inculcate

English

WOTD – 14 July 2009

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin inculcātus, perfect passive participle of inculcō (“impress upon, force upon”), from in + calcō (“tread upon, trample”), from calx (“heel”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈɪn.kʌl.keɪt/

  • Audio (UK)

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Verb

inculcate (third-person singular simple present inculcates, present participle inculcating, simple past and past participle inculcated)

1. (transitive) To teach by repeated instruction.

   Synonyms: instill, ingrain

   • 1820, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Oedipus Tyrannus; Or, Swellfoot The Tyrant: A Tragedy in Two Acts:

     Those impious Pigs,
     Who, by frequent squeaks, have dared impugn
     The settled Swellfoot system, or to make
     Irreverent mockery of the genuflexions
     Inculcated by the arch-priest, have been whipt
     Into a loyal and an orthodox whine.

   • 1932, Aldous Huxley, Brave New World:

     Wordless conditioning ... cannot inculcate the more complex courses of behaviour.

2. (transitive) To induce understanding or a particular sentiment in a person or persons.
   • 1641, Francis Bacon, A Wise and Moderate Discourse, Concerning Church-Affaires

     all preachers , especially such as be of good temper , and have wisdom with conscience , ought to inculcate and beat upon a peace , silence , and surseance

   • 1943, C. S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man:

     The right defense against false sentiments is to inculcate just sentiments.

Translations

teach by repeated instruction

• Armenian: մտքում տպավորել (mtkʿum tpavorel), արմատավորել (hy) (armatavorel), մտցնել (hy) (mtcʿnel), պատվաստել (hy) (patvastel)
• Bulgarian: втълпявам (bg) (vtǎlpjavam)
• Crimean Tatar: talim,
• Czech: vštípit
• Dutch: inprenten (nl)
• French: inculquer (fr)
• German: einimpfen (de), einschärfen (de)

• Italian: inculcare (it)
• Latin: inculcō
• Norwegian: innprente
• Portuguese: inculcar (pt)
• Russian: прививать (ru) (privivatʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: utuviti (sh)
• Spanish: inculcar (es)
• Turkish: telkin etmek (tr)

to induce understanding or a particular sentiment in a person or persons

• Armenian: ներշնչել (hy) (neršnčʿel), արմատավորել (hy) (armatavorel), մտցնել (hy) (mtcʿnel), հաղորդել (hy) (hałordel)
• Bulgarian: внушавам (bg) (vnušavam)
• Latin: inculcō

• Romanian: inculca (ro), înrădăcina (ro)
• Russian: внушать (ru) (vnušatʹ), насаждать (ru) (nasaždatʹ)
• Spanish: inculcar (es) m

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Italian

Verb

inculcate

1. second-person plural present indicative of inculcare
2. second-person plural imperative of inculcare
3. feminine plural of inculcato

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Latin

Participle

inculcāte

1. vocative masculine singular of inculcātus