inculcate

English

WOTD – 14 July 2009

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin inculcātus, perfect passive participle of inculcō (impress upon, force upon) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from in- (in) + calcō (tread upon, trample), from calx (heel). Participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

Pronunciation

  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈɪn.kʌl.keɪt/
  • (UK) IPA(key): /ɪnˈkʌl.keɪt/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)

Verb

inculcate (third-person singular simple present inculcates, present participle inculcating, simple past and past participle inculcated)

  1. (transitive) To teach by repeated instruction.
    Synonyms: instill, ingrain
    • 1820, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Oedipus Tyrannus; Or, Swellfoot The Tyrant: A Tragedy in Two Acts:
      Those impious Pigs,
      Who, by frequent squeaks, have dared impugn
      The settled Swellfoot system, or to make
      Irreverent mockery of the genuflexions
      Inculcated by the arch-priest, have been whipt
      Into a loyal and an orthodox whine.
    • 1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “(please specify the page)”, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. [], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, [], published 1842, →OCLC, pages 55–56:
      she had a perfect Parisian accent, was musical—all French women sing—had a great deal of tournure, the value of which she was always inculcating on her pupils: "La Grace plus belle que la beauté," was invariably the quotation when putting on her shawl; and, it must be confessed, that never did five English girls put on shawls to such perfection.
    • 1932, Aldous Huxley, Brave New World[1], London: Chatto & Windus:
      But wordless conditioning [] cannot inculcate the more complex courses of behaviour.
  2. (transitive) To induce understanding or a particular sentiment in a person or persons.
    • 1641, Francis Bacon, A Wise and Moderate Discourse, Concerning Church-Affaires:
      all preachers , especially such as be of good temper , and have wisdom with conscience , ought to inculcate and beat upon a peace , silence , and surseance
    • 1943, C. S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man:
      The right defense against false sentiments is to inculcate just sentiments.
    • 1985 August 17, S. H. Chua, “IGA Smashes Borders”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 6, page 9:
      The institutional forces — school, psychiatry, police — that inculcate conformity and enforce heterosexuality in gay youth.
    • 2002 November 22, Steven Eke, “Russia's rocky relationship with Nato”, in BBC World Service[2]:
      But there is also real opposition to Nato expansion - and even to Nato's continued existence after the Cold War.
      This is a view shared by a very large part of Russia's military and foreign affairs establishment.
      Educated and trained during the Soviet period, they are still inculcated with notions of super-power military might.
      It has been painful for these people to see Nato's outer edge creep ever closer to what was once the frontier of the USSR.

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

inculcate (not comparable)

  1. (as a participle, obsolete) Inculcated.
    • 1608, Andrew Willet, Hexapla in Exodum:
      Wee had neede to haue the word of God often inculcate and beaten vpon vs.

Italian

Etymology 1

Verb

inculcate

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

Etymology 2

Participle

inculcate f pl

  1. feminine plural of inculcato

Latin

Participle

inculcāte

  1. vocative masculine singular of inculcātus

Spanish

Verb

inculcate

  1. second-person singular voseo imperative of inculcar combined with te