Advertisen

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. An old spelling or form of a verb meaning to give notice of something, warn, or make publicly known
2. Archaic wording for informing someone of a matter or alerting people to something
3. A obsolete variant of a verb meaning to announce, notify, or caution others about something

Etymology: "Advertisen" is an older spelling of "advertise," used in Middle and Early Modern English. The verb comes from Old French "avertir," meaning to warn or inform, which descends from Latin "advertere," to turn toward: "ad-" (toward) plus "vertere" (to turn). The original sense was about directing someone's attention, so to advertise something was to bring it to notice or to tell someone of it. That sense of notifying or warning dominated for centuries. English speakers used the verb for formal notices, such as informing the public of an event or a decision, long before it meant promoting goods. The commercial meaning of selling through public promotion developed in the 17th century, and it became the main sense only in the modern era.

Synonyms: advertise, promote, publicise, publicize

Antonyms: conceal, hide