inculcate · adj — inculcated. It carries an Arena rating of 1652, earned across 48 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, inculcate ranks #1,374 of 17,187 for Most Malleable Words, #1,441 of 17,188 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #1,937 of 17,197 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #2,354 of 17,180 for Most Ingenious Words.
inculcate is pronounced /ˈɪn.kʌl.keɪt/.
Why “inculcate” is a great word
INCULCATE — [Verb] To instill an idea, attitude, or habit by persistent and forceful instruction. From Latin inculcātus, perfect passive participle of inculcō ("to impress upon, force upon"), from in- ("in, upon") + calcō ("to tread upon, trample"), from calx ("heel"). First attested in English in the mid-16th century. Unlike "impart," which suggests a neutral transmission, or "suggest," which implies a tentative proposal, to inculcate is to stamp a notion into the psyche through sheer, repetitive force. It is the multiplication tables chanted until they are bone-deep, the catechism recited until the words become reflex, and the parental maxim worn into the grain of childhood—a slow, methodical shaping where repetition becomes its own truth, and the foreign is made to feel innate.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin inculcātus, perfect passive participle of inculcō (“impress upon, force upon”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from in- (“in”) + calcō (“tread upon, trample”), from calx (“heel”). Participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.
adj
- Inculcated.e.g.“Wee had neede to haue the word of God often inculcate and beaten vpon vs.” — 1608, Andrew Willet, Hexapla in Exodum:
verb
- To teach by repeated instruction.
- To induce understanding or a particular sentiment in a person or persons.e.g.“all preachers , especially such as be of good temper , and have wisdom with conscience , ought to inculcate and beat upon a peace , silence , and surseance” — 1641, Francis Bacon, A Wise and Moderate Discourse, Concerning Church-Affaires:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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