Word of the Day

: October 17, 2020

homologate

verb hoh-MAH-luh-gayt

What It Means

: sanction, allow; especially : to approve or confirm officially

homologate in Context

For the discus thrower's record to be counted as official, the equipment she used needs to be homologated by the collegiate athletic association.

"Race cars and vehicles—even for non-motorsports events like the luge—have to be homologated to a certain set of rules so they can be deemed fit for use in competition." — Nick Yekikian, Motor Trend, 12 May 2020

Did You Know?

Who needs homologate? We have any number of words that mean "to officially approve something": accredit, affirm, approbate, authorize, certify, confirm, endorse, ratify, sanction, validate, and warrant, to name a few. Homologate has mostly been kept for special occasions. The beauty of homologate is that, etymologically speaking, it's an easy word, consisting as it does of the familiar Greek roots homos, meaning "alike" or "same," and logos, meaning "word" or "speech"—in other words, it suggests saying the same thing. No argument here.