Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- To draw near; approach.
- To bring near.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb Archaic To approach.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb obscure to
approach , tonear
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Mivers professed -- not to belong, he belonged to himself alone, but to appropinquate.
Kenelm Chillingly — Complete Edward Bulwer Lytton Lytton 1838
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The conversation arrested its discursive nature, to settle upon a political chief, the highest in fame and station of that party to which Mivers professed -- not to belong, he belonged to himself alone, but to appropinquate.
Kenelm Chillingly — Volume 04 Edward Bulwer Lytton Lytton 1838
reesetee commented on the word appropinquate
Approach.
September 20, 2007
seanahan commented on the word appropinquate
Where does the "quate" come from?
September 21, 2007
reesetee commented on the word appropinquate
Says Webster's Revised: "L. appropinquatus, p. p. of appropinquare; ad + prope near."
September 21, 2007
seanahan commented on the word appropinquate
Right, it says "ad + prope", but doesn't explain where the quate comes from.
September 22, 2007
reesetee commented on the word appropinquate
Hmm. Here's a more thorough etymology from OED:
f. L. appropinquat- ppl. stem of appropinquare to draw nigh to, f. ap- = ad- to + propinquare, f. propinqu-us neighbouring, f. prope nigh, near.
Here's more: looks as though its origins are similar to that of propinquity, which comes from the Spanish propincuidad: "late 14th cent. as propinquidat; also as propincuidat (early 15th cent.), from Italian propinquità (c1200)."
So somewhere in there, the "-cuidat" appears to have become "-quidat." I'm guessing the -ate suffix on appropinquate is more modern, but the "qu" was kept.
That help?
September 22, 2007
seanahan commented on the word appropinquate
Yes, it does. Does the part meaning "neighboring" become cuidad meaning city (via neighborhood)?
September 22, 2007