Word of the Day: PERPETRATE
To carry out or commit
perpetrate (verb) - to commit, perform, or execute, usually something illegal or harmful [pur-pi-treyt]
perpetrator is someone who carries out a deed; a culprit or wrongdoer
perpetration is the act of committing a harmful or criminal act
BREAKDOWN: The word perpetrate derives directly from Latin roots, but its base patrare meaning bring about doesn’t appear in any other English words. However, English includes an entire family of words based on the root patrare is derived from: PATR meaning father in words like compatriot, patriarch, and patronizing. In that sense, a father contributes to bringing something into existence. Note that perpetrate didn’t acquire a negative connotation until employed in English in statutes referring to crime.
“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” —Martin Luther King Jr.
[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not necessarily or obviously derived from classical roots.]