Utilises

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Employs a tool, resource, or method effectively for a specific function
2. Makes practical or effective use of an item or idea to achieve a goal
3. Applies or puts something into service for accomplishing tasks

Etymology: "Utilises" is the third-person singular present form of "utilise", so the history belongs to the verb itself. Its core lies in the Latin "ūtī", meaning "to use", which gave rise to the adjective "ūtilis", "useful". Italian later formed "utilizzare" from "utile", the Italian descendant of that adjective, and French took up the idea as "utiliser". English borrowed the word from French in the early nineteenth century, with the earliest recorded use around 1810. The verb's sense of putting something into service for a purpose sits close to its Latin source. The word was built around the notion of usefulness, so to utilise something is to draw practical value out of it. English speakers often reach for "use" as a plainer alternative, but "utilise" carries the more formal, deliberate tone of the Latin and French ancestors.

Synonyms: employs, uses, exploits, applies, deploys

Antonyms: neglects, wastes, disregards, abuses, misuses