denigrate
/ˈdenəɡˌɹeɪt/DEH-nuh-grayt
/ˈdɛnəɡˌɹeɪt/DEH-nuh-grayt
Meaningto blacken
Common meaning: to belittle
- dedown, away, off; undoing
- nigrblackLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1206 · scan
- ateverb or adjective ending: to make, having
‘down, away, off’ + ‘black’ → denigrate
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Latin niger ‘black’.
Roots
- niger, -gra, -grum Latin “black”
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