elevate - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Italic *-āō

Old English -an

Middle English -en

English elevate

From Middle English elevaten (“to raise up, erect; to elate, inflate (e.g. with pride); (alchemy) to vaporize; (of a bone, excressence, blood vessel) to protrude”), from elevat(e) (“(in physical elevation, in rank, in altitude above the horizon) high”, also used as the past participle of elevaten) +‎ -en (verb-forming suffix), further from Latin ēlevātus, the perfect passive participle of ēlevō (“to raise, lift up”), from ē- (“out”) + levō (“to make light, to lift”), from levis (“light”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix); see levity and lever.

elevate (third-person singular simple present elevates, present participle elevating, simple past and past participle elevated)

  1. (transitive) To raise (something) to a higher position.
    Synonyms: lift, raise
    Antonyms: drop, lower
    The doctor told me elevating my legs would help reduce the swelling.
    • c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:
      She had one eye declined for the loss of her husband, another elevated that the oracle was fulfilled: […]
    • 1750, Samuel Johnson, The Rambler, No. 25, 12 June, 1750, Volume 1, London: J. Payne and J. Bouquet, 1752, p. 216,[2]
      We know that a few strokes of the axe will lop a cedar; but what arts of cultivation can elevate a shrub?
  2. (transitive) To promote (someone) to a higher rank.
    Synonyms: exalt, promote; see also Thesaurus:aggrandize
    Antonyms: demote; see also Thesaurus:demean
    • 1682, Aphra Behn, “The Roundheads or, The Good Old Cause”, in et al.‎[3], London: D. Brown, act I, scene 1, page 6:
      Hard Fate of Greatness, We so highly Elevated
      Are more expos’d to Censure than the little ones,
    • 1961, Joseph Heller, chapter 29, in Catch-22‎[4], New York: Dell, page 334:
      […] that’s the way things go when you elevate mediocre people to positions of authority.
    • 2014, A. D. Wright, The Early Modern Papacy:
      Much has also been made recently of the distorting effects exerted on the administration of Urban VIII by the interests of the Barberini nephews, especially of the two elevated to cardinal status.
    • 2014, Guy W. Lecky-Thompson, Inside SharePoint 2007 Administration, page 55:
      At that point, you have to elevate the account's rights, activate the feature, and then demote the account again.
    1. (computing) To temporarily grant a program additional security privileges to the system to perform a privileged action (usually on the program's request).
      Did you forget that all programs that modify the registry need to be elevated?
  3. (transitive) To confer honor or nobility on (someone).
    Synonyms: ennoble, exalt, honor; see also Thesaurus:aggrandize
    The traditional worldview elevates man as the pinnacle of creation.
    • 1591, Edmund Spenser, “Virgils Gnat” in Complaints, London: William Ponsonbie,[5]
      That none, whom fortune freely doth aduaunce,
      Himselfe therefore to heauen should eleuate:
      For loftie type of honour through the glaunce
      Of enuies dart, is downe in dust prostrate;
  4. (transitive) To make (something or someone) more worthy or of greater value.
    A talented chef can elevate everyday ingredients into gourmet delights.
    • 1682, John Dryden, “Epistle to the Whigs”, in The Medal‎[6], Edinburgh:
      […] if you encourage a young Beginner, who knows but he may elevate his stile a little,
    • 1768, William Gilpin, chapter 1, in An Essay upon Prints‎[7], London: J. Robson, page 33:
      He is the true artist, who copies nature; but, where he finds her mean, elevates her from his own ideas of beauty.
  5. (transitive) To direct (the mind, thoughts, etc.) toward more worthy things.
    • 1665, Robert Boyle, Occasional Reflections upon Several Subjects‎[8], London: Henry Herringman, Section 4, Chapter 4, pp. 73-74:
      […] the devout Christian improves the Blessings he receives of this inferiour World, to elevate his mind above it:
    • 1999, Ahdaf Soueif, chapter 18, in The Map of Love, New York: Anchor Books, published 2000:
      On the whole I would regard serious art as a means to elevate the emotions and educate the spirit […]
  6. (transitive) To increase the intensity or degree of (something).
    Synonyms: increase, raise; see also Thesaurus:increase
    Antonyms: decrease, diminish, lower, reduce; see also Thesaurus:decrease
    Some drugs have the side effect of elevating your blood sugar level.
    1. (dated) To increase the loudness of (a sound, especially one's voice).
  7. (transitive, obsolete) To lift the spirits of (someone)
    Synonyms: cheer up, elate; see also Thesaurus:gladden
    Antonyms: depress, sadden; see also Thesaurus:sadden
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 633-634:
      […] Hope elevates, and joy
      Bright’ns his Crest,
    • 1759, Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Edinburgh: A. Kincaid and J. Bell, Part 1, Section 2, Chapter 1, p. 20,[9]
      It gives us the spleen […] to see another too happy or too much elevated, as we call it, with any little piece of good fortune.
  8. (dated, colloquial, humorous) To intoxicate in a slight degree; to make (someone) tipsy.
  9. (obsolete, Latinism) To attempt to make (something) seem less important, remarkable, etc.
    Synonyms: lessen, detract, disparage; see also Thesaurus:debase, Thesaurus:demean
    • 1660, Jeremy Taylor, Ductor Dubitantium, London: Richard Royston, Volume 1, Chapter 4, Rule 2, p. 126,[11]
      […] the Arabian Physicians […] endevour to elevate and lessen the thing [_i.e._ belief in the virgin birth of Jesus], by saying, It is not wholly beyond the force of nature, that a Virgin should conceive […]

raise

increase the intensity of

From Middle English elevat(e) (“(in physical elevation, in rank, in altitude above the horizon) high”, also used as the past participle of elevaten), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more. Cognate with French élevé.

elevate (comparative more elevate, superlative most elevate)

  1. (obsolete) Elevated, raised aloft.
    • 1548, Edward Hall, The Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Families of Lancastre and Yorke, London: Richard Grafton, Henry VII, year 6,[12]
      The sayde crosse was .iii. tymes deuoutly eleuate, and at euery exaltacion, ye Moores beyng within the cytie, roared, howled and cryed,
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 567-578:
      Others apart sat on a Hill retir’d,
      In thoughts more elevate,

elevate

  1. inflection of elevare:
    1. second-person plural present indicative
    2. second-person plural imperative

elevate f pl

  1. feminine plural of elevato

ēlevāte

  1. second-person plural present active imperative of ēlevō

elevate

  1. second-person singular voseo imperative of elevar combined with te