Word of the Day

: November 11, 2009

exhilarate

verb ig-ZIL-uh-rayt

What It Means

1 a : to make cheerful and excited

b : enliven, excite

2 : refresh, stimulate

exhilarate in Context

“Whooshing down a snow-covered mountain at high speed exhilarates me,” said Tara, explaining her love of skiing.

Did You Know?

Many people find "exhilarate" a difficult word to spell. It's easy to forget that silent "h" in there, and is it an "er" or "ar" after the "l"? It may be easier to remember the spelling if you know that "exhilarate" is ultimately derived from the Latin adjective "hilarus," meaning "cheerful." (This also explains why the earliest meaning of "exhilarate" is "to make cheerful.") "Exhilarate" comes from "exhilaratus," the past participle of "exhilarare," which is formed by combining "ex-" and "hilarare," a verb that derives from "hilarus" and means "to cheer or gladden." If "hilarus" looks familiar, that may be because it's also the source of "hilarious" and "hilarity" (as well as "hilariously" and "hilariousness," of course).