Indoctrinate - plus, test your vocabulary!

WORD OF THE DAY October 24, 2018

indoctrinate    verb | in-DAHK-truh-nayt     Definition   1 : to instruct especially in fundamentals or rudiments : teach   2 : to imbue with a usually partisan or sectarian opinion, point of view, or principle   Scroll down for more about indoctrinate      TRENDING NOW: nationalism nationalist rogue nepotism SEE ALL      PEOPLE ARE READING   Sasquatch: 'Illusive' or 'Elusive'?     How Do You Pluralize 'Cyclops'?     Should You Never Use Adverbs?     The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 10/19         WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE   Words from Greek and Roman Mythology Quiz   A mythological/etymological mashup!     PLAY NOW     Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try!  TAKE ME THERE         Did You Know?   Indoctrinate simply means "brainwash" to many people. But its meaning isn't always so negative. When this verb first appeared in English in the 17th century, it simply meant "to teach"—a meaning that followed logically from its Latin root. The "doc" in the middle of indoctrinate derives from the Latin verb docēre, which also means "to teach." Other offspring of docēre include docent (referring to a college professor or a museum guide), docile, doctor, doctrine, and document. It was not until the 19th century that indoctrinate began to see regular use in the sense of causing someone to absorb and take on certain opinions or principles.     Examples of INDOCTRINATE   "Clearly, [in the television series 'The Handmaid's Tale'] the Sons of Jacob have been scarily successful in indoctrinating Americans—or, more specifically, young former Americans—to accept a new set of social mores." — Elena Nicolaou, Refinery29.com, 24 May 2018   "There were two academies in the frigate. One comprised the apprentice boys, who, upon certain days of the week, were indoctrinated in the mysteries of the primer by an invalid corporal of marines, a slender, wizzen-cheeked man, who had received a liberal infant-school education." — Herman Melville, White Jacket, 1850   Test Your Vocabulary   Unscramble the letters to create a word that means "to teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions": CCEITNLUA.   VIEW THE ANSWER           NEW WORD GAME     Alphabear 2 exclusive web version!   A fun and challenging take on word games for everyone. The more letters you play, the more points and bigger bear you earn!   PLAY NOW!            MORE WORD FUN:     WORD GAMES         TRENDING NOW         WORDS AT PLAY     FOLLOW US:             SHARE: