Instruct

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈstɹʌkt/

Definitions

1. To teach someone how to do something or to give them authoritative directions on what they must do
2. To guide an individual in learning a skill or to provide orders that specify actions to be taken
3. To provide educational guidance or authoritative mandates to ensure specific tasks are performed

Etymology: The verb "instruct" comes from the Latin "īnstrūctus," the past participle of "īnstruō," a word whose original sense was physical rather than pedagogical: to build in, arrange, or furnish. A Roman who furnished a room, drew up a battle line, or equipped a ship was doing the work the verb carried. The idea of giving someone knowledge came later, as the notion of arranging or setting something in order was extended to arranging a person's understanding. That extension is the part worth noticing. Teaching was imagined as furnishing a mind, putting the right pieces into place so the learner could act on them. The English verb keeps this sense of purposeful preparation, which is why "instruct" can mean both giving lessons and issuing directions that someone is expected to carry out. Both uses share the same core: arranging someone's knowledge or conduct so that a task gets done.

Synonyms: teach, educate, train, inform, direct

Antonyms: mislead, confuse, neglect, ignore, abandon