appropinquate

English

Etymology

From Latin appropinquare (“to approach”), present active infinitive of appropinquō, from ad- ("towards") + propinquō (“draw near”), verbalization of propinquus (“near”); compare prope ("near").

Verb

appropinquate (third-person singular simple present appropinquates, present participle appropinquating, simple past and past participle appropinquated)

1. (rare, literary, transitive, intransitive) To approach; to near.
   • 1995. Ed. John Cunningham Wood, Piero Sraffa: Critical Assessments, page 67

     The factor invoked by Kalecki to rationalize the phenomenon, however, appropinquates Sraffa's observations on capital markets.

   • 1873. John Taylor, Published by the Spencer Society; Works of John Taylor The Water Poet not Included in the Folio Volume of 1630: Second Collection, page 22

     Then thirdly, he [the devil] calumniouſly appropinquated to the Round-heads, but they alſo were buſied about Cheap-ſide Croſſe, ſo that he conſequently ennumerated all into his own Catalogue

Usage notes

Often used as an example of an overliterary word, as in Prolocutor's speech in Robert Landis's Liberty's Triumph (VIII.381) or John Maclaurin's poem On Johnson's Dictionary (l. 47). Older uses are usually intransitive, while more modern ones are either transitive or intransitive.

Italian

Etymology 1

Verb

appropinquate

1. inflection of appropinquarsi:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2

Participle

appropinquate f pl

1. feminine plural of appropinquato

Latin

Verb

appropinquāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of appropinquō