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ac·cen·tu·ate

(ăk-sĕnch-āt′)

tr.v. ac·cen·tu·at·ed, ac·cen·tu·at·ing, ac·cen·tu·ates

1. To stress or emphasize; intensify: "land-reform plans that accentuated the already chaotic pattern of landholding" (James Fallows).

2. To pronounce with a stress or accent.

3. To mark with an accent.

[Medieval Latin accentuāre, accentuāt-, from Latin accentus, accent; see ACCENT.]

ac·cen′tu·ation n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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