Accredit, credit.—'To accredit means 'to invest with credit or authority,'[91] or 'to send with letters credential;' to credit means 'to believe,'[92] or "to put to the credit of."
Arise, rise.—"The choice between these words was primarily, and still often is, a matter of rhythm [euphony]. The literal meanings, however, or those which seem literal, have become more associated with rise, and the consciously figurative with arise: as, he rose from the chair; the sun rose; the provinces rose in revolt: trouble arose; 'music arose with its voluptuous swell.'"[93]
Captivate, capture.—To captivate means "to fascinate"; to capture, "to take prisoner."
Depreciate, deprecate.—To depreciate means "to bring down in value," "to disparage;" to deprecate means "to argue earnestly against" or "to express regret for."
Impugn, Impute.—To impugn means "to call in question;" to impute means "to ascribe to."
Loan, lend.—The use of loan as a verb is not sanctioned by good use. Properly the word is a noun. A loan is money which a person lends.
[91] "Foundations," p. 109.
[92] A.S. Hill: Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 38.
[93] The Century Dictionary.
EXERCISE LV.
Tell the difference in meaning between—
1. The Amazon captivated (captured) our hero.
2. The king depreciated (deprecated) Napoleon's effort to raise a new army.
3. The readiness with which men impute (impugn) motives is much to be regretted.