Commonly Confused Words: 'innervate' versus 'enervate.'
Greetings and salutations, Fandom Grammar watchers! Today, we’re going to work up our nerves to check out the difference between two unnervingly similar verbs: innervate and enervate.
Innervate first appeared in 1870. It comes from the Latin word nervus and most likely formed from the medical term innervation, which refers to "the distribution or supply of nerves to a part [of the body]." Innervate means “to supply (a part of the body) with nerves” or “to stimulate” something such as “a nerve [or] muscle” into “movement or action.” For example:
Dr. Marcus pulled back the surgical drape, revealing an unconscious humanoid creature with the top of its skull sawed away to expose its pink brain. “When one innervates this area of the brain,” he said, pointing at it with a pen, “it creates a reaction in the subject’s flexor digitorum profundus.” He lightly tapped the brain, and claws shot out of the tips of the creature’s fingers.
Enervate's origins can be traced all the way back to the early 1600s. It also comes from a Latin word, enervatus, and at one time served as the past participle of the verb enervare. Enervare, which is now defunct, referred at first only to the surgical cutting and/or removing of sinew, but it later evolved to include the figurative "to weaken [or] deprive of vigor." It was this verb that, in conjunction with the Late Latin enervationem and the Middle French énervation, inspired the circa-1500 noun enervation, which refers to the aforementioned surgical procedure. Mostly likely enervate formed from this noun. But in any case, enervate adopted its verb predecessor's second definition and means “to deprive of strength, force, [or] vigor,” or simply “to weaken.” For example:
“How should one go about enervating this particular specimen when it becomes riled?” Dr. Marcus asked the class, motioning towards a glass tank that contained a restlessly pacing plant-based creature. He pointed at the first hand that shot up.
“Sir,” said William, standing up, “One should simply deprive it of sunlight and water, sir.”
“Or you could just douse it with alcohol and toss a match,” said Albert beside him. The class broke into a fit of chuckles.
An easy way to tell the difference between innervate and enervate is the “in” at the beginning of innervate. When one innervates something, that something takes in stimuli that one provides.
Sources
BiologyOnline.Org
EtymologyOnline.Com
Latin-Dictionary.Com
Webster’s New World Dictionary, Third College Edition
Innervate first appeared in 1870. It comes from the Latin word nervus and most likely formed from the medical term innervation, which refers to "the distribution or supply of nerves to a part [of the body]." Innervate means “to supply (a part of the body) with nerves” or “to stimulate” something such as “a nerve [or] muscle” into “movement or action.” For example:
Dr. Marcus pulled back the surgical drape, revealing an unconscious humanoid creature with the top of its skull sawed away to expose its pink brain. “When one innervates this area of the brain,” he said, pointing at it with a pen, “it creates a reaction in the subject’s flexor digitorum profundus.” He lightly tapped the brain, and claws shot out of the tips of the creature’s fingers.
Enervate's origins can be traced all the way back to the early 1600s. It also comes from a Latin word, enervatus, and at one time served as the past participle of the verb enervare. Enervare, which is now defunct, referred at first only to the surgical cutting and/or removing of sinew, but it later evolved to include the figurative "to weaken [or] deprive of vigor." It was this verb that, in conjunction with the Late Latin enervationem and the Middle French énervation, inspired the circa-1500 noun enervation, which refers to the aforementioned surgical procedure. Mostly likely enervate formed from this noun. But in any case, enervate adopted its verb predecessor's second definition and means “to deprive of strength, force, [or] vigor,” or simply “to weaken.” For example:
“How should one go about enervating this particular specimen when it becomes riled?” Dr. Marcus asked the class, motioning towards a glass tank that contained a restlessly pacing plant-based creature. He pointed at the first hand that shot up.
“Sir,” said William, standing up, “One should simply deprive it of sunlight and water, sir.”
“Or you could just douse it with alcohol and toss a match,” said Albert beside him. The class broke into a fit of chuckles.
An easy way to tell the difference between innervate and enervate is the “in” at the beginning of innervate. When one innervates something, that something takes in stimuli that one provides.
Sources
BiologyOnline.Org
EtymologyOnline.Com
Latin-Dictionary.Com
Webster’s New World Dictionary, Third College Edition