exalt
UK[ɪɡˈzɔːlt]US[ɪɡˈzɒlt]
v
to praise someone or something highly
v
to raise someone to a higher rank or more powerful position
Morpheme Breakdown
ex
alt
ex
out, upward
alt
high
Etymology
The word 'exalt' entered English in the late 14th century from the Old French 'exalter', which itself derives from the Latin verb 'exaltare', meaning 'to raise, lift up, or elevate'. This Latin term is a compound of the prefix 'ex-' (meaning 'out' or 'up') and the root 'altus' (meaning 'high'), a word of Proto-Indo-European origin related to concepts of growth and height. The literal sense of physically lifting something evolved into the figurative meanings of elevating in rank or status, and further into the abstract sense of praising someone highly, as if raising them in esteem.
Analysis
Structure: ex (out, upward) + alt (high)
ex- (prefix of Latin origin meaning 'out of, from, upward'); -alt (root from Latin altus, meaning 'high')
Examples
The critics exalted the film as a masterpiece of modern cinema.
The ceremony served to exalt him to the position of chief elder.
Their music exalts the simple joys of everyday life.