stultify

stultify
stultify 1766, "allege to be of unsound mind" (legal term), from L.L. stultificare "turn into foolishness," from L. stultus "foolish" + root of facere "to make" (see FACTITIOUS (Cf. factitious)). The first element is cognate with L. stolidus "slow, dull, obtuse" (see STOLID (Cf. stolid)). Meaning "cause to appear foolish or absurd" is from 1809.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Stultify — Stul ti*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Stultified}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Stultifying}.] [L. stultus foolish + fy.] 1. To make foolish; to make a fool of; as, to stultify one by imposition; to stultify one s self by silly reasoning or conduct. Burke. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • stultify — index balk, check (restrain), clog, deter, disable, foil, frustrate, thwart …   Law dictionary

  • stultify — ► VERB (stultifies, stultified) 1) (usu. as adj. stultifying) cause to feel bored or drained of energy. 2) cause to appear foolish or absurd. DERIVATIVES stultification noun. ORIGIN Latin stultificare, from s …   English terms dictionary

  • stultify — [stul′tə fī΄] vt. stultified, stultifying [LL stultificare < L stultus, foolish, akin to stolidus,STOLID + facere, to make, DO1] 1. a) to make seem foolish, stupid, inconsistent, etc.; make absurd or ridiculous b) to make dull or torpid …   English World dictionary

  • stultify — stultification, n. stultifier, n. stultifyingly, adv. /stul teuh fuy /, v.t., stultified, stultifying. 1. to make, or cause to appear, foolish or ridiculous. 2. to render absurdly or wholly futile or ineffectual, esp. by degrading or frustrating… …   Universalium

  • stultify — To plead one s own insanity or other want of capacity, in his own suit to set aside his own deed or other contract, or in an action against him to enforce the contract. The ancient rule that a man shall not stultify himself is no longer law… …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • stultify — transitive verb ( fied; fying) Etymology: Late Latin stultificare to make foolish, from Latin stultus foolish; akin to Latin stolidus stolid Date: 1737 1. archaic to allege or prove to be of unsound mind and hence not responsible 2. to cause to… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • stultify — verb /ˈstʌltɪfaɪ,ˈstʌltəfaɪ/ a) To prove to be of unsound mind or demonstrate someones incompetence. b) To cause to appear foolish. Syn: humiliate …   Wiktionary

  • stultify — Synonyms and related words: annul, asphyxiate, befool, bottle up, bring to nothing, buffer, cancel, cancel out, censor, check, choke off, clamp down on, come to nothing, constipate, cork, cork up, counterbalance, crack down on, crush, damp down,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • stultify — (Roget s IV) v. 1. [To ridicule] Syn. make a fool of, make ridiculous, make absurd, mock; see ridicule . 2. [To inhibit] Syn. smother, stifle, suffocate, have a dulling effect on, negate; see also hinder …   English dictionary for students

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