verb
invest
To confer a power or quality upon someone or something.
The charter invests the council with authority over local parks.
Etymology
Latin investire means to clothe. Conferring authority or a quality is figuratively clothing someone in it, as ceremonial clothing can mark an office.
More examples
- Her calm voice invests the announcement with a sense of authority.
- The ceremony invests the new president with the powers of office.
- His memories invest the old house with special meaning.
Forms
invest · invests · invested · investing
investiture noun — The formal granting of rank or authority.