INVETERATE

Use this forum to discuss past Good Words.
User avatar
Dr. Goodword
Site Admin
Posts: 7419
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 9:28 am
Location: Lewisburg, PA
Contact:

INVETERATE

Postby Dr. Goodword » Sat Feb 10, 2007 11:44 pm

• inveterate •

Pronunciation: in-vet-êr-êt • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: 1. Firmly established by survival over a long period of time, confirmed by longevity, deep-rooted. 2. Deeply ingrained, strongly habitual.

Notes: This word may be used as an adverb with the appropriate suffix, inveterately and it offers two nouns to choose from: inveterateness and inveteracy. As with all adjectives ending on -ate, be careful not to accidentally replace this suffix with -ant.

In Play: This word originally referred to anything established by great age: "Melanie loved to spend lazy summer afternoons reading in the shade of the inveterate willow in her backyard." In people, it refers to a long-standing passion or habit: "Perry Winkle is an inveterate gardener who can tell you the common and botanical names, and the eponyms of the names of all the flowers in his garden—and yours, too, probably."

Word History: Today's Good Word originated in Latin inveteratus "established, having aged", the past participle of inveterare "to grow old, endure". This verb consists of in- "cause to become" + veter "old". If you think old people are dried up, remember that the original root of today's word was Proto-Indo-European wet- "old". It picked up the suffic -er in English and landed on our lips as wether "gelded ram", as in bellwether (careful with the spelling). Latin veterinus "cattle", origin of our word veterinary, also came from this word since the attention of veterinarians generally falls on old animals. More oddly, this root underlies vitellus "calf", a word smoothed down to veal in Old French and then to the veau [vo] "calf" of Modern French. Quite the lexical sandpaper, French is.
• The Good Dr. Goodword

Perry
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2306
Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:50 am
Location: Asheville, NC

Postby Perry » Sun Feb 11, 2007 5:05 pm

Is there any connection between the origin of today's WotD and vesting?
"Time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening all at once. Lately it hasn't been working."
Anonymous

Stargzer
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2578
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 3:56 pm
Location: Crownsville, MD

Postby Stargzer » Wed Feb 14, 2007 12:08 am

Hmmm. 'Ppears not, going back to PIE wet- "old" for inveterate and PIE *wes- "to clothe" for vest, Latin veter vs. vestire. (Not a US Supreme Court decision! :wink: )


Online Etymology Dictionary:
vest (v.)
c.1425, "to put in possession of a person," from M.Fr. vestir, from M.L. vestire "to put into possession, to invest," from L. vestire "to clothe," related to vestis "garment, clothing," from PIE *wes- "to clothe" (see wear). Vested "established, secured, settled" is attested from 1766.

Dictionary.com:
...
–verb (used with object) 8. to clothe; dress; robe.
9. to dress in ecclesiastical vestments: to vest a bishop.
10. to cover or drape (an altar).
11. to place or settle (something, esp. property, rights, powers, etc.) in the possession or control of someone (usually fol. by in): to vest authority in a new official.
12. to invest or endow (a person, group, committee, etc.) with something, as powers, functions, or rights: to vest the board with power to increase production; to vest an employee with full benefits in the pension plan.


–verb (used without object) 13. to put on vestments.
14. to become vested in a person, as a right.
15. to devolve upon a person as possessor; pass into possession or ownership.
...

[Origin: 1375–1425; (n.) late ME < It veste robe, dress < L vestis garment; (v.) late ME < MF vestir < L vestīre to clothe, deriv. of vestis; akin to wear]
Word History: Today's Good Word originated in Latin inveteratus "established, having aged", the past participle of inveterare "to grow old, endure". This verb consists of in- "cause to become" + veter "old". If you think old people are dried up, remember that the original root of today's word was Proto-Indo-European wet- "old".
Regards//Larry

"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee


Return to “Good Word Discussion”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 64 guests