to become woody or hardened by the deposition of lignin
example
As the plant matured, its stems began to lignify, providing the necessary support for the growing leaves and flowers.
synonyms
hardensolidifywoodify
word origin — The word 'lignify' originates from the Latin 'lignum', meaning 'wood', combined with the suffix '-fy', which means 'to make' or 'to become'.
Word Ultra — Set 164
Set 164 of Word Ultra covers 5 words: lignify, gerrymander, gorgonize, collocate, capitulate. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.
lignify · verb/ˈlɪɡ.nɪ.faɪ/
to become woody or hardened by the deposition of lignin
As the plant matured, its stems began to lignify, providing the necessary support for the growing leaves and flowers.
Synonyms: harden, solidify, woodify
Origin: The word 'lignify' originates from the Latin 'lignum', meaning 'wood', combined with the suffix '-fy', which means 'to make' or 'to become'.
gerrymander · verb/ˈdʒɛrɪˌmændɚ/
the manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor a particular political party or group
The state legislature decided to gerrymander the electoral districts to ensure their party maintained control over the majority of seats.
Synonyms: manipulate, reshape, redistrict
Origin: The term 'gerrymander' is derived from the name of Elbridge Gerry, a Governor of Massachusetts, who drew district lines in a manner that favored his political party in 1812, combined with the word 'salamander' due to the peculiar shape of one of the districts.
gorgonize · verb/ˈɡɔrɡəˌnaɪz/
to have a mesmerizing or paralyzing effect on someone
The magician's performance seemed to gorgonize the audience, leaving them in a state of awe and disbelief.
Synonyms: stun, mesmerize, daze
Origin: The word 'gorgonize' is derived from 'Gorgon', a figure from Greek mythology, known for having a petrifying gaze. The term combines 'Gorgon' with the suffix '-ize', which is used to form verbs indicating an effect or transformation.
collocate · noun/ˈkɑː.lə.keɪt/
a word that frequently occurs in combination with another word
In linguistic studies, a common collocate of the word ‘make’ is ‘decision’, highlighting how these words often appear together.
Synonyms: co-occurrence, collocation, companion word
Origin: Latin 'collocare', meaning 'to place together'
capitulate · verb/kəˈpɪtʃəˌleɪt/
to surrender or give in to demands
After weeks of negotiation, the opposing team finally decided to capitulate to our terms and sign the agreement.
Synonyms: yield, submit, surrender
Origin: from Latin 'capitulare', meaning 'to draw up in chapters' or 'to agree to terms', from 'capitulum', meaning 'a heading, chapter'.