uh-MEEL-yuh-rayt
(verb) To make something better or more tolerable.
The new policy helped ameliorate tensions between departments.
Fun Fact
Ameliorate comes from the Latin melior, meaning “better.” It’s a favorite of bureaucrats, academics, and corporate copywriters, usually when they want to say “we’re fixing it” without promising too much. It often shows up in PR language when damage control is underway—but improvement is still a work in progress.
VEN-uh-rayt
(verb) To regard with great respect or reverence; to honor deeply.
Many cultures venerate their elders, recognizing the wisdom gained through lived experience.
Early 17th century: from Latin “veneratus,” past participle of “venerari” meaning “to revere,” related to “venus” meaning “love” or “charm.”
Fun Fact
Veneration occupies the space between respect and worship—deeper than admiration but not necessarily religious. The Catholic Church distinguishes between venerating saints (permissible) and worshipping them (forbidden), though critics sometimes miss this nuance. Ancient Romans venerated ancestors through household shrines, believing proper veneration brought family blessings. Modern Japan venerates age and experience in ways that puzzle youth-obsessed Western cultures. The word connects to Venus through shared roots in love and desire, suggesting veneration contains affection alongside respect. You can venerate people, traditions, or even abstract concepts—anything worthy of profound respect earns veneration, whether a civil rights leader, a cultural practice, or the ideal of justice itself.