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vi·ti·ate

(vĭshē-āt′)

tr.v. vi·ti·at·ed, vi·ti·at·ing, vi·ti·ates

1. To reduce the value or quality of; impair or spoil: "His famous compilation of norms was vitiated by a major sampling error" (Frederick Crews).

2. To corrupt morally; debase: "My anxieties ... still are great lest the numerous ... snares of vice should vitiate your early habits of virtue" (Abigail Adams). See Synonyms at corrupt.

3. To make ineffective (a contract or legal stipulation, for example); invalidate.

[Latin vitiāre, vitiāt-, from vitium, fault.]

viti·a·ble (vĭshē-ə-bəl) adj.

vi′ti·ation n.

viti·a′tor 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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