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exert

[ig-zurt]
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verb (used with object)
  1. to put forth or into use, as power; exercise, as ability or influence; put into vigorous action: to exert every effort.
  2. to put (oneself) into strenuous, vigorous action or effort.
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Origin of exert

1650–60; < Latin ex(s)ertus, past participle of exserere to thrust out, equivalent to ex- ex-1 + ser(ere) to bind together + -tus past participle suffix
Related formsex·er·tive, adjectivenon·ex·er·tive, adjectivesu·per·ex·ert, verb (used with object)un·ex·ert·ed, adjectivewell-ex·ert·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

expend, wield, utilize, apply, exercise, strive, plug, use, dig, toil, work, ply, labor, employ, strain, struggle, push, endeavor, throw

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British Dictionary definitions for exerts

exert

verb (tr)
  1. to use (influence, authority, etc) forcefully or effectively
  2. to apply (oneself) diligently; make a strenuous effort
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Derived Formsexertion, nounexertive, adjective

Word Origin

C17 (in the sense: push forth, emit): from Latin exserere to thrust out, from ex- 1 + serere to bind together, entwine
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

Word Origin and History for exerts

exert

v.

1660s, "thrust forth, push out," from Latin exertus/exsertus, past participle of exerere/exserere "thrust out, put forth," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + serere "attach, join" (see series). Meaning "put into use" is 1680s. Related: Exerted; exerting.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper