Word of the Day

: June 19, 2012

facilitate

verb fuh-SIL-uh-tayt

What It Means

: to make easier : help bring about

facilitate in Context

The entrance to Tanya's apartment building comes with a ramp and an automatic door to facilitate getting her wheelchair in and out.

"Next week I'll share more of the authors' insights into the brain and how to use this information to facilitate healthier mental states and less stress." - From an article by Jacquelyn Ferguson in The News-Press (Fort Myers, Florida), May 15, 2012

Did You Know?

As with so many English words, it's easy to find a Latin origin for "facilitate." It traces back to the Latin adjective "facilis," meaning "easy." Other descendants of "facilis" in English include "facile" ("easy to do"), "facility" ("the quality of being easily performed"), "faculty" ("ability"), and "difficult" (from "dis-" plus "facilis," which equals "not easy"). "Facilis" in turn comes from "facere," a Latin verb meaning "to make or do." "Facere" has played a role in the development of dozens of English words, ranging from "affect" to "surfeit."