Amend

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /əˈmɛnd/

Definitions

1. To make alterations or corrections to something in order to improve it
2. To modify a document or situation by introducing changes aimed at correction or enhancement
3. To adjust or revise something so that it becomes more accurate, fair, or suitable

Etymology: The most telling clue in "amend" is its twin: "emend" entered English from the same Latin verb, "emendare," but came in directly through scholarly writing, while "amend" arrived via Old French. That split explains why one word now sounds like everyday fixing and the other like textual scholarship. The Latin "emendare" was built from "ex," meaning "out of" or "from," and "mendum," meaning "fault" or "defect." Its literal sense was roughly "free from faults," so to amend something was to strip out its errors. Middle English borrowed the verb through Old French "amender," and it carried that sense of removing a flaw into everyday use. English also shows a shorter relative, "mend," which is an aphetic form of "amend": the initial syllable dropped away over time. So "mend" and "amend" are closely related, and "mend" kept the shorter, more practical life.

Synonyms: improve, modify, revise, alter, correct

Antonyms: damage, harm, destroy, neglect, deteriorate