Damnify
/ˈdæm.nɪ.faɪ/noun
To cause loss, harm, or financial damage to someone.
Did you know?Damnify belongs to the same Latin family as damn and condemn, all connected to Latin damnum, meaning “loss” or “damage,” not originally eternal punishment.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dap-
“A proposed root associated with distributing or apportioning, possibly underlying later Latin ideas of loss or compensation; the connection is debated.”
Classical Latin
Latin
damnum
“Loss, injury, harm, or financial damage.”
Classical Latin
Latin
damnificare
“To cause loss or damage; literally, to make harm or loss.”
Late Latin
Latin
damnificare
“To injure or disadvantage someone.”
Anglo-French
Anglo-French
damnifier
“To damage, harm, or cause loss.”
14th Century
Middle English
damnifyen
“To cause loss or injury, especially in a legal or financial sense.”
Modern English
English
damnify
“To cause harm, loss, or damage; now chiefly formal or legal.”