enervate

[v. en-er-veyt; adj. ih-nur-vit] /v. ˈɛn ərˌveɪt; adj. ɪˈnɜr vɪt/
verb (used with object), enervated, enervating.
1.
to deprive of force or strength; destroy the vigor of; weaken.
Synonyms: enfeeble, debilitate, sap, exhaust.
adjective
2.
enervated.
Origin
1595-1605; < Latin ēnervātus weakened (past participle of ēnervāre) equivalent to ē- e-1 + nerv(us) sinew (see nerve) + -ātus -ate1; compare Anglo-French enervir, French énerver
Related forms
enervation, noun
enervative, adjective
enervator, noun
nonenervating, adjective
Can be confused
energize, enervate, innervate, invigorate.
Examples from the web for enervation
  • Descriptors: camels, nerve anatomy, lung enervation.
British Dictionary definitions for enervation

enervate

verb (ˈɛnəˌveɪt)
1.
(transitive) to deprive of strength or vitality; weaken physically or mentally; debilitate
adjective (ɪˈnɜːvɪt)
2.
deprived of strength or vitality; weakened
Derived Forms
enervation, noun
enervative, adjective
enervator, noun
Word Origin
C17: from Latin ēnervāre to remove the nerves from, from nervus nerve, sinew
Word Origin and History for enervation
n.

early 15c., from Middle French énervation, from Late Latin enervationem (nominative enervatio), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin enervare "weaken," literally "cut the sinews of," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + nervus "sinew" (see nerve). Figurative sense is from 1550s.

enervate

v.

c.1600, from Latin enervatus, past participle of enervare "to weaken" (see enervation). Related: Ennervated; ennervating.

enervation in Medicine

enervate en·er·vate (ěn'ər-vāt')
v. en·er·vat·ed, en·er·vat·ing, en·er·vates

  1. To remove a nerve or nerve part.

  2. To cause weakness or a reduction of strength.

en'er·va'tion n.