ameliorate
/əˈmiːliəreɪt/
verb
Origin
Latin
melior — better
Overview
Meaning Now
- To make something bad or unsatisfactory better or more tolerable.
Literal older meaning
To make better
Language path
Latin → French → English
Earliest form
ameliorer
Earliest period
mid-18th century
Journey
The word entered English during the Enlightenment, a period when Latinate vocabulary was frequently adopted to express nuanced states of improvement and societal progress.
Evolution
- Latin
melior
“better”
Comparative adjective form
- Late Latin
ameliorare
“to make better”
Addition of the prefix 'ad-'
- Middle French
améliorer
“to improve”
- English, 1750s
ameliorate
“to improve”
Adopted into English from French usage
Connections
Word parts
ad-
prefix
to
melior
root
better
-ate
suffix
verb-forming suffix
Related across languages
French
améliorer
to improve
Spanish
mejorar
to improve
Explore next
Related to ameliorate
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.