HOMOLOGATE

[Dr. Goodword]

• homologate •

Pronunciation: hê-mah-lê-gayt • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Verb, transitive

Meaning: 1. To approve, accept, or ratify officially. 2. To agree or assent to, to concur with.

Notes: Today's Good Word is used more in Europe and elsewhere around the English-speaking world than in the US. As a standard Latin borrowing, this word comes to us with all the usual Latin derivations: the action noun homologation, the personal noun, homologator, and the predictable adjective, homologative. The adverb is simply homologatively. The British sometimes use this verb with an extension, homologise.

In Play: Today's Good Word is used mostly in referring to official acts of consent: "Courses taken abroad must be homologated by the Centre for Study Abroad before they can be counted toward a degree." This word would, however, make a good antonym for veto: "The law was passed by Congress but the president refused to homologate it." Sounds more impressive than sign, doesn't it?

Word History: Today's Good Word is based on Medieval Latin homologatus "agreed on", the past participle of homologare "to agree". Latin borrowed this word from Greek homologein "to agree", a verb based on homologos "in agreement, agreeing". This verb is made up of the roots of homos "the same" + logos "word". Greek homos comes from an earlier root sem- "same", which made its way on its own into English as same. It turned up in Russian as sam "self", as in samovar "self-boiler". (Now we hereby officially homologate receiving the suggestion of this word from the mysterious Grogie of the Alpha Agora.)

[Perry]

He is Dr. Goodword, and he homologated this message.

Good 'un Grogie!

[Slava]

Now, does this require a direct object, or can one simply homologate? As in concur?

[Dr. Goodword]

I have reconsidered my claim that this word is "rare". It is widely used in the education and the automotive industry in Europe. I'm usually better than this in hiding my US proviciality. My apologies, especially to Grogie, but to all our UK readers.

You may homologate things.