vouchsafe
/ˌvaʊt͡ʃˈseɪf/ verb
Forms vouchsafes vouchsafing vouchsafed
- verb (transitive) To graciously give, to condescendingly grant a right, benefit, outcome, etc.; to deign to acknowledge.
- verb (intransitive) To receive or accept in condescension.
- verb (transitive) To disclose or divulge. “She vouchsafed to me that she regretted ever marrying him.”
Synonyms
Etymology
From vouch + safe, written as two words in Middle English and early Modern English.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To condescend to grant; to concede; to bestow.
- verb To receive or accept in condescension. [Obs.] Shak.
- verb To condescend; to deign; to yield; to descend or stoop.
Etymology [Vouch + safe, that is, to vouch or answer for safety.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “vouchsafe”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details