" (from "nervus," meaning "sinew or nerve"). So, etymologically at least, someone who is enervated is "out of nerve."