Admire

How to spell admire

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce admire

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does admire mean?

1. verbTo regard someone or something with respect, approval, or warm appreciation.

Admire in a sentence

• Many colleagues admire her calm handling of difficult clients.

• Visitors often admire the restored stonework on the old bridge.

Where does admire come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb admirari, meaning 'to wonder at' or 'to regard with astonishment', formed from ad- 'at, toward' and mirari 'to wonder', which itself grew from mirus, meaning 'wonderful' or 'astonishing'. The original Latin sense was closer to amazement than approval, so to admire something was first simply to be struck by it. English picked the word up in the early 1500s through the French admirer, by which time the meaning had softened toward the warm regard and approval we use today. The same mir- root sits inside a whole family of relatives, including 'miracle', 'mirror', and 'marvel', all of which carry that core idea of looking at something wonderful. Keeping the single d and single m in mind helps, since the word is built from one neat ad- prefix rather than any doubled letters.

How the word is built

• ad- (to, at)
• mir (to wonder, from Latin mirari)
• -e