Word a Day
vouchsafe
What does vouchsafe mean?
vouchsafe (verb): to graciously give, to condescendingly grant a right, benefit, outcome, etc.; to deign to acknowledge.
Definition: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How do you pronounce vouchsafe?
/ˌvaʊtʃˈseɪf/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does vouchsafe come from?
From vouch + safe, written as two words in Middle English and early Modern English.
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Test yourself: do you know “vouchsafe”?
Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.
What does “vouchsafe” mean?
to suffer pain; to be the source of, or be in, pain, especially continued dull pain; to be distressed
Not quite: that's what ache means.
to withdraw or repudiate a statement or opinion formerly expressed, especially formally and publicly
Not quite: that's what recant means.
to graciously give, to condescendingly grant a right, benefit, outcome, etc.; to deign to acknowledge
Right! That's what “vouchsafe” means.
to leave the country in which one lives, especially one's native country, in order to reside elsewhere
Not quite: that's what emigrate means.
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