Etymologically
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emphasize

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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈɛm.fə.saɪz/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English emphasis + -ize.[2][3][4][5][6] The noun is borrowed from Latin emphasis, from Ancient Greek ἔμφασις (émphasis, “outward appearance, reflection; significance”), from ἐμφαίνω (emphaínō, “to exhibit, display”),[7][8][3] formed from ἐν (en, “in”) and φαίνω (phaínō, “to show”).[7][8] The OED compares the earlier verb emphase.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

To put stress on a word or syllable in speaking: 1765, in John Rice's Introduction to the Art of Reading.[2][3][4] Dictionary.com dates the word to 1820–30, and the Shorter Oxford to the early 19th century.[6][5]

Semantic evolution

The verb began in the teaching of reading aloud, for laying stress on a word or syllable,[2][3] and in writing for marking such stress with italics or underlining.[2] From 1793 it was used for drawing attention to a fact or argument to show its importance,[2] and by 1800 also for adding force to speech or actions.[2]

Timeline

  • 1765 – to stress a word or syllable in speaking.[2][3][4]
  • 1793 – to draw special attention to a fact or argument.[2]
  • 1800 – to add force or intensity to speech or actions.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To give special importance or prominence to something; to stress it: The coach emphasized the need for rest before the final.[9][4][2]
  2. To pronounce a word or syllable with extra stress, or to mark it in writing, as with italics.[2]
  3. To make something stand out more clearly: The dark frame emphasized the brightness of the painting.[2][5]

Word family

  • hyperemphasize
  • misemphasize
  • overemphasize
  • reemphasize
  • underemphasize

Usage notes

The spelling emphasise is also used, especially in British English.[4][9][6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  8. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  9. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins