deteriorate
/dɪˈtɪɹ.iə.ɹeɪt/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.15 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
5
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "to deteriorate the mind"
- "The art of war, like every other art, ecclesiastical architecture alone excepted, was greatly deteriorated during those years of general degradation[…]"
- "During this fine run through Fife the weather had deteriorated rapidly, and as we passed Wormit and came onto the Tay Bridge heavy rain clouds were piled over the sea."
- "The condition of the tunnel continued to deteriorate, aggravated by the vibration from the heavy traffic, and stories of trains emerging with dislodged bricks on their roofs are probably not exaggerated."
- "It was turning into an abysmal afternoon for Newcastle and it deteriorated further when Tiote saw red for his challenge on Jon Ashton."
- "Among other work done, according to the letter: CPR replaced the bottom of a deteriorating stair column base with hollow steel structural sections; conducted exploratory demolition on the underside of an eave that required “removal and reconstruction”; and removed all loose “cracked, spalled, deteriorated, and delaminated concrete” and damaged stucco from the underside of balcony eaves on 114 of the building’s 136 units, the letter said."
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Late Latin dēteriorātus, perfect passive participle of Late Latin dēteriorō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), further from Latin dēterior (“worse”). Cognate with French détériorer.
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: dēteriorō, dēterior
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /dɪˈtɪɹ.iə.ɹeɪt/
- British English: /dɪˈtɪə.ɹɪə.ɹeɪt/