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Edify Has Latin Roots
When you edify someone, you’re helping them build character. This figurative "building" is key to understanding the history of edify. This word is an evolution of the Latin verb aedificare, originally meaning "to erect a house" and later (in Late Latin) "to instruct or improve spiritually." (The word edifice, which usually refers to a building and especially to a large or massive structure, comes from the same root.) Aedificare, in turn, is based on aedes, the Latin word for "temple." Edify shares the spiritual meaning of its Late Latin root, but it is also used in general contexts to refer to the act of instructing in a way that improves the mind or character overall.
Examples of edify in a Sentence
Paula Mejía, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026
While all the trends that accompany the fiscal folly are edifying, there is one underlying feature that stands out: the yawning gap between government spending and revenues and the resulting fiscal deficits.
—Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2026
As audiences fragment across modalities, the communicator's responsibility is critical to convey accurate, edifying information across all those channels.
—Christina Wood, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2026
Both haven’t really edified him, at this point.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for edify
Cite this Entry
“Edify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/edify. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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edify
verb
