Inviate

Inviate is a scarcely attested English verb that is said to mean to render inviolate or to protect from violation. In usage it would function as the act of making something inviolable, though the form is extremely rare in modern English.

Etymology and form are straightforward though the word is not common. It is built from the adjective inviolate, meaning not violated, with the common verb-forming suffix -ate. The root inviolate itself derives from Latin inviolatus, with in- meaning not and violare meaning to violate. Because inviolate is more widely used today, inviative or inviated forms are largely found only in historical or ceremonial language, and many dictionaries mark inviolate as the standard adjective while noting the verb invi ate as obscure or obsolete.

Usage and status in contemporary language. Due to its rarity, invi ate is not employed in everyday writing and is seldom found in contemporary legal or formal prose. When encountered, it tends to appear in older texts, glossaries, or scholarly discussions of archaisms. In ordinary style, speakers and writers generally prefer phrasing such as to protect as inviolate, to safeguard inviolate rights, or to preserve or ensure inviolability, rather than using invi ate as a verb.

See also: inviolate, inviolable, preserve, safeguard. Notes on related terms can be found in discussions of inviolability and the ethics of protection in legal and ceremonial contexts.