electrify

the word 'electrify' is a modern formation built upon the latin root for electricity. the base 'electr-' originates from the latin electrum, meaning 'amber', as the ancient greeks discovered that rubbing amber could attract lightweight objects—a phenomenon later understood as static electricity. the suffix '-ify', derived from the latin verbal suffix -ificare, means 'to make'. thus, the literal construction 'to make like amber' or 'to make electric' evolved into its modern abstract meanings: first, the technical sense of equipping something with or charging it with electrical power, and second, the figurative sense of causing a sudden, thrilling excitement akin to an electric shock.

Structure: electr (electricity) + ify (to make) electr (from latin electrum, meaning 'amber', and later new latin electricus, meaning 'of amber' or 'like amber', referring to the property of static electricity; functions as the root denoting electricity). ify (from latin -ificare, a verb-forming suffix meaning 'to make' or 'to cause to become'; functions as a derivational suffix).