Word of the Day : April 7, 2018

reify \RAY-uh-fye\ verb

Definition

: to consider or represent (something abstract) as a material or concrete thing : to give definite content and form to (a concept or idea)

Did You Know?

Reify is a word that attempts to provide a bridge between what is abstract and what is real. Fittingly, it derives from a word that is an ancestor to real—the Latin noun res, meaning "thing." Both reify and the related noun reification first appeared in English in the mid-19th century. Each word combines the Latin res with an English suffix (-fy and -fication, respectively) that is derived from the Latin -ficare, meaning "to make." In general use, the words refer to the act of considering or presenting an abstract idea in real or material terms, or of judging something by a concrete example.

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Aired April 7, 2018

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