vivify

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Late Latin vivificō via Old French vivifier.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈvɪvɪfaɪ/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Hyphenation: viv‧ify

Verb[edit]

vivify (third-person singular simple present vivifies, present participle vivifying, simple past and past participle vivified)

  1. (transitive) To bring to life; to enliven.
    • 1860, Nathaniel Hawthorne, “A Walk on the Campagna”, in The Marble Faun: Or, The Romance of Monte Beni. [], volume II, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 237:
      [T]he sculptor lifted it [a round block of stone], turned it hither and thither in his hands, brushed off the clinging soil, and finally placed it on the slender neck of the newly discovered statue. The effect was magical. It immediately lighted up and vivified the whole figure, endowing it with personality, soul, and intelligence.
  2. (transitive) To impart vitality to.

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]