vitiate

C2+ Topic:Cause, Change & Process

US /ˈvɪʃieɪt/ UK /ˈvɪʃieɪt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to spoil, impair, or make legally ineffective

A single forged signature can vitiate the entire agreement.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to spoil, impair, or make... spoil impair corrupt invalidate mar debase nullify taint

Opposites

purify enhance validate improve

Word family

Derived forms vitiationvitiatorvitiated

Related forms vice viciousvitiable

Etymology

From Latin vitiatus, past participle of vitiare ('to spoil, corrupt'), from vitium ('fault, defect, vice').

vitiare Latin vitium Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Cause, Change & Process Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# vitiate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈvɪʃieɪt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈvɪʃieɪt/

## Meanings
1. to spoil, impair, or make legally ineffective

## Examples
- A single forged signature can vitiate the entire agreement.

## Synonyms
- spoil
- impair
- corrupt
- invalidate
- mar
- debase
- nullify
- taint

## Antonyms
- purify
- enhance
- validate
- improve

## Derived Forms
- vitiation
- vitiator
- vitiated

## Related Forms
- vice
- vicious
- vitiable

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: vitiare
- Root: vitium

## Etymology
From Latin vitiatus, past participle of vitiare ('to spoil, corrupt'), from vitium ('fault, defect, vice').

## AI Etymology
Vitiate comes from Latin vitiatus, past participle of vitiare ('to spoil, corrupt'), from vitium ('fault, defect, vice'). In current use it is a verb meaning "to spoil, impair, or make legally ineffective". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The history is mainly one of transmission into English, with the older form and sense carried through borrowing or adaptation. The historical chain includes Latin vitiare and Latin vitium. Related English forms include vice, vicious, and vitiable. Derived forms include vitiation, vitiator, and vitiated. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense.

## Topics
- Cause, Change & Process
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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vitiate

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