Category: Verbs

Verb – Yoke This word comes from Old English. Strictly speaking, a yoke is a device that fastens animals together so they can do work. And loosely speaking, a yoke is something that forces you down, or forces you to Read More …

Verb – Mollify This word has Latin roots that mean “to make soft.” We hardly ever use the literal sense of this word: “to make soft,” as in “to mollify rough hair.” Here’s Sylvia Plath: “Water mollifies the flint lip, Read More …

Verb – Instill This word has Latin roots that mean “to drop in.” Literally speaking, to instill something is to put it in one drop at a time. “Instill two drops of this medicine into each eye.” And figuratively speaking, Read More …

Here’s one of those basic verbs we all know, one that could be put to good use more often. “Fabric” and “fabricate” trace back to a Latin word meaning “artisan: person who creates things out of materials.” To fabricate things Read More …