Edify
/ˈɛdɪfaɪ/noun
To instruct or improve someone morally or intellectually.
Did you know?Edify comes from the same Latin root as architecture and construction, because early Christian writers used physical building language for spiritual growth.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dʰeh₁-
“to put, place, set”
Latin
Latin
facere
“to do, make”
Latin
Latin
aedificāre
“to build, construct”
Late Latin
Latin
aedificāre
“to build up, especially spiritually”
Old French
Old French
edifier
“to build up; instruct morally”
Middle English
English
edifien
“to instruct, improve spiritually or morally”
Modern English
English
edify
“to instruct or improve morally or intellectually”