edify
[ ed-uh-fahy ]
/ ˈɛd ə faɪ /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!
Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
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
OTHER WORDS FROM edify
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for edify
British Dictionary definitions for edify
edify
/ (ˈɛdɪˌfaɪ) /
verb -fies, -fying or -fied
(tr) to improve the morality, intellect, etc, of, esp by instruction
Derived forms of edify
edifier, nounedifying, adjectiveedifyingly, adverbWord 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