dehort

de·hort
D2E1H4O1R1T1
US, UK/dɪˈhɔːt/US, UK/diː-/

verb

To dissuade.

First used mid 16th c.Scrabble 10

Meanings

verbdehort (third-person singular simple present dehorts, present participle dehorting, simple past and past participle dehorted)

present singular third person dehorts · participle present dehorting · participle past dehorted · past dehorted

  1. obsoleteraretransitiveTo dissuade.First known use mid 16th c.

    Croker dehorts me from visiting Ireland, from which I do not need much dehortation, considering the aspect in that miserable country.

    1825 January 7, Robert Southey, “To the Rev. Herbert Hill, &c.”, in John Wood Warter, editor, Selections from the Letters of Robert Southey, &c. &c. &c. … In Four Volumes, volume III, London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts, published 1856, →OCLC, page 462
    4 more examples

    Behold I haue opened vnto you the woorkes of darkneſſe, which you muſt caſt of, nowe I will geue you the armour of light, which you muſt put on, I haue dehorted you, and I hope thorowly diſſuaded you from labouring for the meate that periſheth: […]

    1580 January 8, James Bisse, “The ii. Sermon”, in Two Sermons Preached, the One at Paules Crosse the Eight of Ianuarie 1580. The Other, at Christes Churche in London the Same Day in the After Noone, imprinted at London: By [Thomas Dawson for] Thomas Woodcocke, published 1581, →OCLC, page 71

    […] Playes are writ with this ayme, and carryed with this methode, to teach the ſubiects Obedience to their King, to ſhew the people the vntimely ends of ſuch as haue moued tumults, commotions, and inſurrections, to preſent them with the flouriſhing eſtate of ſuch as liue in obedience, exhorting them to allegeance, dehorting them from all trayterous and fellonious ſtratagems.

    1612, Thomas Heywood, “Of Actors, and the True Vse of Their Quality. The Third Booke.”, in An Apology for Actors. […], London: Printed by Nicholas Okes, →OCLC

    […] I prove the Lords Supper is no converting Ordinance; for if it were. 1. How dare any Miniſter ſeriouſly dehort any unworthy perſon from approaching to it? May we forbid ſinners to uſe the means of their converſion, eſpecially if they be ſuch as are not excommunicated nor caſt out of the Church, and do deſire to receive the Sacrament?

    1646, George Gillespie, “Twenty Arguments to Prove that the Lords Supper is Not a Converting Ordinance”, in Aarons Rod Blossoming. Or, The Divine Ordinance of Church-government Vindicated, […], London: Printed by E[dward] G[riffin] for Richard Whitaker, […], →OCLC, book 3 (Of Excommunication from the Church. And, Of Suspension from the Lords Table.), page 517

    And thus much for the ſecond thing conſiderable in the Dehortation; namely, the Thing we are therein dehorted from, which is, that mean, ſordid, and degrading Vice of Covetouſneſs.

    1727, Robert South, “Luke xii. 15.”, in Twelve Sermons Preached at Several Times, and upon Several Occasions, 4th edition, volume IV, London: Printed by J[ames] Bettenham, for Jonah Bowyer, […], →OCLC, pages 444–445

    Antonyms: encourage, exhort, persuade, urge

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo dissuade.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*gʰer-“to yearn for”
  2. Latindehortārī
  3. Englishdehort

From Latin dehortārī, present active infinitive of dēhortor (“to deter, dissuade”), from dē- (prefix indicating reversal or undoing) + hortor (“to encourage, exhort, urge”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- (“to yearn for”)).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

dehort. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dehort

MLA

“dehort.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dehort. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dehort,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dehort.

Source: dehort on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.