elevate

elevate

English

Etymology

From Latin elevatus, past participle of elevare (“to raise, lift up”), from e (“out”) + levare (“to make light, to lift”), from levis (“light”); see levity and lever.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛləveɪt/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Verb

elevate (third-person singular simple present elevates, present participle elevating, simple past and past participle elevated)

1. (transitive) To raise (something) to a higher position.

   Synonyms: lift, raise

   Antonyms: drop, lower

   The doctor told me elevating my legs would help reduce the swelling.

   • 1534, William Marshall and George Joye, A Prymer in Englyshe, London: William Marshall,

     The Grace or Blessynge of the table to be sayed of chyldren standynge before it, thyr handes eleuated and ioyned to gyder

   • c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The VVinters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene ii]:

     She had one eye declined for the loss of her husband, another elevated 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,

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

   • 1896, Joseph Conrad, chapter V, in An Outcast of the Islands, London: T. Fisher Unwin […], OCLC 558805776, part II, page 138:

     Abdulla expressed his surprise by elevating his eyebrows.

2. (transitive) To promote (someone) to a higher rank.

   Synonyms: exalt, promote

   Antonym: demote

   • 1682, Aphra Behn, The Roundheads or, The Good Old Cause, London: D. Brown et al., Act I, Scene 1, p. 6,

     Hard Fate of Greatness, We so highly Elevated

     Are more expos’d to Censure than the little ones,

   • 1791 (date written), Mary Wollstonecraft, chapter 1, in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects, 1st American edition, Boston, Mass.: […] Peter Edes for Thomas and Andrews, […], published 1792, OCLC 5625662194:

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

   • 1961, Joseph Heller, Catch-22, New York: Dell, Chapter 29, p. 334,

     […] that’s the way things go when you elevate 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 two elevated to cardinal status.

   • 2014, Guy W. Lecky-Thompson, Inside SharePoint 2007 Administration (page 55)

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

3. (transitive) To confer honor or nobility on (someone).

   Synonyms: ennoble, exalt, honor

   The traditional worldview elevates man as the pinnacle of creation.

   • 1591, Edmund Spenser, “Virgils Gnat” in Complaints, London: William Ponsonbie,

     That none, whom fortune freely doth aduaunce,

     Himselfe therefore to heauen should eleuate:

     For loftie type of honour through the glaunce

     Of enuies dart, is downe in dust prostrate;

4. (transitive) To make (something or someone) more worthy or of greater value.

   A talented chef can elevate everyday ingredients into gourmet delights.

   • 1682, John Dryden, The Medal, Edinburgh, “Epistle to the Whigs,”

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

   • 1768, William Gilpin, An Essay upon Prints, London: J. Robson, Chapter 1, p. 33,

     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, […], published 1850, OCLC 558196156:

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

5. (transitive) To direct (the mind, thoughts, etc.) toward more worthy things.
   • 1665, Robert Boyle, Occasional Reflections upon Several Subjects, London: Henry Herringman, Section 4, Chapter 4, pp. 73-74,

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

   • 1999, Ahdaf Soueif, The Map of Love, New York: Anchor Books, 2000, Chapter 18,

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

6. (transitive) To increase the intensity or degree of (something).

   Synonyms: increase, raise

   Antonyms: decrease, diminish, lower, reduce

   Some drugs have the side effect of elevating your blood sugar level.

   1. (dated) To increase the loudness of (a sound, especially one's voice).
      • 1749, Henry Fielding, chapter 10, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], OCLC 928184292, book 14, page 191:

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

      • 1904, Jack London, chapter 3, in The Sea-Wolf (Macmillan’s Standard Library), New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, OCLC 169815, page 20:

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

7. (transitive, obsolete) To lift the spirits of (someone)

   Synonyms: cheer up, elate

   Antonyms: depress, sadden

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554, lines 633-634:

     […] Hope elevates, 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,

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

8. (dated, colloquial, humorous) To intoxicate in a slight degree; to make (someone) tipsy.
   • 1755, George Colman and Bonnell Thornton, The Connoisseur, No. 91, 23 October, 1755, Volume 2, London: R. Baldwin, 1756, p. 557,

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

   • 1791, James Boswell, “(please specify the year)”, in The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. […], London: […] Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly, […], OCLC 1193162412:

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

   • 1822, [Walter Scott], chapter 3, in Peveril of the Peak. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., OCLC 2392685, [https:// page 92]:

     […] the elevated Cavaliers […] sent to Roger Raine of the Peveril Arms […] for two tubs of merry stingo

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

   Synonyms: lessen, detract, disparage

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

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

Derived terms

• re-elevate

Related terms

• elevatable
• elevation
• elevator
• elevatory

Translations

raise

Arabic: رفع‎ (ar) Azerbaijani: ucaltmaq, yüksəltmək Bulgarian: издигам (bg) (izdigam) Esperanto: levi, altigi (eo), plialtigi Estonian: tõstma Finnish: nostaa (fi), kohottaa (fi) French: élever (fr) German: erhöhen (de), anheben (de) Gothic: 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌾𐌰𐌽 (hauhjan) Greek: Ancient: ὑψόω (hupsóō) Icelandic: hækka Irish: ardaigh Italian: elevare (it) Latin: levo, elevo, extollō Maori: whakatairanga, kōranga Old English: āhebban Russian: поднима́ть (ru) impf (podnimátʹ), подня́ть (ru) pf (podnjátʹ) Sanskrit: रोपयति (ropayati) Spanish: elevar (es), levantar (es), subir (es) Ugaritic: 𐎐𐎌𐎀 (nšả)

promote — see promote

ennoble — see ennoble

elate

Bulgarian: въздигам (bg) (vǎzdigam) Esperanto: ĝojigi

increase the intensity of

Bulgarian: повишавам (bg) (povišavam) Esperanto: pligrandigi, plialtigi French: augmenter (fr) German: erhöhen (de) Italian: aumentare (it) Spanish: subir (es)

Adjective

elevate (comparative more elevate, superlative most elevate)

1. (obsolete) Elevated; raised aloft.
   • 1548, Edward Hall, The Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Families of Lancastre and Yorke, London: Richard Grafton, Henry VII, year 6,

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

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554, lines 567-578:

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

Further reading

• elevate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• elevate in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911

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Italian

Verb

elevate

1. inflection of elevare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

Participle

elevate f pl

1. feminine plural of elevato

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Latin

Verb

ēlevāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of ēlevō