edify

[ ed-uh-fahy ]

/ ˈɛd ə faɪ /

verb (used with object), ed·i·fied, ed·i·fy·ing.

to instruct or benefit, especially morally or spiritually; uplift: religious paintings that edify the viewer.

Nearby words

edie, edification, edificatory, edifice, edificial, edify, edifying, edile, edina, edinburg, edinburgh

Origin of edify

1300–50; Middle English edifien < Anglo-French, Old French edifier < Latin aedificāre to build, equivalent to aedi- (stem of aedes) house, temple + -ficāre -fy

Related forms

ed·i·fi·er, nouned·i·fy·ing·ly, adverbnon·ed·i·fied, adjectivere·ed·i·fy, verb (used with object), re·ed·i·fied, re·ed·i·fy·ing.

un·ed·i·fied, adjectiveun·ed·i·fy·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for edified

We got another glimpse of the balloon to cheer us, and were also edified in the course of the day with news of the Belmont battle.
The Siege of Kimberley|T. Phelan
The old folks were at first amused, then edified by this stubborn reaction to a profound instinct.
Painted Veils|James Huneker
Posterity is edified by discoveries of frauds by which the priests maintain their power.
History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, Volume I (of 2)|John William Draper
When the two have had their wish, and been hanged "out of hand," the bystanders are edified to tears.
A Handbook to the Works of Browning (6th ed.)|Mrs. Sutherland Orr

And do you imagine that your brains will be edified by coming in contact with these books?
Louis' School Days|E. J. May

British Dictionary definitions for edified

edify

/ (ˈɛdɪˌfaɪ) /

verb -fies, -fying or -fied

(tr) to improve the morality, intellect, etc, of, esp by instruction

Derived Forms

edifier, nounedifying, adjectiveedifyingly, adverb

Word Origin for edify

C14: from Old French edifier, from Latin aedificāre to construct, from aedēs a dwelling, temple + facere to make

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012