edify

E1D2I1F4Y4
/ˈɛdɪfaɪ/

verb

To build, construct.

“January 23, 1783, Edward Gibbon, letter to Dr. Priestley It does not appear probable that our dispute [about miracles] would either edify or enlighten the public.”

Similar
enlighten
OriginOld French edifier ← Latin aedificare →
UncommonScrabble 12
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Meanings

verbedify (third-person singular simple present edifies, present participle edifying, simple past and past participle edified)

present singular third person edifies · participle present edifying · participle past edified · past edified · alternative obsolete ædify

  1. archaicTo build, construct.

    That Castle was most goodly edifyde, / And plaste for pleasure nigh that forrest syde […]

    1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC
  2. transitiveTo instruct or improve morally or intellectually.

    January 23, 1783, Edward Gibbon, letter to Dr. Priestley It does not appear probable that our dispute [about miracles] would either edify or enlighten the public.

    2 more examples

    frustrate the best endeavours in the edifying of the church

    1641, Francis Bacon, A Wise and Moderate Discourse, Concerning Church-Affaires

    That they ought to edify one another by maintaining and promoting the knowledge of truth.

    1813, The Connecticut Evangelical Magazine, Vol. VI, page 455

Synonyms & antonyms

verbmake understand

Similar
enlighten
Broader
teachlearninstruct
Also see
buildbuild upenlightenmake

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinaedificare“build”
  2. Old Frenchedifier“to build, to edify”
  3. Englishedify

From Old French edifier (“to build, to edify”), from Latin aedificare (“build”).

More words from Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian поучавам, назидавам
  • поучавам (poučavam)to instruct or improve morally or intellectually
  • назидавам (nazidavam)to instruct or improve morally or intellectually
Czech poučit, povznášet
  • poučitto instruct or improve morally or intellectually
  • povznášetto instruct or improve morally or intellectually
  • povznéstto instruct or improve morally or intellectually
French édifier
  • édifierto instruct or improve morally or intellectually
German bestärken, erbauen
  • bestärkento instruct or improve morally or intellectually
  • erbauento instruct or improve morally or intellectually
  • edifizierento instruct or improve morally or intellectually
Hungarian tanít, oktat
  • tanítto instruct or improve morally or intellectually
  • oktatto instruct or improve morally or intellectually
Polish dodawać otuchy, dodać otuchy
  • dodawać otuchyto instruct or improve morally or intellectually
  • dodać otuchyto instruct or improve morally or intellectually
  • podnosić na duchuto instruct or improve morally or intellectually
  • podnieść na duchuto instruct or improve morally or intellectually
Russian назидать, наставля́ть
  • назидать (nazidatʹ)to instruct or improve morally or intellectually
  • наставля́ть (nastavljátʹ)to instruct or improve morally or intellectually
Swedish uppbygga
  • uppbyggato instruct or improve morally or intellectually
Thai อบรม, อบรมบ่มนิสัย
  • อบรม (òp-rom)to instruct or improve morally or intellectually
  • อบรมบ่มนิสัยto instruct or improve morally or intellectually
  • เทศนา (têet-sà-nǎa)to instruct or improve morally or intellectually

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

deify
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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