Glorify

How to spell glorify

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce glorify

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does glorify mean?

1. verbTo praise, honour, or make something appear more grand or admirable than it really is.

Glorify in a sentence

• Critics argued that the documentary seemed to glorify reckless gambling.

• The memorial service was meant to glorify the memory of the fallen workers.

Where does glorify come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin glorificare, meaning 'to give glory to' or 'to praise', which was built from gloria, the Latin noun for 'glory, fame, or renown', combined with the verb-forming element facere, meaning 'to make'. It travelled into English through Old French glorifier during the 1300s, originally in a strongly religious sense of giving praise and honour to God. Over time the meaning broadened to include making something seem more splendid or important than it really is, which is how we now speak of films that glorify violence. The root gloria still surfaces in close relatives such as 'glorious' and the church hymn known as the Gloria. The spelling keeps the single 'l' and the 'i' of the -ify ending, the regular pattern shared by verbs like 'clarify' and 'simplify'.

How the word is built

• glor- (from Latin gloria: glory, fame)
• -ify (verb suffix: to make or cause to be)