Demonstrate

How to spell demonstrate

11 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce demonstrate

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does demonstrate mean?

1. verbTo show, prove, or make clear something by evidence, reasoning, or practical example.
2. verbTo take part in a public gathering or march expressing support for or opposition to a cause.

Demonstrate in a sentence

• The trainer will demonstrate the safety procedure before the shift begins.

• Thousands gathered to demonstrate outside the parliament building.

• These figures clearly demonstrate that sales have risen this quarter.

• Workers planned to demonstrate against the proposed pay cuts.

Where does demonstrate come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin verb demonstrare, which meant 'to point out, show clearly, or prove'. It was formed from the intensifying prefix de-, used here in the sense of 'fully' or 'completely', joined to monstrare, meaning 'to show'. That root monstrare in turn derives from monstrum, an omen or warning that 'shows' the will of the gods, which is also the surprising ancestor of the modern word 'monster'. English took demonstrate directly from the Latin past participle demonstratus in the late 1500s, when it carried the sense of proving something by argument or evidence. The spelling preserves the n before the s in the heart of the word (de-MON-strate), and that buried n is the detail writers must remember, just as it sits inside the related noun 'demonstration'.

How the word is built

• de- (fully)
• monstr- (from monstrare: to show)
• -ate (verb suffix)