derogate

****************************************************************
Ready to march? Strike up the brand with a 14-day free
trial to Merriam-Webster Unabridged!
http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged_sub.pl?refr=U_wod
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for March 7 is: 

derogate   \DAIR-uh-gayt\   verb
    *1 : to cause to seem inferior : disparage 
     2 : to take away a part so as to impair : detract 
     3 : to act beneath one's position or character 

Example sentence:
     There's no need to derogate your sister's accomplishments just
because you're jealous.

Did you know?
     You're probably familiar with "derogatory," the adjective meaning
"expressing a low opinion," but you may not have heard of the less common
verb "derogate." Both words can be traced back to the Late Latin word
"derogatus," the past participle of the verb "derogare," meaning "to
detract" or "to annul (a law)." "Derogare," in turn, derives from the
Latin word for "ask," "rogare." "Derogate" first appeared in English in
the 15th century. "Derogatory" was adopted in the early 16th century, and
has become much more popular than the verb. Other "derogate" relatives
include "derogative," "derogation," and "derogatorily."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. 




You Are Subscribed As: GCLW-MW-WOD7@xxxxxxxxx
To unsubscribe, change your e-mail address or to subscribe to the html
version of Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day, featuring audio
pronunciations, please visit:

http://www.startsampling.com/sm/wod/changeofaddress.iphtml

(c) 2006 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Merriam-Webster, Inc.
47 Federal Street
P.O. Box 281
Springfield, MA 01102

*mf mwt 030706 GCLW-MW-WOD7@xxxxxxxxx mf*

---
You are currently subscribed to mw-text as: GCLW-MW-WOD7@xxxxxxxxx
To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
leave-mw-text-979910Y@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx