Debate

How to spell debate

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce debate

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does debate mean?

1. verbTo discuss or argue a question formally, presenting opposing points of view.
2. nounA formal discussion in which opposing arguments are put forward.

Debate in a sentence

• verb

  The committee will debate the proposed budget cuts next week.

• noun

  The televised debate drew a record audience.

• verb

  Lawmakers continue to debate the merits of the new tax.

• noun

  There is still considerable debate among experts about the safest treatment.

Where does debate come from?

Language of origin: French

The word arrived in English in the 1300s from Old French debatre, which combined de-, meaning 'down' or 'thoroughly', with batre, meaning 'to beat' or 'to fight'. That batre traces back to the Latin battuere, 'to beat, strike, or fence with weapons', the same root that lies behind 'battle', 'batter', and 'combat'. The original sense was strikingly physical: to debate was once literally to fight or contend, and only over time did the meaning soften into a contest of words rather than blows. By the late Middle Ages the modern idea of arguing a question through reasoned discussion had taken hold. The hidden 'beat' inside the word is a useful memory hook: a debate is a verbal fight, and the spelling keeps that fighting root quietly intact.

How the word is built

• de- (down, thoroughly)
• bate (from Latin battuere: to beat or fight)