ad-

to, toward; addition; sometimes emphasis

Forms

ad-
ac- — Used before c in Latin.
af- — Used before f in Latin.
ag- — Used before g in Latin.
al- — Used before l in Latin.
ap- — Used before p in Latin.
ar- — Used before r in Latin.
as- — Used before s in Latin.
at- — Used before t in Latin.

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *ad, ‘to; near.’

Note

Later Latin-based spellings sometimes restored consonants that had disappeared in French.

127 / 256

verb

aggravate

AG-ruh-vayt/ˈæɡrəveɪt/

To make an unpleasant condition more troublesome.

Scratching aggravates the woman's already irritated skin and makes it worse.

A young adult woman scratches an already irritated patch on her forearm, making the existing skin irritation worse.

Etymology

agLatinto, toward; addition; sometimes emphasis

+gravateLatinweigh down or burden

The original image is adding weight to something already burdensome. Making a burden heavier became making a trouble more severe, which underlies the sense of worsening a problem, injury, or annoyance.

In context

Whaling Museum6:48

we know that hydration causes dimensional changes in ivory and adding to it drastic temperature fluctuations will only serve to aggravate cracks or cause new fractures along vulnerable areas

Lecture: Caring for Bone and Ivory Objects

More examples

Running on the injured ankle may aggravate the pain.
His constant interruptions aggravated everyone at the meeting.
The loud music is aggravating our tired neighbors.

Forms

aggravate · aggravates · aggravated · aggravating

aggravation noun — An increase in trouble or irritation.

Similar words

worsen: Directly describes making a condition more severe or unfavorable.
irritate: Focuses on annoyance or physical irritation rather than worsening generally.