# militate

Pronunciation: US say "MIL-i-tayt" /ˈmɪlɪteɪt/; UK

## Verb

1. To work as a force or influence toward a particular result, or against it.
   - Simple: To make something more likely or less likely to happen.
   - _Several factors militate against a quick settlement, including the sheer number of claims._
   - _The building's age militated against turning it into apartments._

## Verb

2. To serve as a soldier or take part in warfare. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To serve as a soldier or fight in a war.

## Origin

First attested in 1598; borrowed from Latin mīlitātus, the perfect passive participle of mīlitō, with the verb suffix -ate. Its meaning follows its French cognate militer.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/militate (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).