Disabuse
Transitive verb.
Pronunciation and accent: dɪsəbjuːz
Etymology: it is analysable into dis- (prefix with the connotation of undoing or reversing the action or effect of the verb) + the verb abuse, which was formerly used, in one of its acceptations, for “to make a wrong use of any one's confidence; cheat”. Abuse is analysable into ab- + use. Use is from Latin usus, p. participle of uti (= to use).
Preterite tense: disabused. Preterite participle: disabused. present participle: disabusing.
Definition: to cause (a person) to cease being deceived.
Synonyms: to undeceive, undelude, unfool, uncheat, unbeguile.
Antonyms: to deceive, beguile, cheat, dupe, banter, befool, cajole, trick.
Translation: désabuser, in French; desengañar, in Spanish; disingannare, in Italian.
Syntax: with the preposition of, followed by a noun, with which the deceit is designated:
Men in their extreme ignorance call us the weaker sex. The weaker sex! When -ad they know it-we can pull and play with their hearts'-strings as little children play with toy harlequins. However, never disabuse them of the fond conceit. Our weakness, as they are pleased to call it, is our best strength.
The writings of Douglas Jerrold
When she was disabused of this idea, her whole being resolved itself into an absorbing anxiety about her pattens, with which she played innumerable games at quoits on Mr Pecksniff's legs.
Charles Dickens… Martin Chuzzlewit
And this was a notion of which his friends were not anxious to disabuse him.
Thomas De Quincey
I would beseech the literary critics of our country to disabuse themselves of the mischievous notion that they are essential to the progress of literature in the way critics have imagined.
William Howells… Of Literature
English words derived from Latin uti: usury, utensil, utility, abusable, abused, abuse, abusefully, abuser, disabusal, disabused, self-abuse, utile, utilizable, utilization, utilize, utilized, utilizing, utilizer, inutility, inutile, inutilely, inutilized, unutilized, use, used, usedness, use, useful, usefully, usefulness, useless, uselessly, uselessness, user, inusitate, inusitateness, inusitation, unusable, unused, unused, unusedness, unuseful, unusefully, unusefulness, unusual, unusuality, unusually, unusualness, usual, usualness, usually, usurer, usuress, usurious, usuriously, usuriousness, usury
