Meaning
2 senses(transitive)To instruct or improve morally or intellectually.
January 23, 1783, Edward Gibbon, letter to Dr. Priestley It does not appear probable that our dispute [about miracles] would either edify or enlighten the public.
bestärken, erbauen, edifizieren
назидатьnazidatʹ, наставля́тьnastavljátʹ
(archaic)To build, construct.
More definitions
- make understand
Examples
4 sentencesWhat Tom said wasn't very edifying.
His speech was meant to edify, not to attack.
The pastor's sermons may bore you, but they are morally edifying.
ruПроповеди пастора могут вам надоесть, но с точки зрения морали они поучительны. — odexed
Good books can edify the mind as well as entertain it.
Translations
4 languagesРусский
By meaning 1
to instruct or improve morally or intellectually:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
to instruct or improve morally or intellectually:
Origin
From Old French edifier (“to build, to edify”), from Latin aedificare (“build”).From Old French edifier (“to build, to edify”), from Latin aedificare (“build”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
edifies, edifying, edified, edifiedSynonyms
1 synonymsClose in meaning
- make understand:enlighten
Word family
7 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle