What does dementate mean?
Dementate is a rare English verb meaning to deprive a person of reason or mental soundness — literally, to make them lose their mind. Formed from Latin roots also visible in 'dementia' and 'mental', it names the action that produces the condition described by the adjective 'demented'. The word appears chiefly in older literature, legal prose, and deliberately formal writing, where an author might say that grief or torment 'dementated' a character. It can also be used figuratively for anything that throws the mind into confusion, as when noise or disorder seems capable of dementating a newcomer. Because it is so seldom used today, most readers will find it unfamiliar, and modern writers generally prefer alternatives such as 'derange', 'unhinge', or 'drive mad'. Its value lies mainly in its precision and its etymological kinship with the vocabulary of madness, making it a curiosity worth recognising rather than a word for everyday speech.
verbTo drive out of one's mind; to deprive of reason or sanity.
- To deprive of reason or mental soundness; to make insane.
- (Figuratively) To throw into confusion or disorder, as if robbing of sense.
"The endless interrogation was said to have dementated the prisoner entirely."
"Grief all but dementated the old king, who wandered the palace talking to shadows."
"The sheer chaos of the market could dementate any newcomer unaccustomed to its din."
Rarely seen outside old dictionaries and legal prose, 'dementate' is the forgotten verb hiding inside 'demented' — the act itself, not the state.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dementate
Dementate derives from the Latin dementare, formed from de- ('away from') plus mens, mentis ('mind'), hence literally 'to take away the mind'. It entered English through post-classical and Romance use, sharing its root with 'dementia', 'mental', and 'mind'-related words such as 'comment' and 'mention' (from mentis via compound formations). The verb has always been rare and has receded further as simpler phrasal alternatives became standard.
Related word forms
How dementate is actually used
Extremely rare and largely archaic; encountered chiefly in older texts, legal writing, or deliberately elevated diction. In modern usage, 'drive mad', 'derange', or 'unhinge' are strongly preferred.
Easily confused with dementate
'Demean' means to lower in dignity or status (or, as a reflexive verb, to behave), whereas 'dementate' means to deprive of mental soundness.
'Demented' is an adjective describing someone already deprived of reason, while 'dementate' is the rare verb denoting the act of causing that state.