Word of the Day: TITIVATE
To spruce or spiff up
titivate (verb) - To smarten up or make more attractive by adding small improvements or adornments; to tidy up [tit-uh-veyt]
BREAKDOWN: TID- (to make neat) + -IVATE (to make or do)
titivation is the act of dressing up, making decorative additions, or improving the details of one’s appearance
“Had she spent the best part of a day in titivating herself in order that she might sit plunged in darkness, with nothing but her feet and her nose revealed?” —Mervyn Peake
[Fun Word Friday introduces more advanced or technical words that are based on word roots. Yes, these words may still be tested on standardized exams. Try to use this word in a sentence today!]
The -IVATE suffix is doing something sneaky here. It makes "titivate" sound like it belongs with the Latin-derived verbs (cultivate, motivate, captivate) — but the TID- root is actually Germanic, related to "tidy." It's a pseudo-Latin formation, English dressing up a plain word in fancy clothes. Which, appropriately enough, is exactly what titivation is about.