English Explanatory Dictionary

operate

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb

To perform a work or labour; to exert power or strength, physical or mechanical; to act.
To produce an effect.
To produce an appropriate physical effect; to issue in the result designed by nature; especially (medicine) to take appropriate effect on the human system.
To act or produce an effect on the mind; to exert moral power or influence.
To bring about as an effect; to cause.
To perform some manual act upon a human body in a methodical manner, and usually with instruments, with a view to restore soundness or health, as in amputation, lithotomy, etc.
To deal in stocks or any commodity with a view to speculative profits.
To put into, or to continue in, operation or activity; to work.

Pronunciation

/ˈɒpəɹeɪt/ /ˈɑpəɹeɪt/ en-us-operate.ogg

Word forms

operate operates operating operated

Etymology

From Latin operātus, perfect passive participle of operor (“to work, labor, toil, have effect”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Related words

cooperate coöperate co-operate opera operable operand operant operation operational operative operator opus

Derived words

battery-operated chief operating officer coin-operated inter-operate interoperate misoperate operatable operatee operating concept operating cycle operating depth operating expense operating loss operating room operating system operating table operating theatre operating theater operating time overoperate power-operated reoperate teleoperate underoperate

Translations

Hungarian: hat Hungarian: hatást fejt ki Hungarian: működik Hungarian: okoz Hungarian: előidéz Hungarian: közrejátszik Hungarian: szerepet játszik Hungarian: befolyásol Italian: operare Ancient Greek: ἐνεργέω Bulgarian: действам Finnish: toimia Finnish: tehota Russian: рабо́тать Russian: де́йствовать Spanish: operar

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.

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