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enervate

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
en·er·vate  (nr-vt)
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."

enervate
vb [ˈɛnəˌveɪt]
(tr) to deprive of strength or vitality; weaken physically or mentally; debilitate
adj [ɪˈnɜːvɪt]
deprived of strength or vitality; weakened
[from Latin ēnervāre to remove the nerves from, from nervus nerve, sinew]
enervation  n
enervative  adj
enervator  n
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Verb1.enervate - weaken mentally or morally
weaken - lessen the strength of; "The fever weakened his body"
2.enervateenervate - disturb the composure of            
unman - cause to lose one's nerve; "an unmanning experience"
discomfit, discompose, untune, upset, disconcert - cause to lose one's composure
Translations
enervate [ˈenɜːveɪt] VTenervar, debilitar
enervate
vt (physically) → entkräften, schwächen; (mentally) → entnerven, enervieren (geh)
enervate [ˈɛnəˌveɪt] vtsnervare
enervate [ˈɛnəˌveɪt] vtsnervare


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For great empires, while they stand, do enervate and destroy the forces of the natives which they have subdued, resting upon their own protecting forces; and then when they fail also, all goes to ruin, and they become a prey.
A perilous solitude, for it lasted long enough to enervate, not long enough to fortify me.
An artful cabal in that council would be able to distract and to enervate the whole system of administration.
 
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