Enervation

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.

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[Latin nervre, nervt- : -, ex-, ex- + nervus, sinew; see (s)neu- in Indo-European roots.]

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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."

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	enervation - lack of vitality; "an enervation of mind greater than any fatigue" weakness - the property of lacking physical or mental strength; liability to failure under pressure or stress or strain; "his weakness increased as he became older"; "the weakness of the span was overlooked until it collapsed"
	2.	enervation - serious weakening and loss of energy debilitation, enfeeblement, exhaustion weakening - becoming weaker
	3.	enervation - surgical removal of a nerve ablation, cutting out, extirpation, excision - surgical removal of a body part or tissue