FromMiddle Englishelevaten(“to raise up, erect; to elate, inflate (e.g. with pride); (alchemy) to vaporize; (of a bone, excressence, blood vessel) to protrude”), fromelevat(e)(“(in physical elevation, in rank, in altitude above the horizon) high”,also used as the past participle ofelevaten) +‎-en(verb-forming suffix), further fromLatinēlevātus, theperfectpassiveparticiple ofēlevō(“to raise, lift up”), fromē-(“out”) +levō(“to make light, to lift”), fromlevis(“light”) +-ō(verb-forming suffix); seelevity andlever.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛləveɪt/

• Audio(Southern England):

  (file)

elevate (third-person singular simple presentelevates,present participleelevating,simple past and past participleelevated)

1. (transitive) Toraise (something) to ahigherposition.

   Synonyms:lift,raise

   Antonyms:drop,lower

   The doctor told meelevating my legs would help reduce the swelling.

   • 1534,William Marshall,George Joye,A Prymer in Englyshe‎^[1], London: William Marshall:

     The Grace or Blessynge of the table to be sayed of chyldren standynge before it, thyr handeseleuated andioynedto gyder

   • c.1610–1611 (date written),William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, andEd[ward] Blount, published1623,→OCLC,[Act V, scene ii]:

     She had one eye declined for the loss of her husband, anotherelevated that the oracle was fulfilled:[…]

   • 1750,Samuel Johnson,The Rambler, No. 25, 12 June, 1750, Volume 1, London: J. Payne and J. Bouquet, 1752, p. 216,^[2]

     We know that a few strokes of the axe will lop a cedar; but what arts of cultivation canelevate a shrub?

   • 1896, Joseph Conrad, chapter V, inAn Outcast of the Islands, London:T. Fisher Unwin […],→OCLC, part II,page138:

     Abdulla expressed his surprise byelevating his eyebrows.

2. (transitive) Topromote (someone) to a higherrank.

   Synonyms:exalt,promote

   Antonym:demote

   • 1682,Aphra Behn, “The Roundheads or, The Good Old Cause”, inet al.‎^[3], London: D. Brown, act I, scene 1, page 6:

     Hard Fate of Greatness, We so highlyElevated
     Are more expos’d to Censure than the little ones,

   • 1791 (date written),Mary Wollstonecraft, “The Rights and Involved Duties of Mankind Considered”, inA Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], published1792,→OCLC,page24:

     Nothing can set the regal character in a more contemptible point of view, than the various crimes that haveelevated men to the supreme dignity.

   • 1961,Joseph Heller, chapter 29, inCatch-22‎^[4], New York: Dell, page334:

     […] that’s the way things go when youelevate mediocre people to positions of authority.

   • 2014, A. D. Wright,The Early Modern Papacy:

     Much has also been made recently of the distorting effects exerted on the administration of Urban VIII by the interests of the Barberini nephews, especially of the twoelevated to cardinal status.

   • 2014, Guy W. Lecky-Thompson,Inside SharePoint 2007 Administration, page55:

     At that point, you have toelevate the account's rights, activate the feature, and then demote the account again.

   1. (computing) To temporarily grant aprogram additionalsecurityprivileges to the system to perform a privileged action (usually on the program'srequest).

      Did you forget that all programs that modify theregistry need to beelevated?

3. (transitive) Toconferhonor ornobility on (someone).

   Synonyms:ennoble,exalt,honor

   The traditional worldviewelevates man as the pinnacle of creation.

   • 1591,Edmund Spenser, “Virgils Gnat” inComplaints, London: William Ponsonbie,^[5]

     That none, whom fortune freely doth aduaunce,

     Himselfe therefore to heauen shouldeleuate:

     For loftie type of honour through the glaunce

     Of enuies dart, is downe in dust prostrate;

4. (transitive) To make (something or someone) moreworthy or of greatervalue.

   A talented chef canelevate everyday ingredients into gourmet delights.

   • 1682,John Dryden, “Epistle to the Whigs”, inThe Medal‎^[6], Edinburgh:

     […] if you encourage a young Beginner, who knows but he mayelevate his stile a little,

   • 1768,William Gilpin, chapter 1, inAn Essay upon Prints‎^[7], London: J. Robson, page33:

     He is the true artist, who copies nature; but, where he finds her mean,elevates her from his own ideas of beauty.

   • 1849 May –1850 November,Charles Dickens,The Personal History of David Copperfield, London:Bradbury & Evans, […], published1850,→OCLC:

     You can’t think how itelevates him in my opinion, to know for certain that he’s really conscientious!

5. (transitive) Todirect (themind,thoughts, etc.) toward more worthy things.
   • 1665,Robert Boyle,Occasional Reflections upon Several Subjects‎^[8], London: Henry Herringman, Section 4, Chapter 4, pp. 73-74:

     […] the devout Christian improves the Blessings he receives of this inferiour World, toelevate his mind above it:

   • 1999,Ahdaf Soueif, chapter 18, inThe Map of Love, New York: Anchor Books, published2000:

     On the whole I would regard serious art as a means toelevate the emotions and educate the spirit[…]

6. (transitive) Toincrease theintensity ordegree of (something).

   Synonyms:increase,raise

   Antonyms:decrease,diminish,lower,reduce

   Some drugs have theside effect ofelevating your blood sugar level.

   1. (dated) To increase theloudness of (a sound, especially one's voice).
      • 1749,Henry Fielding, chapter 10, inThe History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume(please specify |volume=I to VI), London:A[ndrew] Millar, […],→OCLC, book XIV,page191:

        […] the Uncle had more than onceelevated his Voice, so as to be heard down Stairs;

      • 1904, Jack London, chapter 3, inThe Sea-Wolf (Macmillan’s Standard Library), New York, N.Y.:Grosset & Dunlap,→OCLC,page20:

        “We’ll see to that,” Wolf Larsen answered, andelevated his voice in a call of “Cooky!”

7. (transitive, obsolete) To lift thespirits of (someone)

   Synonyms:cheer up,elate

   Antonyms:depress,sadden

   • 1667,John Milton, “Book VIII”, inParadise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […];[a]nd by Robert Boulter […];[a]nd Matthias Walker, […],→OCLC; republished asParadise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […],1873,→OCLC, lines633-634:

     […] Hopeelevates, and joy
     Bright’ns his Crest,

   • 1759,Adam Smith,The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Edinburgh: A. Kincaid and J. Bell, Part 1, Section 2, Chapter 1, p. 20,^[9]

     It gives us thespleen […] to see another too happy or too muchelevated, as we call it, with any little piece of good fortune.

8. (dated, colloquial, humorous) Tointoxicate in a slight degree; to make (someone)tipsy.
   • 1755 October 23,George Colman,Bonnell Thornton,The Connoisseur‎^[10], volume 2, number91, London: R. Baldwin, published1756, page557:

     Steele entertained them till he was tipsy; when the same wine that stupified him, only served toelevateAddison, who took up the ball just asSteele dropt it, and kept it up for the rest of the evening.

   • 1791,James Boswell, “(please specify the year)”, in James Boswell, editor,The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. […], London: […] Henry Baldwin, forCharles Dilly, […],→OCLC:

     [Johnson,] from drinking only water, supposed every body who drank wine to beelevated

   • 1822, [Walter Scott], chapter III, inPeveril of the Peak. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co.,→OCLC,page92:

     […] theelevated Cavaliers[…] sent to Roger Raine of the Peveril Arms[…] for two tubs of merrystingo

9. (obsolete, Latinism) To attempt to make (something) seem lessimportant,remarkable, etc.

   Synonyms:lessen,detract,disparage

   • 1660,Jeremy Taylor,Ductor Dubitantium, London: Richard Royston, Volume 1, Chapter 4, Rule 2, p. 126,^[11]

     […] the Arabian Physicians […] endevour toelevate and lessen the thing [i.e. belief in thevirgin birth of Jesus], by saying, It is not wholly beyond the force of nature, that a Virgin should conceive […]

• elevatable
• elevation
• elevator
• elevatory

FromMiddle Englishelevat(e)(“(in physical elevation, in rank, in altitude above the horizon) high”,also used as the past participle ofelevaten), see-ate(adjective-forming suffix) andEtymology 1 for more. Cognate withFrenchélevé.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛləvət/

elevate (comparativemoreelevate,superlativemostelevate)

1. (obsolete) Elevated, raisedaloft.
   • 1548,Edward Hall,The Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Families of Lancastre and Yorke, London: Richard Grafton, Henry VII, year 6,^[12]

     The sayde crosse was .iii. tymes deuoutlyeleuate, and at euery exaltacion, ye Moores beyng within the cytie, roared, howled and cryed,

   • 1667,John Milton, “Book II”, inParadise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […];[a]nd by Robert Boulter […];[a]nd Matthias Walker, […],→OCLC; republished asParadise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […],1873,→OCLC, lines567-578:

     Others apart sat on a Hill retir’d,
     In thoughts moreelevate,

• “elevate”, inWebster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.:G. & C. Merriam,1913,→OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney,Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “elevate”, inThe Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.:The Century Co.,→OCLC.

elevate

1. inflection ofelevare:
   1. second-personpluralpresentindicative
   2. second-personpluralimperative

elevate f pl

1. feminineplural ofelevato

ēlevāte

1. second-personpluralpresentactiveimperative ofēlevō

elevate

1. second-personsingular voseoimperative ofelevar combined withte

• English terms inherited from Middle English
• English terms derived from Middle English
• English terms derived from Latin
• English 3-syllable words
• English terms with IPA pronunciation
• English terms with audio pronunciation
• English lemmas
• English verbs
• English transitive verbs
• English terms with usage examples
• English terms with quotations
• en:Computing
• English dated terms
• English terms with obsolete senses
• English colloquialisms
• English humorous terms
• English terms suffixed with -ate (adjective)
• English adjectives
• Italian non-lemma forms
• Italian verb forms
• Italian past participle forms
• Latin non-lemma forms
• Latin verb forms
• Spanish non-lemma forms
• Spanish verb forms

• Pages with entries
• Pages with 4 entries
• Quotation templates to be cleaned
• Entries with translation boxes
• Terms with Arabic translations
• Terms with Azerbaijani translations
• Terms with Bulgarian translations
• Terms with Esperanto translations
• Terms with Estonian translations
• Terms with Finnish translations
• Terms with French translations
• Terms with German translations
• Terms with Gothic translations
• Terms with Ancient Greek translations
• Terms with Hungarian translations
• Terms with Icelandic translations
• Terms with Irish translations
• Terms with Italian translations
• Terms with Latin translations
• Terms with Northern Mansi translations
• Terms with Maori translations
• Terms with Old English translations
• Terms with Russian translations
• Terms with Sanskrit translations
• Terms with Spanish translations
• Terms with Ugaritic translations